38 The Work of County Councils. 



of preserving fruits and vegetables. And I know of no 

 more marked instance of the evil results arising from 

 the neglect , of a civilized Government of the material 

 interests of its people than has occurred in the case of 

 our neglect of what other Governments have done in the 

 way of agricultural education ; for, while preserved 

 fruits and vegetables are so largely used abroad, we have 

 actually had, for the requirements of our Navy, to 

 purchase preserved vegetables in France and Germany. 

 My friend. Dr. Voelcker, has brought out an interesting 

 article on this subject in the Royal Agricultural Society's 

 Journal, but neither his article, able though it is, nor 

 any number of articles, can be of any widely-spread 

 practical value till the Government provides an adequate 

 informative agency in each agricultural centre. 



I may observe, lastly, that the spasmodic efforts which 

 have been made by various jOounty Councils, or which 

 may be made, can never ef&ciently supply the agricul- 

 tural requirements of the nation. For whatever efforts 

 may be made by each County Council, paddling its own 

 canoe, as each county does in the way of roads and 

 other matters, will only lead to a number of all-over- 

 the-shop experiments — ^fairly well-conducted, perhaps, 

 in one county and badly in another, and leading to 

 numerous conflicting conclusions. What, then, is obvi- 

 ously required is that groups of counties of closely 

 similar conditions as to soils and climates should be 

 marked out, and a farm and school established at some 

 convenient centre in each group, and that all these 

 institutions should be placed under an Agricultural 

 Department, which should direct and control the various 

 schools and farms throughout the country ; and, in 

 especial, keep the farmer fully informed, and up to date, 

 as to all the agricultural conditions in the world. But 

 is it not evident that it is only with the aid of education 

 and world-wide information that our farmers will be in 

 a position to alter and re-alter the direction of their 

 efforts in accordance with the requirements of the times ? 



