"• To most oi our people the germination, development, and re- 

 production of vegetation are a mystery, and the realization that plants 

 are living and breathing organisms, performing all the vital functions 

 of such, must come as a great revelation to the majority of our rural 

 friends. 



' ; A knowledge of the forces of Nature as they work through 

 plant and soil, the wonderful adaptions of these forces, and the inter- 

 dependence of the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms is what 

 is wanting. An intelligent knowledge of Nature in her various phases 

 should be so much power in the youth of the colony, which he will be 

 able to use to his advantage : with such knowledge his lot will be 

 infinitely more congenial to him, his prospects more cheerful, and his 

 inclination will be to remain amid his rural surroundings and apply 

 himself to the cultivation of the soil. Thus it is hoped the people of 

 this colony will be led to develop its great agricultural resources. 

 We trust this will be realized. 



"In the carrying out of the science of agriculture in any form, 

 keen observation, object lessons, and practical training, are most 

 essential. Agricultural education also rests on Nature study. The 

 first thing to do with children is to impress them with the love of 

 Nature ; teach Nature in the schools. 



" The element of education which is most lacking in our schools 

 is the training of the powers of observation. The children need 

 above all things to be taught to observe carefully and correctly, and 

 to state their observations in clear and terse language. The ordinary 

 child, whether in the country or in the town, actually sees and knows 

 comparatively little in the world about him. The wonders of the 

 trees and plants around, of birds, beasts, and insects about him. float 

 like shadowy visions before his eyes : " seeing he does not see" ; he 

 needs a teacher who can open his eyv^ and fix his mind on the realities 

 among which his life has passed. This accurate observation of actual 

 objects and facts is the only foundation upon which scientific attain- 

 ments can rest. It is for Nature-teaching that the child mind craves ; 

 with it the school becomes a delightful place, and the teacher a mes- 

 senger of life. 



" I will give vim in just one simple instance the value of object 

 lessons and practical demonstrations: Supposing you wish to pot a 

 plant, and you read in a book on gardening, if you have one. as 

 follows : — 



'• Take up the plant carefully with a trowel, fork, or spade, 

 remove a portion of the ball : then gel a clean, dry pot : se1 the plant 

 in the centre, not too deep, the collar should hi' just hall' an inch 

 below the edge of the pot. and fill up with rich garden soil ; after that 

 water it well, and keep in the shade a lew days. 



•• Could you carry out these instructions completely without ever 

 seeing the thine done before? 1 doubl it. But if 1 was to read that. 

 1 an ou Id understand it easily, having -ecu it done and actually done it. 



" A course for the study of agriculture must consist very largely 

 of the principle underlying the practic< — that is. the child must be 

 taught why he plants, cultivates, and reaps, in one way rather than 

 another, and what laws of Nature he violates in the had management 

 of his crops. &c." — Queensland Agricultural Journal, January, 11)04. 



