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district, easy of access from Europe, and with easy means of 
communication with other adjacent tropical areas. 
Some provision for post-graduate study is already available 
through the medium of the Imperial Department of Agricul- 
ture for the West Indies in association with the botanic 
gardens and experiment stations of the several colonies, aided 
by the liberality of several proprietors of plantations and 
factories who permit facilities for study. Several students 
have already availed themselves of these opportunities. 
It is claimed that there is real need for the endowment of 
tropical agricultural research and education, and there is 
reason to believe that this would yield a rich harvest to the 
country making this provision. 
ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS FOR NATIVES IN 
THE BELGIAN CONGO. 
By Professor Epmonp LEpLAg, 
Director-General of Agriculture, Colonial Office, Belgium. 
[ ABSTRACT. | 
The natives of the Belgian Congo are still in a semi-wild 
state, and although they nearly all practise agriculture, their 
crops are exclusively food crops. 
The development of the colony and the welfare of the 
natives themselves make it very desirable that they should 
learn to grow some crops for export, such as cotton, cocoa, 
coconuts, rubber trees, ground nuts, coffee, kola, etc. 
A trial was made at the Eala Botanical Gardens, where a 
school of agriculture was started a few years ago. This 
attempt was not successful, on account of the pupils being too 
old (fifteen to twenty years of age), and the programme too 
elaborate (French, arithmetic, writing, geography, etc.). 
This school has been closed lately, and agricultural education 
is contemplated on quite a different basis. 
A great number of elementary schools would be founded, 
with native teachers, under the supervision of the missionaries. 
A small sum would be paid annually by Government for each 
school. 
The pupils would be taken at six or seven years of age, and 
would have to cultivate small plots of exportable produce, the 
crops belonging to the boys and being sold for their exclusive 
benefit. Outside of this agricultural work, the pupils would 
be taught reading, writing, and handicrafts: carpentry, 
masonry, etc. 
