224 
Farming and Agricultural Training in 
VIII. — Sheffield School Boakd Truants' Industeial 
School. 
" The average number of boys is 85 ; their ages vary from 7 to 13. The 
average time of detention is 14 weeks, when a ticket-of-leave is granted to 
live out of the scliool on certain conditions, viz. regular attendance at a 
specified elementary school. Their past history is : — Neglected by parents, 
or bordering on the age when the boy, thinking to be free from school, seeks 
to work, or to declare himself a man by having his own way. Or, being dull 
and not finding himself able to keep up with his brighter companions, neglects 
his work, and absents himself from school to evade the punishment of his 
neglect and want of capacity. The boys (the greater number) are employed 
on the farm in one capacity or other during half the working day. There 
is no scheme of payments, as the short detention (in some cases only 6 weeks) 
prevents such being carried out. At first, plots of garden ground were given 
to the children ; but the frequent changes operated against this system. Many 
disputes arose as to the ownership, and when that was settled, I found that 
each boy wanted a garden after his own plan, and that therefore the previous 
work of a former boy was lost. 
" The farm includes 118 acres of permanent grass, a great portion of 
which is rough or moorland, also 20 acres of arable laud, and 6 acres of 
garden. The rent is 10s. per acre all over. Much of the land has been 
drained, and part of the rough land reclaimed ; 8 acres are this year under 
spade-cultivation. The payments for labour include that for special, help at 
special times, the rate of wages being according to the season ; wages of the 
gardener, 13s. Qd. per week and board and lodging ; farmer and wife, 15s. Zd., 
with several perquisites ; and horseman, 10?. per year, with board and lodging. 
Green crops are grown for cows, also oats and grass, together with a few 
acres of jjotatoes. The live-stock consists of 5 horses and ponies, 20 milch 
cows, 14 young cattle, 19 sheep, 21 lambs, 14 pigs, and 20 couples of 
poultry. 
" The sales during the year ended September 29, 1885, were : — 
£ 8. d. 
MHk, butter, &c 461 3 2 
Vegetables 38 14 1 
Live-stock 268 16 9 
Sundries 6 4 3 
£774 18 3 
Supplies to school 224 17 10 
Total £999 16 1 
The buildings are old, and totally unsuitable for cattle. » 
"We have a dairy, but no instruction is given beyond milking and the care 
and feeding of the animals. Boys who, through unforeseen circumstances, 
have been kept for a considerable time at the school, have been enabled by 
our instruction to fill situations as farm lads with the neighbouring farmers. 
" I think there can be no question as to the adaptability of farm-labour as 
a means of influencing the mind in a right direction. First, it is calculated to 
keep the body healthy, and we find evil in its most malignant forms where 
masses are congregated together, hence farm-labour for our schools means keep- 
ing the lads from the haunts of evil ; and intelligently taught, and with the 
training which the schools afford, we have every reason to hope that to look 
from Nature up to Nature's God will be the result of .such labour. If help 
were given in some jiractical form, our Kelormatory and Industrial schools 
would be the very best to impai t a technical agricultural education. 
