- 93 



siderable number of the future farmers of the country are now re- 

 ceiving some instruction in agriculture, it is clear that relatively 

 but a small proportion of the English cultivating population is 

 being reached. 



There are in England and Wales some 340 ooo holdings of five 

 acres and upwards. Occupiers of these holdings may be assumed, 

 on the average, to begin business between the ages of 25 and 30, 

 when the expectation of life of a healthy male is from 38 to 34 

 years. If we further assume that in the case of farmers the ex- 

 pectation of life is 40 years, there must be about 8 500 occupiers 

 entering into possession in each year. In addition to occupiers of 

 land there are others who study at agricultural institutions as, for 

 example, land-owners, land agents, teachers, and those preparing 

 for farming or planting in the colonies. Thus in any one year 

 the number of young men in England and Wales for whom agri- 

 cultural instruction in some form would appear to be desirable must 

 be not far short of 10 ooo. An examination of the College regi- 

 sters for 1907-08 indicates that of this number less than 7 per cent, 

 are actually receiving agricultural education. " 



Inter-departmental Committee for Agricultural Education 

 in England and Wales. - - (The Journal of the Board of 

 Agriculture; London, October 1909, Vol. XVI, No. 7, pp. 529-533). 



The following memorandum of arrangements between the Board 

 of Agriculture and the Board of Education in England and Wales 

 has been presented to both Houses of Parliament (Cd. 4886). 



"After careful consideration of the many matters and interests 

 involved in the promotion of Agricultural Education, we have 

 decided upon making the various arrangements set out in the follo- 

 wing paragraphs as regards the work of the two Boards. Our 

 object has been to provide suitable means for focussing the special 

 needs of Agriculture in relation to Education and to secure the 

 practical consideration of the particular problems of this branch of 

 education, and effective cooperation in relation to all educational 

 work carried on for rural areas. These arrangements aim in par- 

 ticular at the improvement and extension of specialised instruction 

 of all grades bearing on agriculture and the maintenance 1 of a close 

 relationship between such instruction and the practice and progress 

 of the various branches of the industry. 



i. We propose to constitute a Rural Education Conference for 



