[August, 1912. 



course of his life. Lessons in English 

 arithmetic, geography, history, and 

 especially nature study, will all be 

 simplified in character and increased in 

 interest if they are made to relate as far 

 as possible to those conditions. Purther, 

 with respect to nature study, this is the 

 subject which lends itself particularly 

 to the provision of assistance with geo- 

 graphy, practical arithmetic and draw- 

 ing. It may be said that the fact is 

 recognized in several parts of the West 

 Indies, and that the employment of the 



SCHOOL GARDEN IN RELATION TO THE 

 GENERAL CURRICULUM 



of the school has reached a degree 

 that was not imagined when it was 

 first suggested that school garden- 

 ing should be taken up on a general 

 scale. 



Turning now to a consideration of 

 practical work in rural secondary schools, 

 some of the fmt efforts were made in a 

 small part of England by engaging the 

 county horticultural lecturer to teach 

 practical horticulture in a few of the 

 schools. The results have been disap- 

 pointing, chiefly on account of the fact 

 that the adoption of the scheme led to 

 the detachment of certain boys from the 

 regular work of the school. The danger 

 of this was recognized early in the West 

 Indies, so that the agricultural and 

 science 



MASTERS FIRST APPOINTED UNDER THE 

 IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



were definitely placed on the teaching 

 staff of the school in which their work 

 was to be done and their classes were 

 included in the ordinary school curri- 

 culum. The principle was extended 

 further in order to prevent the appear- 

 ance of detachment of any of the pupils 

 in the school by making every boy take 

 up at least one science subject during 

 the whole of his time at school ; 

 so that later, when there came to be 

 specialization in the direction of agri- 

 culture on the part of some of the 

 pupils, these did not appear to be de- 

 tached from the ordinary interests of 

 the school any more than others who 

 happened to specialize in subjects that 

 are not agricultural. Another matter 



that was recognized by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture at the begin- 

 ning was that the 



COURSE OP SCIENCE 



in these schools should be actually funda- 

 mental to agriculture and the Memo- 

 randum mentioned shows that the im- 

 portance of this principle has been appre- 

 ciated in England for it states : 'Agricul- 

 ture has to do with the production 

 of crops and stock, and a course of 

 biology mainly dealing: with plant life, 

 together with such a thorough course of 

 chemistry and physics, as is necessary 

 thereto, constitutes the fundamental 

 science.' 



The Employment of the School 

 Garden, 



and of visits to experiment stations and 

 estates where work with a definite agri- 

 cultural object may be seen in progress 

 is of special importance in this stage. 

 This is well expressed in the Memoran- 

 dum, as giving the science intruction an 

 agricultural bias ; and it is pointed out 

 that this bias does not in any way depre- 

 ciate the value of the science instruction 

 to those who do not intend to take up 

 agricultural occupation ultimately ; on 

 the contrary, a subject which is brought 

 into touch with environment tends to 

 become real and living and more easily 

 mastered. The matter is seen to be 

 important, then, with respect to general 

 education, whether agriculture or other 

 subjects are to receive attention when 

 the pupil leaves school. 



Farm Schools. 

 In dealing with the subject with refer- 

 ence to England, the matter is considered 

 further in connexion with farm schools. 

 Institutions of this nature have not been 

 adopted to any extent in the West Indies, 

 except in Jamaica and British Guiana. 

 Their place is taken to a degree by the 

 Cadet System that is in operation at 

 several of the Botanic and Experiment 

 Stations, and by the Courses of Reading 

 instituted on the part of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture. In England 

 experience of the existing farm schools 

 shows that the work should be very 

 practical in character. The time expen- 

 ded on a short course does not allow the 



