Agricultural Education. 



[Seftemreh, 1010, 



Board. The total amount expended for 

 education was £12,100, an increase of 

 £550 over the preceding year ; the total 

 number of students attending the various 

 institutions was 1,313, an increase of 92. 

 Tiir- numbers are far from satisfactory 

 in view of i he fact that some 10,000 

 yuunj* men probably take up farming 

 each year, whilst a certain proportion of 

 the agricultural students do not go in 

 for it at all, at any rate in England. 

 Why does not the farmer take greater 

 advantage of the opportunities for edu- 

 cating his sons ? It is hardly a question 

 of means, for agricultural education is 

 very cheap and scholarships are liberally 

 given , nor is it that the farmers do not 

 know of the existence of the colleges. 

 The real reason, probably, is that the 

 farmer is not satisfied as to the value of 

 agricultural education. Pr of. Middleton 

 has drawn up a table showing for 

 different counties the number of men 

 engaged in agriculture, and the percent- 

 age of the "whisky money" spent in agri- 

 cultural education. It is a remarkable 

 fact that the four counties which spend 

 at least £10 or less per 1,000 male agricul- 

 turists, are purely agricultural, whilst, 

 on the other hand, those with the 

 smallest agricultural population expend 

 about £150 per 1,000 male agriculturists. 

 In spite of all that has been said and 

 written on the subject, Prof. Middleton 

 is driven to conclude that " if we except 

 the organised work connected with the 

 institutions, nothing approaching a sys- 

 tem of agricultural instruction exists in 

 England." 



No one acquainted with the history of 

 agricultural education in England will 

 be astonished at this conclusion, or at 

 the scepticism of the farmer. The first 

 attempts by the old Science and Art 

 Department to foster agricultural edu- 

 cation brought the movement into dis- 

 repute. The village schoolmaster was 

 encouraged to read up a small text-book, 

 was examined on his knowledge of the 

 text-book, and was awarded a certificate 

 to the effect that he was competent to 

 teach the "principles of agriculture." So 

 long as he remained in his class-room he 

 was secure, but directly the farmer got 

 hold of him and began asking his advice, 

 he was found out. Nor were later 

 attempts more successful. Things are 

 remembered for long in villages, and the 

 movement has in some counties never 

 recovered from the early errors thus 

 committed, whilst practically every- 

 where these blunders have constituted a 

 sad legacy which lias only been lived 

 down by years of hard work on the part 

 of the institutions. These unpleasant 

 facts are recognised, but are not allowed 



to paralyse further endeavours, and 

 Prof. Middleton proceeds to sketch out a 

 plan of agricultural education. - 



In the first instance, the general ele- 

 mentary education in country districts 

 must be such thatit arouses the intelli- 

 gence of the boys and brings them to 

 see 'he advantage of higher education. 

 A beginning in this dir ection has already 

 been made. Between the age of four- 

 teen and seventeen the boy should still 

 receive a general education either in 

 secondary schools or at evening schools, 

 according to his circumstances. He will 

 not specialise in agriculture, but will 

 develop what he has already learned, be 

 trained to read intelligently and to 

 observe closely. He may form col- 

 lections of insects, grasses, minerals, &c, 

 but the subject itself is of less moment 

 than the ability of the teacher to teach 

 it well. The teacher will presumably be 

 allowed great elasticity in forming his 

 time-table. From the age of seventeen 

 to twenty special systematic instruction 

 is to be given at an agricultural college. 

 After he has left and started as a farmer, 

 his education is continued at local classes 

 by itinerant instructors, who could also 

 deal with those who had not been to 

 college. 



In principle the scheme is excellent, 

 but its success would depend entirely on 

 the men whose duty it was to carry it 

 through. The British farmer never 

 appreciates the beauty and symmetry of 

 a scheme, but he can appreciate a man. 

 It was largely through ignorance on the 

 part of the officials of this important 

 trait in his character that the earlier 

 efforts failed. Consequently the prob- 

 lem reduces itself to the pr ovision of a 

 sufficient number of suitable instructors. 

 Unfortunately Prof. Middleton does not 

 tell us how these are to be forthcoming. 

 He knows they do not exist at present, 

 and he also tells us why. If a student 

 is willing to go abroad, his prospects of 

 earning a livelihood are satisfactory, but 

 not if he wishes to remain in England. 

 Thus it happens that the best men study- 

 ing in our agricultural departments 

 look forward to a career outside 

 England, and move off to India, South 

 Africa, Egypt, or elsewhere at an early 

 opportunity. There is no reserve of 

 good men. A very important reason lies 

 in the way the colleges are managed. 

 Prof. Middleton is probably the first 

 official to discover that the only person 

 on the whole college staff who receives a 

 salary worth aiming at is the Principal. 

 No one, unless he possesses other means, 

 can afford to remain in any other post, 

 and when a well-trained man accepts a 

 position on the staff, he stays only until 



