626 Grants for Agricultural Education, [jan., 



have been started during the past fifteen or sixteen years were 

 intended to be of direct service to English farmers, and there is 

 no reason to doubt that they have accomplished this object. 

 But it is worthy of mention that a not inconsiderable number of 

 the best students have been attracted from the practice of agri- 

 culture by the offer of research and teaching appointments, and 

 are now filling many of the more important chairs and lecture- 

 ships in this country. The demand, too, for highly-trained 

 specialists for service in India and our Colonies — though also to 

 a considerable extent in other parts of the world — has induced 

 many of our younger men to go abroad, where they are now 

 filling responsible administrative and educational positions. It 

 is, in fact, becoming more and more recognised that agricultural 

 science offers to our best students a career which is certainly 

 not less attractive than that presented by the older and more 

 conventional professions. 



Information as to the organisation of instruction and research 

 at the institutions aided by the Board during the past year is 

 given in the Appendix. It is satisfactory to find that the 

 demand for instruction on the part of students is fully main- 

 tained, while at the same time there is unmistakeable evidence 

 of increased appreciation on the part of farmers of the oppor- 

 tunities afforded by the collegiate centres for obtaining scientific 

 advice and assistance. At one centre (Chelmsford) practical 

 farmers are brought into intimate contact with the scientific 

 staff through the agency of conferences held in the afternoon 

 of the weekly market day. These gatherings are well attended 

 and appear to fit in with the conditions of this particular district, 

 and although it cannot be argued that similar meetings would 

 •necessarily be successful in other market towns, it would.be 

 interesting to have the idea put to the test where local circum- 

 stances appear to be favourable. 



A large amount of detailed information has also been brought 

 together in a second Appendix in regard to education in rural 

 districts through the agency of school gardens. This is a sub- 

 ject to which the Board during recent years have given much 

 attention, believing, as they do, that the school garden is an im- 

 portant agency in the training of the mind, the hand, and the 

 eye of the youth of our rural population. While great variation 



