AGRICULTURAL KDUCATTON IN SOL'TH AFRICA. 209 



of the class whose mother tongue is Dutch, and in EngHsh to 

 those whose mother tongue is EngHsh. Of these two alternatives 

 I would give preference to the latter, if the lectures are suffi- 

 ciently curtailed to make the scheme workable. 



The only other solution will be that approximately half the 

 lectures are given in one and half in the other official language. 

 This presuj^poses a knowledge of both official languages as a 

 condition of admission to the school. Once both these languages 

 are properly and sufficiently taught in all our public schools, such 

 an arrangement might be practicable. At the present ttime I am 

 afraid this will not be the case imless boys whose mother tongue 

 is English first spend a year on a Dutch farm and take pains to 

 learn Dutch properly. Incidentally, it will acquaint them with 

 farming and farm life, and thus serve a double purpose. Where 

 necessary, the Dutch boy should similarly take steps to get a 

 j^roper knowledge of English, although this is not the case at 

 present generally met with in South Africa. This third and last 

 solution of the language difficulty has much to recommend it, and 

 is no doubt the most practical and sensible solution of the ques- 

 tion, although I admit that from a pedadogic point of view it may 

 be assailable. We shall no doubt before long see which solution 

 will be adopted in South Africa. 



About our higher agricultural education at the Agricultural 

 Faculties, I shall not say much, as they are now only being started. 

 There are four main things which I hope they will do. 



Firstly, they should train men with some farming experience 

 who have i)assed the Matriculation or Senior Certificate Exami- 

 nation to Ijecome farmers. Most of their students will at the 

 outset probably belong to this grotip. After two years' study 

 they can be awarded a Diploma in Agriculttu^e upon satisfactorily 

 passing the necessary tests. We shall thus get some farmers 

 who will have enjoyed the privileges of a University education, 

 which will enable all the better to fill their places as farmers 

 and as members of the community, particularly as members of 

 public bodies, such as School Boards, Divisional and Provincial 

 Councils, and last, but not least. Parliament. 



Secondly, they should provide the necessary agricultural 

 training for our teachers as outlined above. 



Thirdly, they should provide Degree Coitrses for the more 

 ambitious students who wish to take their degree in agriculture, 

 and become teachers of this subject or experts in some branch 

 of it. 



Finally, they should stimulate and actively forward research 

 in the difi:'erent branches of agriculture. In the couse of time I 

 hope to see all these functions worthily performed by these Facul- 

 ties for the welfare of the whole coimtry, when the money now 

 spent will return to us with more than compound interest. 



(Read. July 4. 1917.) 



