12 BULLETIN 269, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



England. — The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 1 has made arrangements 

 in England and Wales for providiug technical instruction in agriculture to 

 small holders. It appears that in spite of recent advances there is still much 

 room for the small holder to improve his condition with the help of suitable 

 instruction. 



Out of a total of 435,700 holdings in England and Wales above 1 acre, 292,400 

 are under 50 acres, while in addition there are over 118,000 allotments under 

 1 acre belonging to local authorities apart from a large number of allotments 

 leased by private landowners. Thus there is an extensive field of work for the 

 teacher, and it must be remembered that of all classes of the rural population 

 the small holder and rural laborer have the least opportunity of obtaining 

 instruction and skilled advice. 



Small holders and allotment holders are usually to be found in groups or 

 colonies, and these afford a convenient center for organized day and evening 

 classes, and for courses in such subjects as horticulture, poultry keeping, and 

 dairying. Such a colony is also a most appropriate center for demonstration 

 fields or plats to illustrate the best methods of growing and manuring market 

 garden crops, fruit, etc. These demonstrations are used by the instructors to 

 introduce crops not usually cultivated by the holders, and when well managed 

 are of greater use in educating the small holders than class-room instruction. 



Canada. — In Canada 2 women's institutes have powerfully contributed to 

 improve the position of farm women, while also raising their intellectual level, 

 and justify the interest they have aroused, even beyond the limits of the country 

 in which they had their origin. They have been copied with excellent results, 

 especially in the United States, where similar associations have been very 

 successful. 



Women's institutes were first founded in Ontario, and their development has 

 been most remarkable. At present there are 800 of them, with about 25.000 

 members. In 1912-13 lecturers were sent to 1,377 meetings, and 6,204 meetings 

 were held without the assistance of outside lecturers. In 1912-13, 1,667 persons 

 attended the demonstration lecture courses. 



In Manitoba these institutes are called home economics societies. Their 

 progress has been very rapid recently. The department of agriculture has 

 directed the work and appointed special inspectors and lecturers to travel 

 through the Province, organize new societies, give courses of instruction in 

 those already existing, and supervise their work. 



There are 35 women's institutes in British Columbia with a membership of 

 over 2,000. 



In New Brunswick there are 1.000 members in 41 local women's institutes. 



In Saskatchewan and Alberta domestic-science courses have been held, though 

 not directly in connection with women's institutes. 



Italy. — In Italy 3 a considerable number of so-called itinerant chairs of 

 instruction in agriculture and viticulture are scattered throughout the Kingdom. 

 They are under the oversight of the ministry of agriculture and for the most 

 part are autonomous ; that is, they are founded and administered by local bodies 

 of interested persons and are maintained by the communes and Provinces and 

 by the State. Each of these have their own subordinate institutions (sections). 



1 Jour. Bd. Agr. [London], 21 (1914), No. 6, pp. 571, 572. 



2 Internat. Inst. Agr. [Rome], Mo. Bui. Econ. and Soc. Intel., 5 (1914), No. 6, pp. 17-19. 



3 Land u. Forstw. Unterrichts-Ztg., 27 (1913), No. 1-2, pp. 125, 126. 



