404 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— L, M. 



L. Conclusion : Commercialisation of ' results ' through advertisement ; school 

 authorities, not examiners, to blame ; what examinations cannot do ; overwork ; 

 examinations should be recognised for what they are — a partial test of one aspect 

 only of education. 



SECTION M.— AGRICULTURE. 



(For references to the publication elsewhere of communications entered in the 

 following list of transactions, see p. 435.) 



Thursday, September 1. 



Mr. J. Strachan.— Arable Dairy Farming. Followed by Discussion : 

 Sir John Russell, F.R.S. ; Mr. W. R. Peel ; Mr. J. H. Hellier. 



Presidential Address by Mr. C. G. T. Morison on Agriculture and 

 National Education. (See p. 202.) Followed by Discussion : Mr. 

 J. L. Holland ; Mr. H. W. Cousins. 



Afternoon. 

 Visit to Laboratories of the British Research Association for the 

 Woollen and Worsted Industries, Torridon. (See page 411.) 



Friday, September 2. 



Joint Discussion with Section K on Control of Plant Diseases. Mrs. 

 Alcock ; Dr. W. B. Brierley ; Mr. W. A. Millard. 



Prof. J. Sebelien. — Study and Development of Agricultural Science in 

 Norway. 



It is stated in this paper that, in spite of the unproductiveness of 71 per cent, of 

 the Norwegian area, and in spite of the fact that Norway is the most pronounced 

 small-farming country of the world, agriculture and forestry are of considerable import- 

 ance. The output of the small but intensively manured plots has always been fairly 

 large, and Norway grows still more grain on the same area than most of the better 

 situated countries of Europe. 



Since the establishment of the first agricultural school in 1812, there have grown 

 up a number of such schools in every county, subsidised partly by the State, partly 

 by the counties. Besides these, the Royal Agricultural College at Aas, established in 

 1859, has been the centre for the more scientific education for practical farmers 

 and for teachers and other public functionaries, also for scientific research and 

 experimental work on behalf of agriculture. The institution is, after its thorough 

 reorganisation in 1898, working on five lines : agriculture, forestry, horticulture, dairying 

 and surveying. The teaching staff consists of 32 professors and lecturers and about 

 16 assistants. The course is for 2-|- years, but the students have, before admission, to 

 guarantee their fully practical education and acquaintance with the manual labour of 

 their profession, besides the necessary previous theoretical knowledge. The yearly 

 subsidy from the State to the college has in this century varied from about £8,000 to 

 £77,300. 



Of the problems discussed and worked upon in the different departments of the 

 college are mentioned : 



The experiments for plant culture and plant breeding. These have resulted in a 

 lot of new sorts of fodder plants, potatoes and grasses, furnishing the different parts of 

 Norway with sorts of greater economical value than those of former days. 



The same may be said of the researches hi horticulture, not only about new breeds 

 of vegetables, but also about the substitution of horse-manure in hot beds with electrical 

 heating. This is shown to be not only very economical in Norway, but it has a good 

 influence on the quality of the crop. 





