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department for 1904, takes up the question of the education of the 

 adult rural population along agricultural lines. He states that — 



The department of agriculture has fur years had officers on the staff whose 

 duty it has been to give single lectures ou agricultural subjects to meetings of 

 farmers held under the auspices of agricultural societies. This work, although 

 useful and interesting, can not be called very educational, as the information 

 given in one lecture does not lead to a better understanding of the next. To 

 meet this difficulty I have had classes of instruction for farmers and farmers' 

 sons, extending over several weeks, held during the last two seasons, and this 

 winter the classes are more popular than ever. * * * This method of in- 

 struction has come to stay in Victoria and will extend over the whole of Aus- 

 tralia. Inquiries have reached me fi'om other States, and it is only a matter of 

 time before Australian agriculturists will realize that this is the best method of 

 instruction for the greatest number which can be had at the least sacrifice of time 

 and money. However excellent this system may be, the winter season as a rule 

 is the only time farmers and their sons can devote their days to lectures and 

 study. To meet all demands for classes during the winter months the depart- 

 ment would be required to maintain for a whole year the staff of lecturers, who 

 would work for three or four months only, or depend upon picking up suitable 

 men for the work during the winter season. 



Engaging men specially can be done to a small extent, l)ut if it were attempted 

 on any large scale failure would be the result. I, therefore, after a great deal of 

 consideration and consultation, matured a ])lan of keeping the lecturers employed 

 throughout the year. The method I propose is to hold evening classes of two 

 weeks' duration at farmhouses, the number of farmers attending at any center 

 to be from 10 to 12 and the classes to be held the year round, excepting in the 

 winter time, when the officers would be engaged at the farmers' classes held in 

 each township, ai^ is being done at present. 



The lectures would be held in the evening, say one and one-half hours' lecture 

 and one-half hour devoted to the asking and answering of questions. Four lec- 

 turers would be required ; one, who would arrive on a Monday and stay three 

 days, giving lectures and discussing such subjects as manuring suitable to the 

 district, tillage, rotation of crops, and kindred .topics. On the fourth day he 

 would leave for another center, say 20 miles away, and would be replaced by an 

 officer competent to lecture on farm stock, their breeding and management. In 

 two days the second lecturer would leav(\ being rejilaced by a third, who might 

 lecture upon poultry. Two days later this lecturer would be replaced by a 

 fourth, who would lecture on other agricultural subjects. The course of instruc- 

 tion at this farmhouse would then terminate after ten days' duration. 



Four classes, therefore, would be in progress at one time in farmhouses 

 sufficiently far apart to prevent overlapping, and yet near emmgh for the officer 

 to reach the next center and lectui-e on the same day. 



I propose that these farmhouse classes should I)e tried in August, when the 

 farmers' classes held for a month in townshiits are finished and the officers are 

 available to do the work. 



By this method it is proposed to overcome the difficulty that noAv 

 confronts institute directors in almost all countries — that of securing 

 a sufficient number of capable men for the work of instruction. By 

 employing them for the entire year institute teaching will become a 

 profession, and many will doubtless find it to their advantage to pre- 

 pare themselves for it and adopt it as a career. Day schools for adult 



