202 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



and four agricultural or farm institutes, all of which receive grants 

 from the Board. The committee also sought information from every 

 County Council concerning its provisions for technical and practical 

 instruction in agriculture, from nine colleges and institutions which 

 give instruction in agriculture but are not aided by the Board, from 

 two technical colleges for women, and from many agricultural socie- 

 ties, landowners, farmers, farm managers and others who might have 

 opinions of value concerning the subject of their inquiry. In this 

 way a large mass of information was collected which has been pub- 

 lished in Part II of the committee's report, Part I being devoted to 

 its findings and recommendations. The committee also made a con- 

 siderable study of facilities and methods in teaching agriculture in 

 other countries with a view of recommending such features of in- 

 struction as would be applicable to conditions in England and Wales. 



In general the committee found that satisfactor}^ progress had been 

 made in practical and scientific instruction in agriculture during the 

 past 20 years, and that farmers now take a keen interest in the work 

 of agricultural institutions. It believes that the establishment of a 

 few more higher agricultural institutions, some of which are now pro- 

 jected, would furnish the country with a sufficient number of collegiate 

 centers, but it found that " the facilities for agricultural instruction 

 of a lower grade are unorganized, unsystematic, and wholly inade- 

 quate." 



The committee is evidently convinced of the importance of pro- 

 viding a thoroughly equipped staff of specialists for the higher in- 

 stitutions, and well-trained teachers for those of lower grade. With 

 reference to the development of existing facilities the report states 

 that " attention should be given to securing a highly qualified staff. 

 Man}' institutions employ too few teachers or relegate the teaching 

 of important subjects to junior members of the staff. It is of special 

 importance that higher qualifications should be secured in the teachers 

 of such subjects as agriculture, agricultural chemistry, and agri- 

 cultural botany. , , . Further developments in agricultural educa- 

 tion will be difficult until a greater supply of well-qualified teachers 

 is available." The committee also recommends the emploj^ment of 

 itinerant instructors in agriculture, horticulture, farm hj'giene, dairy- 

 ing, poultr}^ keeping, and other subjects in every county, and empha- 

 sizes the fact that these instructors should be selected from those 

 who have had practical experience. They should have their head- 

 quarters at a centrally located agricultural institution, so that ar- 

 rangements for systematic demonstrations or improved practice can 

 be made. And finally, as regards the teaching force, it recommends 

 " that universities and colleges in receipt of aid from the Board of 

 Agriculture should provide courses of instruction on subjects bearing 

 on agriculture and horticulture for elementary school teachers." 



