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all grades of education and specialised agricultural instruction in 

 the rural districts. They will afford opportunities for bringing those 

 Officers themselves into closer and more continuous relationship 

 one with the other. It cannot be doubted that much still remains 

 to be done in order to bring the facilities for agricultural education 

 at the disposal of British agriculturists to the level of those enjoyed 

 by many of their competitors elsewhere, and we trust that important 

 advance in this direction may result from the working of the ar- 

 rangements here described." 



County Organization for Agricultural Instruction: Agricul- 

 tural Instruction in Somerset. (The Dairy, vol. XXII, 

 n. 259 (8), July 15, 1910. London). 



The county of Somerset has for some years taken great interest 

 in agricultural instruction. Immediately after Parliament created 

 facilities for technical instruction a subcommittee of the County 

 Education Committee dealt with this special feature, the duties of 

 which Committee have been merged into the Agricultural Instruction 

 Committee, which is mainly composed of members of the County 

 Council which appoints it. They are however selected for their 

 knowledge and interest in agriculture. 



The Committee employs a considerable staff of instructors and 

 lecturers, men and women, all experts of reputation, other de- 

 partments having their special instructors or lecturers, on horti- 

 culture, poultry-keeping, cheese and butter-making, bee-keeping, and 

 veterinary science. The Committee divides itself into sub-committees, 

 one taking charge of the cheese school, another of experiments, 

 and a third being concerned with the administration of a com- 

 prehensive scheme of scholarships. The character of Somerset and 

 the needs of its agricultural population have been studied with 

 great care, and every possible effort is being made to meet the 

 requirements. 



The classes for young farmers are excellent, and it is impos- 

 sible to think that the satisfactory attendances at the different 

 centres Bridgwater, Taunton, and Washford and the keenness 

 of the students can bring other than the most gratifying improve- 

 ment in the cultivation of farms in the near future. 



Practical instruction in the manual processes, hedging, ditching, 

 and thatching, is being given with the cordial approval of farmers, 

 who hope that thereby a better supply of skilled labour will be 



