1919] AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 797 



increase being due to a large extent to the attendance on courses in farm work 

 for women anil on courses for disabled officers. 



Brief reviews are given of the advisory work conducted at the institutions 

 for higher agricultural education, as well as notes on the work of the research 

 institutions. The services of a considerable portion of the staffs of these insti- 

 tutions were requisitioned for work under the food production department. 



The schemes of agricultural instruction in the counties continued to be 

 worked in the modified form necessitated by the war. In 1917-18, 416 organized 

 day courses in agricultural subjects were held with an attendance of 4,989 as 

 compared with 303 such courses with an attendance of 3,251 in 1916-17. In 

 each of the two years 136 evening schools and classes in agriculture, horticul- 

 ture, poultry keeping, farriery, and basket making were held, with a total at- 

 tendance of 2,835 and 3,062, respectively. Lectures and instruction in manual 

 processes were also given. The returns from 9 institutions providing resi- 

 dential courses of the farm institute type show that instruction was provided 

 for 817 students in 1916-17 and 389 students in 1917-18. 



There are at present about 40 organizers, whose duties and responsibilities 

 are mainly to supervise all the agricultural work done by the county or coun- 

 ties employing them. They may give some instruction, but their main function 

 is to act as the organizing head of the county staff and the mainspring of its 

 activities. 



Local authorities have been asked to prepare a comprehensive and satisfac- 

 tory scheme of agricultural education for their areas by means of the establish- 

 ment and maintenance, or contributions thereto, of an institution for higher 

 agi'icultural education and of a farm institute or farm school ; the provision of 

 a county staff of agricultural instructors, including particularly the appoint- 

 ment of an agricultural organizer ; the provision of technical advice for farmers, 

 of regular short courses at an approved center or centers, and of local courses, 

 lectiires, practical demonstrations, etc., through the agency of the county agri- 

 cultural staff or otherwise. 



The grants for 1918-19 amounted to a total of $368,054.50, including $71,802.70 

 for universities and colleges, $35,979.20 for advisory work, $119,105.08 for re- 

 search institutes and other research centers, $13,055.48 for special research and 

 other investigations, $118,783.92 for the maintenance of farm schools, technical 

 classes, local lectures, etc., and $418.48 for the establishment of farm schools, 

 $43.79 for the expenses of advisory councils, and $8,865.85 for forestry advice, 

 research, and experiments. 



Agricultural [and forestry] education and research (Rpt. Bd. Agr. Scot., 7 

 {1918), pp. XXI-XXVI, LXXIV-LXXVI) .—An account is given of the work 

 of the three agricultural colleges, the two veterinary colleges, and extension 

 and research work in 1917-18. 



The attendance at the day classes of the agricultural colleges was 117, 

 practically the same as for the preceding year, while that at the evening 

 classes was 462 as compared with 337 in the preceding year. The extension 

 work was conducted under extreme difficulty owing to war conditions. Grants 

 of seeds and plants not to exceed £1 in value in each case were supplied to 344 

 schools conducting garden work. 



The research work for which grants were paid from the development fund 

 included an investigation of the economic problem of crane flies, cheese-making 

 problems, a geological soil survey, research in animal nutrition, the production 

 of improved varieties of potatoes and turnips, and the investigation of sheep 

 diseases. 



The activities under schemes providing agricultural and forestry training for 

 discharged sailors and soldiers are briefly described. 



