SECRETARY'S REPORT. 261 



only source of employment for a vast portion of the laboring 

 poor, we think it particularly desirable that a better knowledge 

 of it should be promoted by means of the schools under us." 



Acting upon this principle, the commissioners encouraged, 

 in every possible way, the teaching of agriculture in their 

 country schools. For a long time they preferred employing 

 the funds placed at their disposal in making small grants to a 

 large number of schools to establishing a few costly model 

 farms, believing that " the chief good that can be effected by 

 the national board in the way of agricultural improvement is 

 by blending, in as many national schools as possible, instruction 

 in agriculture, and daily occupation in agriculture, with the 

 literary instruction already given in those schools." 



Concurrently with the introduction by the commissioners of 

 agricultural instruction, on this inexpensive scale, into their 

 country schools, many of the landed gentry took an active part 

 in promoting the establishment of a class of agricultural schools 

 on a more extensive scale than those previously existing. 

 They deemed it all important that provision should be made 

 for agricultural boarders, who, by a regular course of appren- 

 ticeship, would study the theory and the art of farming in a 

 detailed and systematic manner, and who would, in after life, 

 become intelligent farmers, land-stewards and agriculturists; 

 in which capacities it was expected that they would amply 

 reimburse the country for the outlay. 



In this way arose the model agricultural schools, whose aim 

 is higher and whose cost is greater than that of ordinary 

 agricultural schools. 



Of the model agricultural schools there are, as already 

 mentioned, two classes: — 



(1.) Those under the management of local patrons, who in 

 most cases have erected the farm offices, and, in some cases, 

 contributed the agricultural plant. With one or two excep- 

 tions, the teachers rent the farms from the patrons. The aid 

 given by the board .towards the maintenance of this class of 

 schools consists of grants of agricultural books, and an allow- 

 ance to the teachers for agricultural instruction and for the 

 maintenance of boarding agricultural pupils. 



The number of pupils educated in those schools in 1859 was — 



