SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS— L. M. 413 



atmosphere and discipline different from both the primary and secondary school. 

 Pupils must be led to regard themselves as students responsible for their own success. 

 The curriculum -will have a strongly practical bias, and must include much handwork 

 and subjects selected from the follpwing : — 



1. Mother tongue. 2. History and Geography. 3. Practical mathematics. 

 4. General and Rural and Domestic science. 5. Drawing. 6. Handwork. 7. Prin- 

 ciples of accounts. 8. Citizenship. 9. Physical culture and Hygiene. 10. Choral 

 music. 



Four principal types are suggested : — - 



(a) Junior Rural School. 



(6) Junior Technical School. 



(c) Junior Commercial School. 



{d) Junior Housecraft School. 



To ensure that the special purpose of such schools controls instruction, there 

 must be complete freedom from external examination. 



The majority of secondary pupils leave school at 16, and are educationally ' in the 

 air ' ; they should pass not later than 14 to a vocational school. 



The staffing of vocational continuation and secondary schools presents difficulties ; 

 the secondare' and technical teachers have much to learn. Manual training and 

 trade science should be taught by men who have practised the trade. 



Extensive experiments in whole-time pre-apprenticeship training have been 

 carried out in the Dublin Technical schools for about twenty different trades. 



Vocational secondary schools in large centres have proved a success. 



Boys and girls leave school having satisfied examination tests, but unchanged in 

 standards and character. A mechanical routine of preparation for examination is 

 accompanied by a vain hope that these other purposes in education will be achieved 

 without deliberate effort. 



A greater concentration upon the demands that employment will make upon the 

 knowledge and wisdom of the pupil may do much to remedy the aimlessness that 

 has crept into many schools. 



Discussion : Sir Thomas Holland, K.C.S.I., F.R.S. ; Sir Richari> 

 Gregory. 



Friday, August 2. 



Joint Meeting with Section E on The Teaching of Geography. (See 

 p. 351.) 



SECTION M.— AGRICULTURE. 



For reference to the publication elsewhere of commum'cations entered in the 

 following list of transactions, see p. 4.30.) 



CAPE TOWN. 



Tuesday, July 23. 



Discussion on Soil Fertility and its Control. (Opened by Sir John 

 Russell, who will deal with Factors determining Soil Fertility, with 

 special reference to Plant Nutrition ; followed by Prof. I. de V. 

 Malherbe, Mr. C. G. T. Morison, Mr. T. D. Hall and Prof. G. W. 



Robinson.) 



Sir John Russell, F.R.S. — A fertile soil is one which satisfies all the conditions of 

 plant growth, supplying adequately plant nutrients, water, warmth, air for the roots, 

 space for the roots, free from undesirable substances or harmful reaction. These 

 factors are closely linked, especially plant nutrients, water supply and soil reaction ; 

 and also soil water, soil temperature, and air supply. 



The supply of plant nutrients affects crop production in two ways. Other con- 

 ditions being favourable, the amount of plant growth is increased with increasing 



