Report on Technical Education in Agriculture. 853 
might wish to avail themselves of the instruction given, either for 
a term or for a complete course. 
8. The recommendations (numbered 2, 3, i, 5) of the Joint Com- 
mittee, previously referred to, all tend to this end, and are such as 
the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society may well endorse. 
They are as follows : — 
(2) That State aid should bo liberally given to certain Eudowed and County 
Schools, on condition of their establishing an Agricultural side for 
the proper teaching of the Theory and Practice of Agriculture — 
practical instruction being carried out on a Farm, which might either 
be the property of the School — or rented by the School — or available 
by permission of neighbouring farmers. Arrangements should be 
made for the delivery of courses of lectures by the Teaching Staff 
or other lecturers open to Farmers of the district. 
(3) That Grants should continue to be given by the State in aid of local 
effort to provide Technical Instruction in Dairy or other branches 
of Farm work. 
(4) That aid should be similarly giren to Local Agricultural Associations 
or Chambers of Agriculture engaged in Scientific Research. 
(5) That in all cases where State aid is afforded it should be of a permanent 
character, subject only to certain definite conditions laidjdownby 
the Board of Agriculture, and to the admission of Annual Inspection 
by an officer of the Board. 
9. There remain, however, two other recommendations which are 
not so easily accepted. The first advises — 
(1) That there should be established and maintained, at the cost of the 
State, a Central Normal School of Agriculture. 
If it be proposed that the Central Normal School should have 
attached to it an experimental farm, there is no doubt that the 
undertaking would be costly, and probably unremunerative ; while 
its value as an educational adjunct may be very much over-rated. 
From the varied nature of English agriculture, a single establish- 
ment would be of comparatively little use. and there would probably 
be a narrowmess in the spirit of its teaching which would render it 
undesirable. We must rather look forward to the movement that 
is now taking place at the higher seats of education in this country, 
which will tend to lessen the need of a Central Normal School, 
and which will provide more varied centres of instruction, with 
the adjuncts of almost every branch of scientific teaching in imme- 
diate propinquity. Other reasons might be advanced which induce 
the Education Committee not to recommend the Council to endorse 
the first suggestion of the Joint Committee. 
10. The final recommendation advises— 
(6) That ample facilities should be afforded by the State to enable children 
in Rural Elementary Schools to acquire knowledge of their future 
work, either as agricultural labourers or as tenants of small holdings. 
The Education Code of 1890 gives considerable scope to such 
school managers as may desire to teach the elements of agriculture 
in their schools. Beyond this it seems scarcely desirable to go at 
present. Too many of the children in our rural schools are already 
