THe JOUHNAb 



OF 



'Y'fie ^Department of Agriculture 



OP 



VICTORIA. 



Vol. XV. Part 3. lOth March, 1917. 



TEACHERS' FARM SCHOOL. 



SECOND SESSION. 

 Held at the State Reseapch Farm, Werribee, January 22-27, 1917. 



In September, 1915, some seventy teachers, from schools in which 

 agriculture forms part of the curriculum, were accommodated for a 

 week at the State Research Farm, Werribee. They attended lectures 

 and demonstrations arranged by the staff of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, and thus inaugurated a new departure at the Research Farm — 

 that of direct teaching. So successful was this, the initial school, that 

 it was decided to conduct a similar course of instruction each year, and 

 the second took place on 22nd-27th January last. 



On the first occasion the classes were held at Show time, and that 

 date was again fixed for them, bwt the un,precedented rains caused a 

 postponement until January. This, of course, limited the scope of the 

 field demonstrations, but sufficient harvest work was going on to illus- 

 trate the lectures and to bring the students into close touch with prac- 

 tical agriculture. 



The aim of the school is to give teachers of agriculture a better 

 insight into their subject, and although a week is all too short, yet it 

 is certain that the classes are doing good work, and, further, from the 

 experience gained an even more efficient course will be designed as time 

 goes on. 



That the 'training has been appreciated is shown by the fact that 

 more teachers applied this year than could be accommodated. A selec- 

 tion had, therefore, to be made, with the result that all quarters of the 

 State were represented, and thus the knowledge gained will be widely 

 disseminated. 



At the Research Farm, where there is an irrigation scheme, not only 

 experimental work of a standard character is proceeding, but also three 

 of our staple industries — wheat-growing, sheep-raising, and dairying — 



1962.— 1 



