810 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



attempted on auy large scale failure would be the result. I have, 

 therefore, after a great deal of consideration and after consultation with 

 Dr. Howell, who is now supervising the work of the lecturers, matured 

 a plan of keeping them employed throughout the year, and I think 

 there is every chance of making this scheme a success. To organize 

 the matter thoroughly it wo-uld be necessary to form an Educational 

 Branch of the Department of Agriculture, with a chief officer who, 

 besides teaching, would make all necessary arrangements and have 

 the teaching staff under his control. 



The method I propose is to hold evening classes of two weeks' 

 duration at farm houses. The numbei- of farmers attending at any 

 centre to be from 10 to 12, and the classes to be held all the year 

 round except in the winter time, when the officers would be engaged 

 at the farmers' classes held in the townships, as is being don^^ at 

 present. If this system is to succeed, the co-operation of leading 

 farmers in every district would be necessary — those who would lend a 

 room for the purpose and invite their neighbom^s to attend. 



The lectures would be held in the evening, say one and a half 

 hours' lecture and half an hour devoted to asking and answering 

 questions. Four lecturers would be required, one of whom would 

 arrive on a Monday and stay three days lecturing and discussing 

 such subjects as manuring suitable to the district, tillage, rotation of 

 crops, and kindred subjects. On the fourth day he would leave for 

 another centre, say 20 miles away, and would be replaced by an officer 

 competent to lecture on farm stock, their breeding and management. 

 In two days the second lecturer would leave, being replaced by a third 

 who might lecture upon poultry, the best breeds to be kept for export 

 and laying purposes, the management and feeding of poultry, &c. 

 Two days later this lecturer would be replaced by a fourth who would 

 lecture on other agricultural subjects. The covirse of instruction at 

 this particular farmhouse would then terminate after ten days' 

 instruction. Four classes would be in progress at one time in farm- 

 houses sufficiently far apart to prevent overlapping and yet near 

 ■enough for the officer to reach the next centre and lecture on the 

 same day. It will be at once seen that the success of such a scheme 

 depends very largely on the patriotism of the leading farmers, as it 

 is not everyone who has a room that would accommodate ten or twelve 

 farmers and who would be willing to give that room up for two hours 

 each evening for two weeks. As to the lecturers, they would find 

 their way to the nearest township after the lectures were over — to 

 cycle eight or ten miles on a summer evening would be no obstacle. 

 I would not like the scheme to fail from any idea that it would be 

 necessary to offer hospitality to lecturers. I should be glad to hear 

 from farmers who are prepared to give a room for farmers' classes, 

 and that at least ten farmers are prepared to attend for two consecu- 

 tive weeks. 



I propose that these farmhouse classes should be tried in August, 

 when the farmers classes held for a month in townships are finished 

 and the officers are available to do the work. 



