224 



Lame School in Ireland. — India Rubber for Stables. Vol. IX. 



Larne School in Ireland. 



My next excursion was to the Agricultu- 

 ral School at Larne, where I had the plea- 

 sure of witnessing the examination of a class 

 of boys in agricultural cheniistry and in prac- 

 tical agriculture. This is not, properly speak- 

 ing, an agricultural school, but a national 

 school, where the common branches of edu- 

 cation are taught; and there are connected 

 with it a department or class of agricultural 

 study, and a small piece of land, which the 

 boys cultivate, and on which, in the way of 

 experiment, the principles of agriculture, 

 and its general practice, are, within a very 

 limited extent, illustrated and tested. The 

 examination was eminently successful, and 

 creditable alike to the teacher and the pu- 

 pils. It was from this establishment that a 

 detachment of five pupils was sent for ex- 

 amination to the great meeting of the Agri- 

 cultural Society of Scotland the last autumn, 

 where their attainments created a great sen- 

 sation, and produced an impression, on the 

 subject of the importance of agricultural 

 education, which is likely to lead to the 

 adoption of some universal system on the 

 subject. 



I shall transcribe the account given of the 

 occasion : " Five boys from the school at 

 Larne, were introduced to the meeting, 

 headed by their teacher. They seemed to 

 belong to the better class of peasantry, being 

 clad in homely garbs ; and they appeared to 

 be from twelve to fifteen years of age. 

 They were examined, in the first instance, 

 by the inspector of schools, in grammar, 

 geography, and arithmetic ; and scarcely a 

 single question did they fail to answer cor- 

 rectly. They were then examined by an ag- 

 ricultural professor in the scientific branches, 

 and by two practical farmers in the practical 

 departments of agriculture. Their acquaint- 

 ance with these was alike delightful and as- 

 tonishing. They detailed the chemical con- 

 stitution of the soil and the effect of ma- 

 nures, the land best fitted for green crops, 

 the different kinds of grain, the dairy, and 

 the system of rotation of crops. Many of 

 these answers required considerable exer- 

 cise of reflection ; and as previous concert 

 between themselves and the gentlemen who 

 examined them was out of the question, their 

 acquirements seemed to take the meeting 

 by surprise ; at the same time they afforded 

 it the utmost satisfaction, as evincing how 

 much could be done by a proper system of 

 training." 



I confess the establishment at Larne af- 

 forded me, in this respect, very high gratifi- 

 cation. The agricultural studies are not 

 made compulsory, but voluntary; and one 



hour per day, is devoted to agricultural la- 

 bour. The Board of Education in Ireland, 

 have now under their control three thou- 

 sand teachers; and it is proposed, where- 

 ever it may be deemed useful, to make agri- 

 culture a standard branch of common-school 

 education. They already have seven agri- 

 cultural training establishments; and it is 

 in contemplation to have twenty-five, with 

 which it is proposed shall be connected 

 small model ikrms, so that everywhere, be- 

 sides furnishing this most valuable instruc- 

 tion to the pupils of the schools, the farmers 

 in the vicinity may be excited and instructed 

 to improve their cultivation. Thus diffusive 

 is the nature of all beneficence. A good 

 deed, like a stone thrown into the water, is 

 sure to agitate the whole mass. Its strong- 

 est effects will be felt where the blow is 

 given; but the concentric circles are seen 

 extending themselves on every side, and 

 reach much farther than the eye can follow 

 them. In the moral as well as physical 

 world, the condition of mutual attraction 

 and dependence is universal and indissolu- 

 ble. We have reason to hope tliat no good 

 seed is ever sown in vain, but will sooner or 

 later germinate and yield its proper fruits. 

 These establishments do certainly the 

 highest honour and credit to the intelli- 

 gence and philanthropy of Ireland, and their 

 beneficent effects must presently be seen 

 in alleviating the indescribable amount of 

 wretchedness under which this beautiful 

 country and fine-spirited people have been 

 so long crushed to the earth — a wretched- 

 ness which, to be understood, must be seen. 

 — Colmari's Agricultural Tour. 



India Rubber for Stables. — ^This ma- 

 terial is said to be unequalled by anything 

 ever yet tried for this purpose. It prevents 

 the lodging of stale matters and their con- 

 sequent noxious exhalations. It requires 

 little litter, and preserves the knees and 

 other parts of the horse from injuries which 

 are apt to be received in stone paved stables. 

 The stables at Woolwich dock-yard, have 

 been paved with this material for upwards 

 of two years, and are superior in point of 

 cleanliness, freedom from smell, and healthi- 

 ness, to what they were previous to laying 

 down the elastic pavement. — Western Re- 

 serve Magazine. 



To PRESERVE EGGS, dip them in a strong 

 solution of lime, thick whitewash ; afler let- 

 ting them dry, pack them away in plaster 

 of Paris. It is said the Germans practice 

 this method successfully. 



