ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 47 
necessary to the sowing, cultivating and harvesting of crops, 
orchard work in all branches, drying of fruit, wine making, treat- 
ment for insect pests and disease, growing of vegetables, and 
packing of fruit; general dairy, pig, bee, and poultry work; 
engine-driving, carpentering and blacksmithing. 
The aim of the institution is to give a thorough grounding in 
all matters likely to be of use to the agriculturist of the future ; 
it is clearly recognised that methods must be improved, and that 
practical farming to be successful must be carried out on scientific 
lines. Lectures are given, these with practical work occupying 
alternate days, on principles of agriculture, chemistry, botany, 
and vegetable pathology, insect pests of the farm, and numerous 
other subjects calculated to help the students to a thorough 
knowledge of the scientific principles underlying their work. The 
regular course lasts two years, after which special courses may be 
taken by the student. The college is in the seventh year of its 
existence, and there is no doubt that it will become more and 
more useful as time goes on. If anything is necessary to prove 
its utility, it may be noted that growers are becoming more and 
More interested in its work, and that results abundantly testify in 
favour of careful and thorough, as opposed to careless, work. 
Time will not allow of full details as to the past year’s work, but 
it must suffice to say that by means of ensilage cows are kept in 
milk all the year round, while the ordinary products, fruit, cheese, 
ete., have brought the highest market prices when any surplus 
has been disposed of. By means of careful rotation the two main 
Seasons give eachitscrop. The experimental work becomes more 
and more conclusive that proper rotation, constant cultivation, 
careful selection of seed, application of appropriate manures, atten- 
tion to insect and fungus pests, and strict attention to details, pays 
handsomely for the extra cost, the crops being better, heavier, 
and cleaner, whilst cultivation properly carried out tends ‘to 
Minimise the drawbacks experienced in our variable climate. 
Students at the college benefit by the accumulated knowledge 
of the world in farming matters. Everything is done that can 
