158 president's address — section g. 



account of agriculture as so-called science, how is it with agriculture 

 as a trade ? There is here an even more complete explosion of the 

 idea of anything exceptional and mysterious. The relationship of 

 the farmer to him of whom he hires the land which is the manu- 

 factory, to those of whom he purchases the labor which he directs, 

 to those who are his customers, to those of whom he is the customer, 

 is of the ordinary kind, dependent for its establishment and main- 

 tenance on the ordinary principles of human nature, and requiring 

 only such protection from without as an equitable administration 

 of the law secures for it. Bvit agriculture is especially a manu- 

 facture and an art dependent on professional intelligence and 

 skill ; and here, of course, we come upon the essential features 

 which distinguish it. I believe that I am right in saying that its 

 chief and ruling characteristics have arisen from the fact that 

 throughout it deals with life. To be a good and successful agricul- 

 turist therefore needs not only familiarity with the ordinary routine 

 of farm practice, and both industry and promptitude in its direction ; 

 it needs especially : — (1) The qualities of patience, by which a full 

 share of the farm work is given to nature to accomplish ; and it 

 needs especially, (2) The exercise of quick-sighted observation, by 

 which the earliest natural indications of what is going on, the 

 earliest intimations of natural tendency of movement, whether to 

 the good or bad, are detected in the living creatui-e with which the 

 farmer has to deal. Intelligence, activity, and promptitude in 

 carrying out the routine of operations are necessary to every other 

 business as well as that of farming, but none other, unless it too 

 have equally to deal with life, so needs the exercise of quick- 

 sighted, careful, habitual observations for its successful prosecution. 

 A quick and watchful eye, and prompt activity at the right 

 moment, have to be united with the faculty of waiting to the proper 

 time in order to secure good agriculture." 



In order to secure such a complete training as is here indicated 

 we should have a national — may I venture to hope a Federal 

 Australian — system of agricultural education, which will take boys, 

 and, if necessary, the girls after they have left the primary schools, 

 and give them a thoroughly practical and scientific education in 

 the different branches of agriculture for which they are intended. 

 For this purpose we shall need farm schools in different parts of 

 the colony, and these, I hope, will be started on the model of 

 similar institutions in France, where practice and theory are taught 

 together, and not as in Germany, where the theory is taught first 

 and the pi-actice is acquired in after years, if ever. At these 

 schools boys of 14 years of age would be admitted, the only 

 necessary qualifications for admission being a fair English educa- 

 tion, good health, and a good record from a previous school. It is 

 admitted that the system of agriculture in France is as good as any 

 in the world, and that the great source of wealth of that country 

 is her agriculture as practised by the French peasants. 



