1909.] Agricultural Education in the Netherlands. 379 



the Higher Burgher Schools before entering this school, and 

 as this implies that a full course has been taken in inorganic 

 chemistry and other science subjects, the three years' course 

 gives full time for specialisation in agricultural, horticultural, 

 and forestry work. 



(2) The staff includes twenty-five experts, all of whom 

 are devoting themselves to the special branch of work on 

 which they are engaged and its bearings on agriculture, with 

 the result that the whole work of the course is brought into 

 very close relation with its practical applications. The 

 thoroughness with which the subjects of veterinary science 

 (including diseases of animals), insect pests, and plant 

 diseases, are dealt with, is an especially striking feature. 



The Director of the Higher State School at Wageningen 

 stated that they aimed at being as thoroughly scientific as 

 possible, but, at the same time, they kept in close touch with 

 practice. Mr. Kakebeeke, the Director of the Winter Agri- 

 cultural School at Goes, and a former student at Wagen- 

 ingen, who has visited most of the higher agricultural educa- 

 tion institutions in Europe, expressed his conviction that 

 Wageningen compared very favourably indeed with the best 

 of the Higher Schools in Agriculture and Forestry in 

 Germany. 



Institute of Phyto-Pathology . — This Institute, which deals 

 with diseases of plants and insect pests, is also situated 

 at Wageningen. The Director, Dr. Ritzema Bos, who has 

 a world-wide reputation, deals annually with nearly 2,000 

 inquiries from various parts of the country, and also gives 

 certificates to nurseries that are free from scheduled plant 

 diseases. Nursery exports are very important in the Nether- 

 lands, and many countries, including the United States and 

 South Africa, require nurseries from which the produce is sent 

 to be certified as being free from disease. The Institute is most 

 completely equipped with specimens of all kinds. The 

 grounds extend to about 20 acres. There is an excellent 

 arboretum and an orchard with specimen fruit trees, as well 

 as a considerable space for horticultural work. 



Dr. Ritzema Bos lectures on diseases of plants and on insect 

 pests to the students from the Higher State School in this 

 Institute. He takes his subjects in alternate years, insect 

 pests one year and plant diseases the next. The thorough- 



