206 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 



ever for teaching purposes, and has to be collected and prepared 

 for the purpose; who can do this? Every man at present en- 

 gaged in agricultural work is burdened to such an extent as to 

 render this impossible, yet. unless we can teach South African 

 agriculture to South Africans, we will never progress. Every 

 other country is in advance of us in this respect, and the cause 

 is not far to seek. Eor such work men are required, and the 

 best men can only be procured by paying suitable salaries, and 

 men are not taken because they are not willing to work for 

 such salaries as a good man v>'ould refuse. People are even in- 

 clined to remark that agricultural schools should pay. Whv 

 this should be the case for agricultural schools, and not other 

 schools, has never been disclosed. The college or school farm 

 is a gigantic demonstrating laboratory, where everything is sacri- 

 ficed to the student, as should be the case if we are carrying 

 on our duty as it should be carried on towards the students 

 placed under our charge. 1 do not say that the college will not, 

 or cannot, pay working expenses and possibly something over, 

 but what 1 wish to point out is that, if it comes to a point be- 

 tween leaving a standing crop of wheat to ripen, or that students 

 should have to leave the institution without learning how to 

 plough. 1 would say plough down the crop if no other land is 

 available, but do not sacrifice your students for the sake of a 

 few shillings, for the lack of which knowledge these students 

 may, at a later date, lose thousands of pounds, and the countrv 

 be far poorer than would have been the case if the initial cost of 

 teaching had been increased by a few shillings. This is taking 

 an extreme case, but conveys my meaning. 



Teachinc. the AIex Already on the Land. 



This work may be carried out in several ways, to suit the 

 several classes that are met. Some men will say science is not 

 worth the breath wasted on expounding it ; others take it as a 

 panacea for all ills. The -third are those who are ready to believe 

 but desire proof — a desire which is felt by all men in any work 

 undertaken. The man who believes that science can do ever}-- 

 thing is the most dangerous, as he takes it for granted that, given 

 the analysis of the soil and of the crop which he will take from 

 the soil, he will then know exactl}' what fertilisers to add to t4ie 

 soil in question to grow a perfect crop. This is a most dangerous 

 fallacy. Farmers all over the world are. as a rule, conservative, 

 and so they have a right to be, seeing that the knowledge they 

 have secured has been won in the field of often bitter experience, 

 and no one will blame them for desiring proof that what we 

 teach will benefit them more than the knowledge they have gained 

 by their experience. Therefore, the teaching to farmers should 

 be done by actual demonstration work, showing them the advan- 

 tage of the methods taught in pounds, shillings, and pence. Such 

 a proof will carry more weight than all the lecturing and talking 

 of half-a-dozen men for six months. Short courses for farmers 

 at the agricultural colleges, m Dairying. Stock. Agricultural En- 



