Technical Education in Agriculture. 
cxcv 
the matter need not go back to the 
Committee, but that it should be 
postponed for further consideration 
by the Council. 
The President said this was a 
large question, and affected the 
whole agricultural community of the 
country ; but, in his humble judg- 
ment, it was not yet ripe for solution, 
and he thought that the proposal to 
leave it in the hands of the Council was 
the best suggestion. He did not see 
any object in sending it back to the 
Committee, who had taken a great 
deal of trouble over it, and the 
thanks of the Council were due for 
the able report drawn up by Mr. 
Dent. They were not in a position 
to assure themselves of what the 
feeling of the country was with re- 
gard to this matter. It so happened 
that on Friday nest all the County 
Councils of England would meet. 
There was a very large sum of 
money which the Government, not 
knowing what to do with it, were 
going to hand over to the County 
Councils to be applied to technical 
education. The consequence of that 
would be, he ventured to think, that 
at least eight out of ten County 
Councils would take up the question 
of technical education at their next 
meeting. Of course, the Council 
would not fold their arms and be in- 
different to such a thing as technical 
education in agriculture. On Friday 
they would see what was the opinion 
of t he County Councils. 
He felt that the Committee was a 
pretty faithful reflex of the feeling of 
the Council, and that there was a 
considerable diversity of opinion in 
the Council itself as to how to carry 
out anything like a great scheme of 
technical education in the country. 
Although there was an objection 
raised by Mr. Dent to postponed 
action, yet there was always safety 
in further consideration, and he 
would suggest that Mr. Fell should 
put his motion in this form : " That 
the report be received and laid upon 
the table for further consideration by 
the Council." He thought that 
might meet the difficulty. He was 
not at all satisfied himself upon this 
great subject of the establishment of 
a Normal School, and he had voted 
yesterday in Committee with Mr. 
Dent. He held a very strong 
opinion that if there was a real de- 
mand for technical education on 
agricultural subjects, before very 
long that demand would be supplied 
without Parliamentary aid. He was 
not a strong believer in the expe- 
diency or advantage of Government 
or even Parliamentary sanction. All 
this was a question of time. They 
were now wholly in the experimental 
stage, and he therefore thought a fur- 
ther postponement might assist them 
in coming to a decision on the subject. 
After further discussion, it was re- 
solved that the report of the Educa- 
tion Committee be laid upon the 
table for further consideration by the 
Council at their meeting in February 
next, Mr. Pell giving notice that he 
would then move, " That the Council 
approve of a Normal School of Agri- 
culture for Scientific Instruction." 
Dairy. 
Sir John Thoeold presented the 
recommendations of this Committee 
as to the prizes for dairy cattle, 
cheese, soft cheese, butter, and 
butter-making, to be offered in con- 
nection with the Doncaster Meeting. 
Dairy Education. 
The Secretary read the following 
letter from the Board of Agriculture, 
which was ordered to be referred to 
the Dairy Committee for report : — 
Board of Agriculture, 
3 St. James's Square, S.W. : 
October 28, 1890. 
Sir, — The Board of Agriculture, 
in taking note of the useful work 
which various societies and insti- 
tutions have accomplished by 
means of schools, classes, demon- 
strations, and systems for impart- 
ing dairy instruction, have become 
aware of the need which exists for 
some more uniform system of ex- 
amining the pupils to whom this 
instruction is given than exists at 
present. The knowledge acquired 
by the pupils who have undergone 
tuition may thus be tested, and 
an additional means afforded of 
gauging the comparative value of 
the very varied forms of instruction 
given, whether such instruction be 
purely practical or extended to 
theoretical teaching. 
