428 



THE AORICULTUBAL JOURNAL. 



be done l)y attendance at the training 

 school in Melbourne, where the organiser 

 of the work would have ever^'thing in 

 such readiness that a week or ten days' 

 attendance would suffice foi a teacher to 

 go through all the work needed for one 

 year. 



As to the preparation of the text-book, 

 I for one should be quite ready to co- 

 operate with any educationist whom the 

 Department of Public Instruction might 

 select to organise the work, and there is 

 little doubt that the other professional 

 officers of the Agricultural Department 

 would likewise be willing. 



Thus there would not, it appears to me, 

 be any great difficulty in training the 

 teachers for this section of the work. 

 Youths in Training. 

 In this section country youths 

 and town youths have to be con- 

 sidered separately. Perhaps there 

 is no set system of secondary 

 agricultural education in any country 

 that satisfactorily reaches either of these 

 classes of pupils. On the one hand, very 

 few farmers can aifnrd to send their sons 

 to agricultural colleges, they need them 

 at home to help in the farm work. On 

 the other hand, it is a common remark 

 that agricultural colleges do not turn out 

 many practical farmers. It has, for in- 

 stance, been a complaint that the ma- 

 jority of graduates of American agricul- 

 tural colleges seek to become teachers or 

 turn to some kind of town life. 



I think that farmers' sons might be 

 reached by day or evening classes held in 

 State schools, mechanics' institutes, or 

 large farm-houses, or other available 

 buiklings. Lessons of two or three hours' 

 duration might be given during the far- 

 mars' slack season, one day a week, or one 

 day a fortnight, or two days together in 

 a fortnight, or at any interval found 

 most practicable; and by such means a 

 fairly good course of theoretical instruc- 

 tion, Qombined with practical demonstra- 

 tions, could be given. It need not be 

 claimed that a ccm|)lete system of this 

 kind could be introduced at once, so as 

 to serve every country district. But one 

 instructor could serve from four to eight 

 neighbouring districts, the number vary- 

 ing according to the frequency of the 

 lessons; and a beginning might be made 



by appointing only one, two, or three in- 

 structors, and afterwards operations could 

 be extended or curtailed according to 

 experience. 



As to the qualifications of instructors 

 for this class of work no inflexible rule 

 need be laid down, provided general suit- 

 ability be proved. I would suggest, how- 

 ever, that, other things being equal, the 

 best class of men would be farmers' sons 

 with an agricultural college training and 

 subsequent experience of practical farm- 

 ing. Such men at first might need some 

 advice and assistance from an experienced 

 educationist in regard to educational 

 methods. The first few men appointed 

 should, perhaps, be of a somewhat su- 

 perior class to those needed afterwards, as 

 they would have to organise the work 

 and overcome initial difficulties. 



As to the nature of instruction to be 

 given, I am of opinion that it should be 

 thoroughly thought out beforehand, and 

 a text-book prepared for the course. In 

 the preparation of this text-book it would 

 be necessary to obtain the co-operation 

 of an experienced educationist, and of the 

 professional officers of the Agricultural 

 Department. The instructors might re- 

 ceive assistance from experts in special 

 operations, who could visit the classes m 

 order to give demonstrations in their 

 specialities. In addition to teaching the 

 principles of agriculture, instruction 

 would have to be given in bookkeeping 

 and surveying for farm purposes. 



A course of instruction such 

 as above suggested would not give 

 farmers' sons a complete agricul- 

 tural education ; but it would be a 

 great advance on the present position, 

 in which they receive no instruction. I 

 would stronglv urge the advisability of 

 !.onie tentative work in the direction here 

 indicated. After such a course as this, 

 farmers' sons would be in a position to 

 profit by the higher class instruction to 

 be obtained at ' an agricultural college, 

 if they desired it. 



Now, as to the town boys, I am de- 

 cidedly of oi)inion that it would be better 

 not to send Fhem straight from town to 

 an agricultural college. A town boy 

 should begin his country training at 

 about the age of fourteen or fifteen. If 

 an agricultural college is to receive boys 



