Agricultural Education in Holland. 383 



on the bank of the canal, and the auctioneer sits facing the 

 dealers in a small shed built on piles in the canal. The barges 

 with cauliflowers or cabbages pass between the auctioneer's shed 

 and the main building. 



It is claimed for this system of co-op ration that it has 

 largely reduced the commission and charges formerly paid 

 to middlemen, that it has served keep up the standard 

 of quality of Dutch produce, and it has prevented the 

 undercutting of prices which arises when individual pro- 

 ducers compete against each other in the same market. Goods 

 sold under the registered trade marks have an established repu- 

 tation at home and foreign markets, and the enforcement of a 

 high standard of quality by the marking committees has made 

 it difficult for an individual to spoil the market for his fellow- 

 gardeners b}' " topping up " inferior produce or by giving short 

 weight* 



Agricultural Education in Holland. 



According to a report on education in the Netherlands 

 [Cd. 1,157] which has recently been published by the Board of 

 Education, all agricultural affairs in that country are adminis- 

 tered by one of the divisions of the Ministry of the Interior. 

 To assist the Ministry, a central Council of Agriculture, com- 

 posed of representatives elected by the various agricultural 

 societies, meets periodically at The Hague, and practically 

 nothing is done without the advice of this Council. 



At the head of the institutions for agricultural education in 

 the Netherlands stands the college at Wageningen. 



Each of the eleven provinces has a State Professor of Agri- 

 culture, whose duties are to inspect and direct the five State 

 experiment stations, give lectures, provide instruction for 

 primary school teachers who wish to obtain an agricultural 

 certificate, and inspect winter agricultural classes in receipt of 

 a State subsidy. In the six provinces having State winter 

 agricultural schools, the professor is also director of the school. 

 Four of the provinces have State winter horticultural schools, 



