778 



AoRicrLTUEE Abroad. 



[Nov., 



AGRICULTURE ABROAD. 



THE CIXEMA IX AGETCULTURAL EDUCATION— A 

 NEW METHOD OF TESTING MILK— SMALL 

 HOLDING FARMING. 



In every branch of education the cinema promises to play 

 an important and ever-developing part. This means of pro- 

 The Cinema as ^^^^^^^ instruction in agriculture and 

 an Aid to horticulture has received the attention of 

 . . the United States Department of Agricul- 



° ' ture, and a scheme of circulating films 



illustrating agi'icultural methods and subjects has been devised, 

 which has already met with a large measure of success. At 

 present well over 100 films have been prepared for circulation. 

 The number of reels available for distribution is 460, repre- 

 senting more than 460,000 feet of film. All the pictures are 

 in circulation, most of them constantly, and it is calculated that 

 in the last twelve months more than 700,000 persons have 

 witnessed exhibitions of one or more of the Departmental 

 films. The authorities are assured that their enterprise m this 

 direction is making for better farming. 



The official films are intended primarily for the instruction 

 of " extension " students, field workers and co-operative agri- 

 cultural institutions. The Department is at present unable to 

 meet all the demands made from outside sources upon its 

 supply, but where reels are not actually in use, every endeavour 

 is made to lend them to societies not directly connected with 

 the Department. No charge is made for the loan of the film, 

 but the borrower is expected to pay the cost of carriage. 



Among the subjects illustrated in this manner are the keep- 

 ing of live stock, the life history of injurious parasites, dairy- 

 ing operations, the raising of crops, gardening, forestry, 

 market operations, agricultural chemistry, biology, farm 

 management and building construction. The spectators are, 

 for example, shown the entire process of the wool industry — 

 the flocks grazing in the national forests, the separating of 

 lambs from ewes, feeding, shearing and marketing; the after 

 history of the fleece, sorting and weighing, until it reaches the 

 factory, where the cleaning, grading, spinning, winding and 

 weaving processes carry on to the finished web of cloth. 



The whole organisation of the poultry farm is shown, and 

 the scientific side of the question is treated in a most interest- 



