69 



include lit'c keppin":. farriery, poultry keeping, horticulture, garden- 

 ing. and other branches of agriculture. 



The details of the various methods pursued and scope of the work 

 noAv heing done hy the county councils in promoting agricultural edu- 

 cation can best be understood from the reports of the several in- 

 spectors of the hoard of agriculture, whose duty it is to visit the 

 counties ])eriodically and inspect their work. Eeports from several of 

 the counties are presented for purposes of conij)arison. 



The folloAving statement is by the inspector for the county of Bed- 

 ford for 1899-1000:" 



County of BEnFORo. 



The county provides a farm school at Ridguiont, near ^YohlU•n, for sons of 

 small farmers and laborers, to whom instruction is given in agriculture, market 

 gai'dening, bee keeping, and poultry keeping ; a grant is also given to the agri- 

 cultural department, Cambridge University. There is acconnnodation at the 

 school for 20 students, all of whom nuist have been actually engaged on the laud 

 and nmst hold- county scholarships which entitle them to two years' board and 

 residence with instruction free. In 1899-1900 there were 14 resident scholars 

 and 2 ex-scholars were retained to assist in the work of the farm. 



Lectures are given throughout the county in horticidture and poultry keeping, 

 while demonstrations and competitions are organized in various manual proc- 

 esses. Classes in general agriculture are also held in the villages. 



Particulars of the work done in these subjtM-ts in 1S00-1!)OO are furnished 



below : 



Af/riciiUiirc. — Classes were held at 2G centers during the winter, ;ind ,168 

 pupils received instruction, of whom 427 were farm lads, the teachers being 

 drawn from the element.-iry schools. 



Horticulture. — Practical gardening classes by the county staff instructor were 

 held at 2 centers; lectui'es were given at 9 centers and at a reformatory school. 



PduJIrii l-rcpiiii/. — Courses of lectures were given at ."> centers by the master 

 of the farm School. 



MtnuKil iiroccssdi. — Demonstrations and comi)etitions were held in shee]!- 

 shearing, horseshoeing, plowing, hedging .-md ditciiing, and stacking and 

 thatching. 



Scholarsliips. — Seven agricultural scholarshi]is, tenalde at the Ridgmont Farm 

 School, were awarded in J.S',)'.»-11MI0. In addition, 10 scholarshiiis were awarded 

 to enable teachers to attend the three weeks' summer course at Camitridge. 



County of Berksiitre. 



The county works in conjunction with the Reading College, to which it makes 

 an annual grant of £200, together with an additional gi-ant of £r)0 for field 

 exi)eriments. 



Local classes were held in 1900 at a number of centers, in poultry keeping 

 and horticulture, rarticnlars of these classes are given below. 



a It is proper to explain that the data presented in this statement of the edu- 

 cational system of Great Britain, as well as tliose respecting the systems in use 

 in other countries, have i)een selected from such reports as seem to most satis- 

 factorily exhibit the methods in ust>, although in some instances not the latest 

 publications upon the subject. 



