222 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



enumerated it is hoped to bring the work into closer touch with the 

 actual farmers, and make it of more immediate use to them. 



ENGLAND AND WALES. 



The annual report of the board of agriculture and fisheries of Great 

 Britain contains much interesting material concerning agricultural 

 education in that country. It consists of a general report on the 

 work of the year, a list of grants awarded in 1904-5, and four appen- 

 dixes: (1) Reports on institutions receiving grants; (2) education 

 in rural districts — school gardens; (3) summary of the agricultural 

 instruction provided by county councils in England and Wales in the 

 year 1904-5; and (4) statement showing the expenditure of county 

 councils in England and Wales upon agricultural instruction in the 

 years 1903-4 and 1904-5. 



In the general report attention is called to an increase of $4,856 in 

 the amount given to local institutions in aid of agricultural education. 

 One-half of this sum was awarded in two equal grants for lectureships 

 in forestry at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, and 

 Armstrong College, Newcastle on Tyne. The sum of $971.20 was 

 given to aid "the excellent scheme of instruction provided by the 

 county council of Essex at their technical laboratories in Chelms- 

 ford;" and $971.20 and $485.60, respectively, to the agricultural 

 departments of the university colleges of Reading and Aberystwyth 

 on account of the establishment of farms in connection with these 

 institutions. 



The statement is made that the principal reason for giving financial 

 assistance to educational institutions was to provide facilities for 

 training young men for the practice of agriculture, but it is considered 

 noteworthy that a large percentage of "the best students have been 

 attracted from the practice of agriculture by the offer of research and 

 teaching appointments, and are now filling many of the more impor- 

 tant chairs and lectureships" in England, as well as important posi- 

 tions requiring trained specialists in the colonies of Great Britain and 

 in other parts of the world. It is recognized thSt "agricultural science 

 offers to our best students a career which is certainly not less attractive 

 than that presented by the older and more conventional professions." 



A feature of the work of the different colleges, aided b}^ the board 

 during the past year, has been the attention given to the training of 

 teachers for the elementary schools. Short courses, usually extending 

 over two weeks, have been given for teachers at many of these insti- 

 tutions. In this work the county councils have frequentlj^ cooperated. 

 The courses have included instruction in nature study, horticulture, 

 economic entomology, dairying, school gardening, and other subjects 

 of this nature. The attendance of teachers at Reading University 

 College was 25; at Wye College, 67; at the University College of 



