75C 



Instruction in Rural Subjects. [march, 



a syllabus of nature-study for the gardening classes. But this 

 is useless if the teachers are not themselves nature students, 

 and it cannot be too strongly insisted that imposing a syllabus 

 in such cases may lead to the worst form of text-book teaching. 

 Twenty-one counties already make some provision for affording 

 the teachers a training in nature-study, but much remains to 

 be done. A number of Saturday classes and summer courses in 

 nature-study and gardening have been recognized. 



One of the most encouraging features in the school nature- 

 study movement is the increase in the number of school exhibi- 

 tions of nature-study and rural economy at agricultural shows 

 and local flower shows. The exhibits have in many cases been 

 of a very high order of merit. To the children, such exhibitions 

 provide a stimulus, to the teachers they provide fresh ideas for 

 work in their own schools, to the general agricultural public 

 they demonstrate that the children's studies have a very real 

 bearing on their future work in life. 



Fruit Culture. — Of other rural subjects increased attention 

 is being paid to fruit culture as a part of school gardening, thus 

 carrying out the recommendation of the Departmental Com- 

 mittee on the Fruit Industry in Great Britain. The Committee 

 also advocated the teaching of gardening in training colleges. 

 Bee-keeping is also sometimes associated with gardening 

 or recognised as a subject of nature-study. From time to time 

 the Board of Education are asked to recognize, as attendance 

 at school, manual work affording a direct training for rural 

 life. Sympathetic consideration has been given to these 

 cases, but local circumstances have up to the present prevented 

 the work being started. During this year, however, the Board 

 provisionally sanctioned instruction in thatching and the work 

 was carried out, The Board's inspectors reported favourably 

 upon its educational value, as taught in this case, as a form of 

 manual instruction, but it is understood that the considerable 

 expense of providing such instruction will prevent the experi- 

 ment from being repeated. 



Dairy Work. — Dairying lias been re-introduced into the Code 

 as a special grant-earning subject. It was felt that as a manual 

 subject for girls it was one that taught nicety and precision, 

 as an observational subject it was one that developed intelligence 

 in an important branch of domestic work, and that it had the 



