1909.] Agricultural Education in England. 487 



of i\.gTiculturai Education are dealt with in a report [Cd. 

 4802. Price iod.] made to the Board by the Assistant Secre- 

 tary in charge of this work (Mr. T. H. Middleton), while in 

 the appendices to the report detailed information is given 

 as to the institutions to which grants are made, as well as 

 particulars of the agricultural instruction provided by County 

 Councils in England and Wales. The whole volume thus 

 forms a useful handbook of information for students prepar- 

 ing to study agriculture. It may be obtained from Messrs. 

 Wyman and Sons, Fetter Lane, E.C., price iod. (including 

 postage, is. ojd.). 



Mr. Middleton refers to the fact that although there were 

 1,313 students attending the institutions aided by the Board, 

 this number probably represented only a small proportion of 

 the total number of young men about to engage in an agri- 

 cultural career, and for whom some form of agricultural 

 instruction is desirable. The relatively small number avail- 

 ing themselves of the facilities offered may be regarded as 

 proof that the ordinary farmer is not as yet convinced of what 

 may be termed the commercial value of agricultural educa- 

 tion. He knows that if his son is to succeed in business in a 

 town he must have a good school education, and he is pre- 

 pared to supply that education ; but he is not persuaded that 

 education is equally necessary for the successful farmer. All 

 experience, however, proves that agricultural education, 

 when carefully adapted to the condition of a locality, is of 

 value, and the question is how to convince the ordinary 

 farmer of its importance. Mr. Middleton suggests as one 

 step in this direction that more attention must be given to 

 the subject-matter of the instruction provided. The ordinary 

 farmer does not ask for an exposition of general principles, 

 but for instruction in principles which apply to certain local 

 conditions. General principles are in their proper place when 

 they form the subject-matter of a three or four years' univer- 

 sity course, and when they are studied by pupils who have 

 had a good general education ; but the average farmer's son 

 cannot give more than from 20 to 40 weeks to the theoretical 

 study of agriculture, and unless the subjects of study are 

 "localised" and carefully adapted to his needs, the result 

 cannot be satisfactory. It is instruction in the application of 

 science to local agriculture rather than general principles that 



