November, 1908, J 



480a 



Miscellaneous. 



invariably found that they could soon 

 be worked up to a pitch of enthusiasm. 

 He alluded in detail to his experience 

 with the teachers at Dominica who after 

 offering some slight difficulties in the 

 first course, became during the second, 

 zealous and keen, so that it was quite 

 easy eventually to carry out a very 

 useful course of practical garden work. 

 His experience with teachers in Antigua 

 and in St. Kitt's-Nevis had been pre- 

 cisely similar. 



The speaker appreciated the difficulties 

 in garden work — difficulties which often 

 were made greater by placing too much 

 stress oh school gardens, and too little 

 on the general teaching of scientific 

 principles. The work should proceed 

 gradually, and school gardens only be 

 resorted to when both teacher and 

 scholar feel the need for carrying into 

 operation the principles which have 

 been brought to their notice in their 

 lessons. A point is soon arrived at 

 when both teacher and scholar are made 

 to rest satisfied with mere descriptions, 

 when they want to handle the things 

 themselves, and to put to proof the 

 statements found in books. In this way 

 practical work, first of all in boxes and 

 pots, and finally in school gardens, will 

 be felt to be necessary by both teacher 

 and taught, and the lesson will be both 

 pleasant and permanent in its effects. 



A point to be emphasized in connec- 

 tion with school gardens is the necessity 

 of a good fence, and in many instances 

 it constitutes a good object-lesson to 

 grow a hedge around the garden plot. 

 Such hedges are to be seen at most of 

 the experiment stations, and the Officers- 

 in-charge are always willing to assist 

 the teachers with advice in this connec- 

 tion. Without a fence, the garden 

 lacks educational value, for it is liable 

 to be injured by trespassing people and 

 animals, and also lacks that neatness 

 which is so essential in educational 

 matters. 



An adequate water supply is also 

 most desirable, for without this, interest- 

 ing experiments may be lost through 

 drought, and children may be greatly 

 discouraged by the failure of their 

 efforts. 



Dr. Watts strongly advocated teach- 

 ing in relation to agricultural objects, 

 on the ground that it enabled the 

 teachers to deal with tangible objects 

 and incidents of everyday life, and the 

 children to grasp and appreciate the 

 real practical bearing of the facts 

 brought before them. Such teaching 

 stood in striking contrast to some of the 

 more abstract teaching which neces- 

 sarily occupied a place in all schools, and 

 60a 



so it afforded valuable mental relief. 

 It encouraged the children to think and 

 to take a rational interest in things 

 relating to their every day life, and 

 afforded an opportunity for starting 

 trains of thought and education which 

 would be continued long after the 

 immediate school work had ceased. 

 Such teaching might and should exercise 

 a profound influence on the lives of 

 scholars, and tend to make them better 

 citizens. — Agricultural News, Vol. VII. 

 No. 157, May, 1908. 



THE CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL 

 COMMITTEE, MADRAS. 



Agricultural Apprentices. 



The following correspondence between 

 the Director of Agriculture and the 

 Government Botanist regarding the 

 entertainment and training of Agricul- 

 tural Apprentices employed by the 

 Central Agricultural Committee is com- 

 municated to all Agricultural Associa- 

 tions for information : — 



" I have the honour to offer the follow- 

 ing remarks concerning the entertain- 

 ment and training of Agricultural Officers 

 on behalf of the Central Agricultural 

 Association and other non-Government 

 Bodies. It seems to me that it may be 

 advisable to have some information as 

 to what they intend to do with these 

 men after the course of probation, and 

 also that it would be well to explain to 

 the Central Agricultural Association 

 just what we caw do and what we cannot. 

 I may say that we shall be glad to re- 

 ceive apprentices sent to various farms 

 of the Department. But as to the class 

 of work to be f done by them, it will 

 naturally depend upon what work they 

 have done before and what they will be 

 expected to do after leaving. As far as 

 I can gather, the men already sent are 

 without any practical Agricultural train- 

 ing. This, I presume, is what the 

 Central Agricultural Association wishes 

 to teach them. Their idea, as I take it, 

 is that if such men get the round of the 

 farms, spending two months at each, 

 they will be fitted for undertaking farm 

 work on their own account for some of 

 the District Agricultural Associations. 

 I cannot too strongly insist that this is 

 a most extraordinary delusion. After a 

 man has been for full one year on a farm 

 in a certain tract, he might, provided 

 he had had a good Agricultural training 

 not too long ago, be expected to do 

 some useful work in a tract with similar 

 crops, especially if he kept in touch 

 with his training ground and referred 

 questions of difficulty to the farm 



