239 



Education. 



Hungary. 



Hungary boasted of an agricultural college in the eighteenth century and 

 may claim priority amongst the countries of the world in providing systematic 

 agricultural education for her people. Lectures on agriculture were first given 

 at the University at Nagy Syombat in 1680. The first farm school was established 

 at Syarvas. A Chair of Agriculture was established at the University of Sciences 

 at Buda-in 1777. Agricultural schools and colleges were established and endowed 

 by several noblemen. There are now four agricultural colleges with courses 

 ranging from two to five year.-. Winter farm schools are maintained by the 

 Government, at which 300,000 students attend. 



Agricultural education now comprises :— 



Higher teaching in the Agricultural Academy, with a yearly attendance 

 of 157 pupils. 



Intermediate education, provided by four agricultural coli iges, at which 



there is a yearly attendance of 502 students. 

 Practical teaching and training in farm schools. 



Itinerant teaching, conducted by seven departmental professors, who 

 travel from place to place teaching, and four experts for the culti- 

 vation of hops, hemp, dairying, and promotion of rural associations. 

 Twelve professors are engaged in training teachers for the rural schools. 

 The staff of the Department of Agriculture numbers 185 professors, teachers, 

 experts, <tec. 



Switzerland. 



In Switzerland there are sixteen agricultural schools with about 400 students, 

 who pay in fees £16 per annum each. The expenditure devoted to agricultural 

 education has risen from £49,000 in 1888, to nearly £200,000. This is given towards 

 the support of agricultural schools, aid to farmers, improvement of stock, prizes, &c. 



Denmark. 



The extraordinary agricultural development of Denmark is attributed to 

 the intelligence and capacity for organisation of the Danish farmers, and mainly 

 to the education received by the peasantry in their rural high schools, and to the 

 distribution of land amongst freeholders. There are 224,000 farms in Denmark, 

 ranging from 7 to 110 acres each, of which more than 94 per cent, are farmed by 

 their owners. Sir John Gorst, in referring to the progress of technical education 

 in Great Britian, recently made the following remarks as to Denmark :— 



"The important influence technical education had on the national, social 

 and economical development of the people was indicated in the case of 

 Denmark, which had, from being the poorest of European countries, become 

 one of the richest, and that by producing butter, bacon, and eggs- chiefly for 

 the English market." 



Sweden. 



The practical teaching of agriculture with aboriculture has been in vogue 

 for a very long period. Since 1865 the teachers of the National Schools have 

 been trained in these subjects. The regulations of 1882 state :—" To^every Nationa 

 School shall be annexed, so far as possible, a tract of ground to serve as an 

 experimental kitchen garden, and it is the duty of the School Council of every 

 parish to see that such kitchen garden is arranged in a manner suitable to the 

 object of instructing the children in agricultural subjects. - ' 



Belgium. 



In Belgium the introduction of teaching agriculture in the rural primary 

 schools dates from 1884. Article 49 of the regulations states :—" The master must 

 keep the garden belonging to the school in such a way that it may serve for 



32 



