1908.] Agricultural Education. 



361 



Experimental Work. — In connection with this subject, the 

 Committee consider that much good has resulted from the field 

 experiments and demonstration plots arranged by the various 

 institutions, but that more public advantage would accrue,, 

 if they were systematized. They suggest that it would usually 

 be a great advantage if the results of field experiments were 

 only published after the figures of three, four or five seasons 

 were available, or possibly after two years in those cases where 

 a number of similar experiments were made in a district in each 

 season. The results of the more important experiments should 

 be summarised at regular intervals, and might then be published 

 in the Journal of the Board of Agriculture, so as to be available 

 to the agricultural public generally. In view of the large sums 

 spent upon experiments, and of the important influence which 

 they ought to have upon agriculture, the Committee are of 

 opinion that the Board of Agriculture should give very special 

 attention to collating the results, comparing them with the 

 results of similar work conducted in other countries and extract- 

 ing and publishing such facts as may have a direct bearing on 

 the practice of agriculture in this country. 



State Control. — The Committee devote much attention to a 

 consideration of the question whether the work of agricultural 

 education should be supervised and assisted by the Board of 

 Agriculture, as at present, or by the Board of Education. 

 After carefully examining the subject in all its bearings they 

 come to the conclusion that scientific and practical instruction 

 in agricultural subjects, when provided by universities, university 

 colleges, agricultural colleges, farm institutes and winter schools, 

 or by means of special classes or courses of lectures in agriculture 

 and kindred subjects (e.g., dairying, horticulture) should be 

 under the direction of the Board of Agriculture ; while all 

 instruction in agricultural subjects forming part of courses of 

 study in primary, secondary, or such evening schools as are in 

 definite continuation of the education given in primary schools, 

 should be under the Board of Education. In some cases the 

 subjects taken up by scholars attending evening classes would 

 more appropriately be dealt with by the Board of Agriculture ; 

 but as the evening work would usually be carried on by teachers- 

 from day schools, it would, in the opinion of the Committee,, 

 be on the whole more convenient that their work should be 

 inspected by officers of the Board of Education. 



