i904r] Report on Agricultural Education. 567 



made for experiment and research. Particulars relating to the 

 allocation of these sums are given in Dr. Somerville's Annual 

 Report* on this side of the Board's work, and the same volume 

 contains an outline of the courses of instruction given at the 

 several institutions, together with particulars as to the attendance 

 at the internal and external classes. From these it appears 

 that the number of students in attendance at definite internal 

 courses extending over longer or shorter periods has during the 

 past year considerably exceeded a thousand ; while the figures 

 for the external audiences are estimated at something over 

 22,000. In the latter case, the course may have comprised a 

 dozen or more lectures, though in many instances a centre has 

 taken only one or two lectures ; still, the number of those who have 

 been directly reached by organised instruction provided by the 

 various colleges, schools, and institutes is a very large one, and 

 justifies the conclusion that these institutions constitute a factor 

 of much importance in the agricultural situation. 



In this connection, Dr. Somerville observes that for young 

 men who can leave home for systematic instruction, the colleges, 

 as a rule, offer an ample choice of courses, which may extend 

 over any period from a few weeks to two or more years. But 

 the great majority of young farmers are so tied down by the 

 nature of their employment as to be unable to give continuous 

 attendance to central classes, and for them short evening courses 

 in villages and small country towns are of special importance. 

 Such courses may embrace only three or four lectures, or they 

 may extend to weekly meetings throughout the whole winter, 

 in which case a large amount of useful information may be 

 imparted. Such courses, being designed for the immediate 

 needs of practical men, should not be too academic in character, 

 that is to say, they should deal rather with facts than with 

 principles, or, otherwise expressed, they should be instructional 

 rather than educational. A no inconsiderable part of the value 

 of these lectures consists in the discussion by which each should 

 be followed. Farmers should be encouraged to give their own 

 experiences and to state their difficulties, and much valuable in- 



* Report on the Distribution of Grants for Agiicultural Education in 1903-4. 

 [Cd. 2321] Price iod. 



