1922. 



I a km Institutes. 



401 



seen that at the present time there are 12 Schools of this type 

 in England and Wales. Two of them— the Chadacre Agricul- 

 tural Institute, Suffolk, and the Monmouthshire Agricul- 

 tural Institution at Usk — have been established through the 

 generosity of private individuals. The others have been set 

 up by County Councils with financial assistance from the 

 Ministry. The main features of the training at four of the 

 Institutions are given below. 



EAST ANGLIAN INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE, 

 CHELMSFORD. — The work of the Institute commenced 

 in 1S93, when the site of an old Grammar School in 

 the centre of Chelmsford was purchased, and part of 

 the old school buildings was fitted up and devoted 

 to the Teaching of biology and chemistry. Ten years 

 later the present extensive and admirably equipped Institute, 

 comprising lecture rooms, laboratories, dairy, library, museum, 

 staff and common rooms, etc., was erected. In 1901 three 

 acres of land, about three-quarters of a mile from the Institute, 

 were acquired and converted into a school garden, which was 

 laid out and equipped in such a way as to enable students to 

 acquire a thoroughly practical knowledge of flower, fruit and 

 vegetable gardening. Recently, an additional two acre? have 

 been acquired in order to provide facilities for instruction in 

 market gardening. 



Courses of Instruction. — Agriculture. — The course is designed 

 for those who intend to take up farming or otherwise make 

 their living on the land, and deals with soils, manures, farm 

 crops, live stock, farm machinery, farm book-keeping and land 

 surveying. The economical production of all forms of agricul- 

 tural produce receives special attention. The session lasts from 

 October to March. On an average 50 students, the majority of 

 whom are farmers' sons, attend this course. 



Two demonstration farms have recently been placed at the dis- 

 posal of the County Agricultural Committee, viz., Bradfield Hall 

 Farm and Layer Breton Hall Farm. The public-spirited action 

 of the owners, Mr. J. Hepburn and Mr. William Hasler, in 

 offering their farms for experimental and demonstration pur- 

 poses without any charge to the county is warmly to be com- 

 mended. On Bradfield Hall, a farm of 375 acres, experi- 

 ment- have already been carried out to ascertain the 

 value of snbsoiling and shallow sowing of cereals. Layer 

 Breton Hall is a mixed farm of some 400 acres with a soil of 



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