May, 1909.] 



mi 



Miscellaneous, 



College in India to receive an advanced 

 training in the science and practice of 

 agriculture. The Agricultural College 

 at Coimbatore or Pusa (preferably the 

 former) will suit the requirements of 

 Ceylon students. The course of studies 

 at these institutions extends for a period 

 of three years. 



The higher scientific staff of agricul- 

 tuial experts also requires organizing 

 in the light of experience gained in India. 

 It has now been settled that local ex- 

 perience is invaluable for useful work 

 by the expert officers, and this local 

 experience is supplied by attaching a 

 qualified assistant, who is a native of 

 the country, to each member of the 

 scientific staff. At the Agricultural Col- 

 leges and Experimental Farms teaching 

 is clone through these assistants, whose 

 work is supervised and directed by the 

 experts recruited in Europe. These 

 assistants are not mere subordinates, 

 but are colleagues whose education and 

 emoluments bring them in very close 

 contact with the experts, and who are 

 able to act for them in their respective 

 capacities during the absence of the 

 experts. This is a matter that requires 

 very careful attention in the organiza- 

 tion of a successful scheme for the im- 

 provement of the agricultural interests 

 of the country. It may be possible to 

 draw these assistants from the students 

 of our Colleges, and it seems reason- 

 able to divert one of the two Uni- 

 versity Scholarships given annually to 

 students in Ceylon tor. this purpose, 

 requiring the winner of the scholarship 

 in science and mathematics to arrange 

 his course of studies in a European or 

 American University in order to qualify 

 himself to take one of these posts. 



To summarize. (1) The system of 

 teaching in village schools require modi- 

 fication with a view to the introduction 

 of training in village industries along 

 with that of letters, 



(2) As a preliminary step, a holiday 

 course of lectures to teachers in verna- 

 cular schools should be organized ou the 

 lines of lectures on sanitation now given 

 annually to teachers. 



(3) Those seeking posts as village 

 headmen should get an elementary train- 

 ing in agricultural industries as resident 

 pupils in an elementary vernacular agri- 

 cultural school established for the 

 purpose. 



(4) A number of village teachers 

 should also be encouraged to take their 

 training at such a school, 



(5) An elementary agricultural school 

 for resident pupils with a one year's 

 course, where teaching is imparted in 

 the vernacular, should be established on 



similar lines to schools now established 

 in Ireland and other places. 



(G) The school should be in charge of 

 a trained teacher, assisted by special 

 teachers, and the lectures ou special 

 subjects given by the agricultural ex- 

 perts now in the employ of the Govern- 

 ment. 



(7) Eventually, village agricultural 

 schools should be established at suitable 

 centres. 



(8) Teachers for such village agricul- 

 tural schools should be obtained by 

 offering annual scholarships to a num- 

 ber of students passing out of the Auglo- 

 Vernacular class of the Government 

 Training College, Colombo, to enable 

 them to go through a complete course 

 of training at one of the Agricultural 

 Colleges in India. 



(9) That the staff of scientific experts 

 in agriculture should be strengthened 

 by the appointment of well qualified 

 assistants from among the people of the 

 country to act as colleagues of the 

 scientific experts. 



(10) That one out of the two Univer- 

 sity Scholarships now awarded by the 

 Government of Ceylon should be 

 diverted to the training of scientific ex- 

 perts at European or American Univer- 

 sities on lines similar to those adopted 

 by the Indian Government in awarding 

 Technical Scholarships for training 

 Indians in Europe and America. 



W, A, De SILVA. 



DR. FRANCIS WATTS, C.M.G., AND 

 HIS WORK IN THE LEEWARD 

 ISLANDS. 



The departure of Dr. Francis Watts, 

 c.m.g., from Antigua, in order to take 

 up the work of Imperial Commissioner 

 of Agriculture for the West Indies, has 

 been the occasion of a number of reso- 

 lutions of a complimentary nature from 

 Agricultural bodies in the Leeward 

 Islands. 



At a meeting of the Antigua Agricul- 

 tural and Commercial Society, held on 

 January 15 last, it was resolved by the 

 members present 'That this Society 

 tenders to Dr. Watts its heartiest con- 

 gratulations ou his well-deserved pro- 

 motion to the important and responsi- 

 ble post of Imperial Commissioner,' The 

 resolution went on to express the regret 

 of the Society at the departure of Dr. 

 Watts from the colony in which he 

 had worked for the past twenty years 

 with great benefit to the community at 

 large, as well as its satisfaction that in 

 his new position the Commissioner would 



