Introduction. 3 



Such a system is at the present time in successful operation 

 in New Zealand, and the experience there gained will prove of 

 the utmost value in inaugurating a similar system here, but in 

 any case it seems a mere mockery to give poor men access to 

 the land without at the same time giving them access to capital 

 with which to develop it. 



But there is another factor of success which may still be 

 lacking even though men are assured of access to both land and 

 capital : that is, the knowledge of how to use them to the best 

 advantage. Without such knowledge the small-holder is in 

 much the same position as would be the captain of a well-found 

 ship who was trying to reach harbour on an unknown and dan- 

 gerous coast without a pilot. He might by great good fortune 

 arrive safely at his destination, but it is much more probable 

 that he would meet with disaster even in calm weather, and 

 shipwreck would be practically certain in the event of a storm. 



This points to the necessity for some systematized method 

 of instruction in the numerous branches into which agricul- 

 tural pursuits and rural industries are divided and sub-divided. 

 With such instruction to supplement the provision of land and 

 capital success would be assured, and the desert country-side 

 would become peopled by industrous, thriving, and contented 

 communities, who would not only form a bulwark to the state 

 but would add materially to the wealth and prosperity of the 

 nation. 



Within recent years scientific men have devoted much time to 

 the study of the soil. and the laws and conditions which govern 

 its fertility, and this and other similar invaluable information 

 should be made known to all who are engaged in the business 

 of farming or gardening, so that they may understand the true 

 meaning of the operations they are engaged in and of the laws 

 which underlie them and, by working with a definite purpose 

 in view, the more easily and certainly attain their object. 



The cultivation of the soil is beset with trials even for those 

 who have made it their life's business, and it is obviously much 

 more difficult for a person with little or no experience. It 

 differs from most other occupations in that it deals with living 

 things and ever-changing conditions. In the factory and work- 

 shop the materials dealt with are inert and the conditions fairly 



