Education and Aericulture 



&' 



have qualified as pupil or supplementary teachers. 

 This is certainly a serious defect. Again, though 

 it is well to encourage country teachers who re- 

 turn to college for their third year to specialize 

 in agricultural subjects, it is also most desirable 

 — nay, necessary — that in the two preliminary 

 years a certain modicum of instruction bearing 

 on country life and land as the source of our 

 supply of food should be given to all teachers, 

 whether destined for town or country. 



Far better provision for instruction in special 

 subjects at all training colleges is essential, 

 so that the rural teacher could obtain the 

 special knowledge that a rural teacher has need 

 of; though there is no reason why in certain 

 agricultural colleges the two functions — of 

 training teachers, as well as farmers' sons — 

 should not be developed together, as has been 

 so successfully done at the Macdonald College 

 at St. Anns, near Montreal. But in that case 

 the college has two carefully distinguished de- 

 partments — the Normal Department for train- 

 ing teachers, the Agricultural College proper 

 for farmers' sons ; so that, if the principle is 

 to be maintained, either certain of our present 

 training colleges ought to develop a clearly 

 agricultural side, or certain agricultural colleges 

 create a distinctly Normal Department. 



Until we have such a system we must per- 

 force utilize our agricultural colleges (Wye and 



171 



