AGRICULTURAL EDUCATLON TN AUSTRAL[A. 21/ 



— all he has to do is to put his in(|uiries through the mediiun 

 of the question-box, or to communicate with the Secretary of 

 his Branch, who- then passes the request on to the Secretary of 

 the Associated Board. The latter, a permanent official of the 

 Agricultural Department, thereupon communicates the desire to 

 that particidar sub-department whose proper function it is to 

 deal with it. 



In addition to their monthly meetings, above referred to, 

 all the Branches in the State meet unitedly in Congress once 

 every year, and on such occasions the Government presents two 

 delegates from each Branch with free railway tickets. More- 

 over, when agricultural shows take place at Roseworthy, farmers 

 are given not only free railway return tickets, but are in addition 

 provided gratis with a luncheon at Roseworthy. and a drive of 

 inspection roiuid the farm. 



"' Homestead meetings " constitute an important feature of 

 some Branches. ^lembers journey to the homestead of one of 

 their number by invitation, and there inspect crops, livestock, 

 and machinery ; business is also transacted, and a social hour is 

 spent. The mutual value of such excursions to host and visitors 

 need not be further emphasised to those who have attended our 

 Dry-farming or Irrigation Congresses. Some Branches arrange 

 field-trials of implements, from time to time, when the assem- 

 bled farmers have opportunities of judging the merits of various 

 makes and patterns. 



Another development of the homestead meetings is the in- 

 stitution of competitions: for instance, there was a pruning 

 competition at Clare in June, 1914, under the auspices of the 

 Clare Branch of the Agricultural Bureau. There were eight 

 classes, viz., apricots, apples, ])eaches, currants, sultanas and wine- 

 grapes, as well as two for youths under 15. This has since 

 further developed into a gold medal championship competition 

 which is to last over three years, the respective competitors 

 handling the same tree year after year. 



Finally, experiments in manuring, cultivation methods, crop- 

 rotation, etc.. are carried out by members of the Bureau, on a 

 1)roperly organized plan, on behalf of the Department, which 

 keeps careful records of all that is accomplished and publishes 

 the results. There is, in fact, a special Experimental and De- 

 monstration Plots Committee of the Agricultural Bureau of 

 South Australia whose particular function is to organise these 

 tests in the field. 



South Australian Experimental Farms. 



An important function in South Australia's system of agri- 

 cultural education is vested in the experimental farms. As in 

 the United States of America, these farms may or may not be 

 connected with the establishments for agricultural education ; 

 but it is of value to remember that there is a definite distinction 

 between the agricultural colleges and the experiment stations. 



An indication was given above of the manner in which co- 



