435 



Eesoh-ed, That this Association earnestly recommenrls that forestry be made apart 

 of the curriculum of all agricultural colleges and of the experimental work by the 

 various stations, where this is not done already. 



England.— The following notes regarding recent plans for education in agricul- 

 ture and horticulture in England are taken from the Gardeners' Chronicle of October 

 31, 1891: 



An important experiment in agricultural education has been started in the rnral 

 districts of Kent. In upwards of sixty villages courses of six lectures on elementary 

 scientific sulyects bearing upon agriculture are in progresss by university lecturers 

 on the model of the university extension movement. The lecture, the class, tho 

 syllabus, the oxyhydrogen lantern, and the traveling libraries, the chief features 

 of university extension, are all put in action. In addition local teachers will be 

 authorized to give supplementary instruction in the intermediate weeks, since, 

 owing to the large area to be covered, the university lecturers can only visit a given 

 village once a fortnight. The lecturers on agricultural chemistry are, Mr. F. M. 

 Legge of Trinity College, Oxford; Mr. H. H. Cousins of Merton College, Oxford; 

 and Mr. R. S. Morrell of Caius College, Cambridge. Mr. W. F. H. Blandford of 

 Trinity College, Cambridge, lectures on injurious insects; Mr. A. S. F. Grlinhaum 

 of Caius College, Cambridge, on physiology; Mr. W. B, Bottomley of King's College, 

 Ciunbridge, on plant life; and Mr. P. Lake of St. John's College, Cambridge, on 

 agricultural geology. The funds are provided by a grant of £3,000 from the Tech- 

 nical Education Committee of the Kent County Council. This is the first systematic 

 attempt, says the Gardeners' Magazine, to bring before rural audiences some of the 

 elementary scientific principles which underlie their daily work, and we trust that 

 young gardeners will take full advantage of the lectures and class teaching. 



The following is the scheme for forty lectures on horticulture prepared by a com- 

 mittee of the Fruit Growers' Association, and favorably entertained by the Educa- 

 tion Department: First stage. — Plant life: Seeds, nature of, and germination; 

 requirements of growth, water, heat, air. Soils: Nature and composition. Eoots: 

 Nature and functions; branches, fibrils, and root hairs; what they do and how — 

 what helps, what hinders them. Stems and branches: Their nature, work and 

 uses, helps and hindrances. Leaves: What they are, what they do — heljjs and hin- 

 drances. Buds and tubers: Leaf buds, flower buds, tubers. Growth: Increase in 

 size and changes of composition, formation and storage of food materials. Flowers : 

 Their component parts; what they do. Fruit: Changes and development during 

 ripening; forms and varieties, as apple, strawberry, plum, etc. Second stage. — Ele- 

 mentary operations: Description and use of implements under each head. Opera- 

 tions connected with the land, with exphmations and illustrations of good and bad 

 methods; digging and trenching; draining; hoeing; stirring the soil and weeding; 

 watering. Preparation of seed bed: Rolling and raking; sowing, transplanting, 

 and thinning; potting. Planting: Positions and shelter; staking; earthing and 

 blanching; propagation. Elementary principles: Cutting, budding, grafting, 

 layering; insect and fungous pests. Third stage. — Advanced practice; Budding. 

 Grafting and stocks used. Layering. Division. Branching. Root pruning: Old 

 and young trees and bushes. Fruit culture: Open air and under glass; small 

 fruits; apples and pears ; stone fruits; gatheiiug and storing; packing and market- 

 ing. Vegetable culture: Tubers and roots; green vegetables; fruits and seeds 

 (peas, beans, etc.) ; rotation of crops. Flower culture: Outside and under glass; 

 manures and application. Treatment of insect pests; treatment of fungi pests. 

 General knowledge of fruits. 



France. — During the past 2 years an experiment station for testing agricultural 

 implements has been in operation in Paris. It was established by the ministry 

 of agriculture, and is under the direction of M. Ringelmann, professor of rural 

 engineering in the national school of agriculture of Grignon. An assistant and a 

 skilled mechanic are also emj)loyed. The station is equipped with a steam engine, 



