EDUCATION. 139 



entertaining- the conviction that they were right, took pains to assure the 

 Government that they anticipated great national advantages from the 

 system of agricultural education which they had conceived for the country ; 

 and at the same time they announced their determination to give stability 

 to their agricultural system by the appointment of an inspector who should 

 have the superintendence of the Glasnevin farm, and also have the 

 general guidance of such agricultural schools as from time to time were 

 springing up in the country. On the other hand, the 

 Scheme of Itinerant popular sentiment in support of the development of 

 Instructors. agricultural education became more demonstrative 



from day to day. The Lord Lieutenant (Lord Clar- 

 endon) appointed, in 1848, a body of agriculturists, called Practical 

 Instructors, to go about amongst the farmers, especially in the districts 

 which had been ravaged by the famine, to urge them to improve their system 

 of cropping, and to induce them to undertake the drainage of their farms. 

 The work of these practical instructors was eminently educational. Hence 

 I think it right to refer to them. And I must at the same time say, from a 

 personal recollection of their institution and labours, that no more fruitful 

 experiment in the material interests of the country was ever attempted. It 

 was through the agency of this corps of practical instructors that green 

 cropping as a systematic feature in farming was introduced into the south 

 and west, and even into the central parts of Ireland. 



The acclamation of Irish opinion in favour of agricultural improvement 

 to a large extent beguiled the Board. Instead of mainly directing their 

 exertions, as they originally intended, to the agricultural instruction of the 

 literary students in training in the Normal School, they resolved, through 

 the foundation of provincial model farms, to establish a great system of 

 technical education for the instruction of young men as farmers and land 

 stewards. From time to time they took leases of farms, twenty in all, 

 in different parts of the country; and (including Glasnevin) at a cost of 

 some i^ii5,ooo erected residences and farm buildings. At each of these 

 farms there was provided adequate accommodation for a number of resident 

 agricultural pupils, and, besides, suitable arrangements were made for their 

 technical education. The only coincident purpose which existed between 

 these farms and the farm at Glasnevin was that, wherever a literary model 

 school, under the exclusive management of the Commissioners was estab- 

 lished adjacent to the farm, the literary pupil teachers and their head master 

 lived upon the farm and pursued the old idea as to agricultural training 

 which prevailed at Glasnevin. For some years the twenty country farms, 

 as well as the Glasnevin farm, enjoyed an immense popularity. Four of 

 these farms were in operation in 1849, ^^^ ^^ 1856 they were all in complete 

 working order. Besides these model farms, which w^ere the property of the 

 Commissioners, and entirely supported by them, numerous farm schools 

 were opened under private influence from year to year, which obtained aid 

 from the Board towards their organisation and working. In the year 1850 

 the Commissioners, with the concurrence of the Poor Law Board, deter- 

 mined to offer substantial attractions to the guardians of the poor law 

 unions throughout the country to encourage agricultural education in the 

 workhouse schools. Wherever there was a farm of suitable dimensions 

 connected with a workhouse, the Commissioners offered a gratuity to the 

 teacher of the school for success in the management of the farm, and for 

 giving efficient instruction m agricultural science to his pupils. 



