40 



Youngsters generally poor. The judges appeared to pay very little atten- 

 tion to the recognised markings and color of the breed. Sows with white 

 ears took prizes ; and many prizewinners were splashed with white right 

 up their legs. 



Large Blacks. Apparently a very popular class here, because of their 

 size some fine monsters exhibited. I noticed that some boars carried 

 quite a quantity of hair. 



Curly-coated Lincolns. This was my first introduction to this breed, and 

 I cannot say that I was much impressed by it. They are white pigs, ex- 

 ceedingly unwieldy in size, and covered with a thick, curly coat of hair. 

 They are, to my mind, too large for Australian requirements, and if a large 

 pig is needed the large white appears to me superior. 



AN ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



I paid a visit to the Cirencester Royal Agricultural College in June, 1910. 

 At this institution I was received very kindly by the principal and staff and 

 shown over all there was to see. I suppose on such an occasion it is only 

 natural that a comparison with the institution with which I have been con- 

 nected for close on 20 years should arise in my mind. I feel, however, that 

 criticism on my part would not be justified. The conditions which Cirencester 

 and Roseworthy are respectively meant to meet are so intrinsically different 

 that any comparison between the two would, to my mind, be exceedingly 

 unfair. I shall, therefore, content myself with stating that an institution 

 conducted on the Cirencester lines could not possibly thrive in Australia. 

 The Principal pointed out to me that the students were drawn exclusively 

 from those ranks of society who do not need to do manual labor of any kind, 

 and who, in the majority of cases, do not wish to take part in manual labor. 

 It is evident in such circumstances that the training imparted must differ 

 radically from the training imparted at Roseworthy ; and the fact that the 

 institution is, as I was informed, very well patronised would appear to suggest 

 that it meets the requirements for which it was brought into existence. 

 Students' fees vary from 130 to 170 per annum, according to the style of 

 residence allotted. These fees, according to the principal, were moderate 

 when compared with average public school fees. One-half of the students, 

 however, are non-resident. 



Instruction imparted at Cirencester is almost entirely theoretical. There 

 are only a few acres of land attached to the college, and the bulk of it is taken 

 up with very nicely laid out grounds. Naturally there is but little room 

 on this diminutive area for college-owned live stock. I counted, I believe, 

 12 head of cattle, 20 to 30 sheep, two or three horses, and a dozen pigs recently 

 purchased in the market for fattening purposes. Farm buildings and work- 

 shops are of the most meagre description, although no doubt amply adequate 

 to the calls that may be made upon them. 



