186 Brompton Agricultural Discussion Society. [May, 



(7) In the letter forwarding the remittance, as much infor- 

 mation as possible should be given with regard to the past 

 history and present condition of the stocks from which the bees 

 were taken. This may help the Ministry in giving advice when 

 furnishing a report of the examination, and will assist in general 

 bee-disease research. 



A novel method of organising a series of agricultural lectures 



was adopted with success last winter by the Yorkshire Council 



■o n i fc> r Agricultural Education. In the pre- 



A in It si vious winter a course of twelve weekly 



_. . « . . lectures was given at Brompton, near 

 Discussion Society. XT ,, „ , 6 , . , . *\ ■ i . . . , 



J JNorthallerton, which w r as only moderately 



attended. In order to stimulate interest in the proposed educa- 

 tional courses in the subsequent season, the prominent members 

 of the previous class formed themselves into the Brompton Agri- 

 cultural Discussion Society. They elected a Treasurer, Secre- 

 tary and a committee. The subscription for membership was 

 Is., a printed programme was drawn up, and a lecture was 

 arranged for each week from December to the end of March. 

 The subjects were chosen by the members, and the County 

 Agricultural Organiser w r as then asked to assist in obtaining the 

 services of specialists in the particular subjects, the result being 

 a w r ell constructed programme of which the scientific side was 

 presented by the staff of Leeds University, while practice was 

 preached by prominent agriculturists who freely gave their 

 services. 



The lectures w^ere followed by discussions and it w r as interest- 

 ing to see in this small village a company of thirty to forty 

 farmers on a miserably wet night firing questions at the lecturer 

 as quickly as possible during the three-quarters of an hour 

 which was open for discussion. Not least important is the fact 

 that full reports of these lectures appeared in the local press, 

 which devoted one or tw r o columns per w r eek to the society's 

 work. The hearers therefore had an opportunity of reading the 

 lecture again at their leisure. 



Another result of this work is shown in the keenness w r ith 

 which those who are members of the society are taking up the 

 question of plot and variety trials, usually at their owm expense. 

 Their results form material which is periodically brought up in 

 the discussions following certain lectures. 



