520 



South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye. [Sept., 



arrangement will prove wholly satisfactory either from the 

 educational or the commercial standpoint. 



During the War, in which Wye College lost 13 of its members, 

 a Women's Course was carried on, but it has now closed its 

 doors to women. The demand for women's instruction in agri- 

 culture and the alhed industries, however, remains, and is un- 

 satisfied owing to the absence of any women's college in England. 



The increasing demand from Egypt, India, Argentina and 

 other countries for students to enter English agricultural colleges 

 cannot be satisfied until the arrears of our own students have 

 been cleared off. At present the pressure from English students 

 on the space of Wye, as on that of other colleges, shows little 

 sign of diminishing, but those who wish to take up an agricul- 

 tural career must be warned that only men with exceptional quali- 

 fications can hope to secure appointments, and only those with 

 an adequate supply of capital, well trained and experienced and 

 with business acumen can hope to succeed as agriculturists. 



Farming is not, as it was once defined, a career for the man 

 who was not stupid enough for the army and too clever for the 

 Church : it demands a wide knowledge of farming conditions not 

 only in this country but in the countries of our competitors. 



The Advisory and Research Departments of Wye are in pro- 

 cess of developrnent, and their existence should exercise an 

 excellent influence on the educational side. Owing to the 

 character of farming in the district, questions affecting fruit and 

 hops are of main importance. 



The Mailing Fruit Station which was started by the College 

 is now an independent unit, but a close connection is maintained 

 with the College, and horticultural students are periodically taken 

 to the station to gain a knowledge of the investigation work 

 carried on there. Short courses in agriculture during the winter 

 months, and in rural science for schoolmasters during the 

 summer, are carried on, but the former courses are of a tem- 

 porary character, being intended to lapse when the Farm Insti- 

 tute is established at Tunstall. 



The policy of the College is to give instruction to the future 

 cultivator by means of the certificate and diploma courses in 

 agriculture and horticulture, to train the scientific expert in the 

 degree course, and to offer opportunities to post graduate students 

 for specialising in investigation work. By a wise expenditure of 

 funds the Governors have equipped the College in a verv thorough 

 manner, and their policy would appear to be justified by the 

 reputation of the College and of its students. 



