REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE FRUIT INDUSTRY. 523 



Derby ; the Harper Adams Agricultural College, Newport, Salop ; the 

 Agricultural and Horticultural College, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire ; the 

 Agricultural and Horticultural College, Uckfield, Sussex ; the Cumberland 

 and Westmorland Farm School, Penrith. In addition to these, a new 

 institution, to be devoted specially to the study of fruit-growing and 

 cider-making, has recently been started at Long Ashton, near Bristol, 

 supported by the counties of Somerset, Devon, Gloucester, Here- 

 ford, Worcester and Monmouth, and to this the Board is making a grant 

 of €300 a year. This institution was not in working order when the 

 Committee visited it in August 1904, in consequence of a delay in the 

 delivery of the machinery which had been ordered from America. Several 

 of the County Councils also have what are known as " fruit stations," 

 where demonstrations, or even experiments, are carried on by horticultural 

 instructors, who, as a rule, are connected with some of the colleges and 

 schools already mentioned. 



23. Turning to Scotland, there is not so much danger of overlapping 

 in secondary and technical instruction as exists in England, since the 

 Scotch Education Department has taken over from the Board of Agriculture 

 the administration of the annual grant made by the Treasury for the 

 promotion of agricultural instruction. The Board of Agriculture, however, 

 still gives grants to a limited extent for the promotion of research. The 

 work is done chiefly through the three agricultural colleges in Scotland, 

 situated at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Of these the only one 

 which has undertaken the teaching of horticulture to any extent is 

 Edinburgh, which has three lecturers on the subject in the college and 

 two "Extension" lecturers, who visit the counties contributing to the 

 support of the College. The Glasgow College has also done a little in the 

 way of giving horticultural instruction, but makes dairying its speciality, 

 while Aberdeen has not touched the subject so far. Mr. Struthers also 

 stated that, under the continuation classes code, provision is made for 

 giving grants for instruction in horticulture on the same terms as for any 

 other technical subject, but he could not say to what extent this provision 

 had been utilised. 



24. The Committee are most anxious not to disparage any of the good 

 work which has been accomplished so far. But in view of the recent 

 growth of the fruit industry and its importance, and the ignorance which 

 prevails with regard to many of its fundamental conditions, they cannot 

 help feeling that it is inadequate. It will be observed that in the 

 distribution of its grants the Board of Agriculture has selected few schools 

 or colleges in the chief fruit-growing districts. There is no school in 

 Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, or Devonshire receiving a 

 grant. We are not imputing any blame — the - only course open to the 

 Board has been to select colleges where the teaching of agriculture and 

 horticulture appeared to be practicable, and such colleges are conspicuous 

 by their absence in the chief fruit-growing districts. The action of the 

 County Councils has been similar in kind. One of the greatest fruit- 

 growing counties is Worcestershire : yet the Committee were informed that 

 the fruit station in it (at Droitwich) was too small to be of much practical 

 value. Another great fruit-growing county is Herefordshire : here the 

 fruit station has been temporarily suspended. The most progressive 



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