Agricultural Education. 
545 
attainments in chemistry, &c, in the course of a few months spent upon 
a farm after leaving school, to far hotter purpose than on any number 
of farms connected with the college. 
The Rev. Pbhbenda&T Bbebeton said that last year it was a question 
whether his school at West Buckland, in Devonshire, could keep 
within the estimated expenditure. It had now been going on for 
about five years. It began with two or three boys only, and there 
were now sixty. Tho terms were 201. a-ycar for boys under thirteen, 
and 25/. for those who were above that age ; but this year tho charge 
for the younger boys had been raised to 23?., and that would make 
the average 24/. Last year the payments for the boys fell short of 
tho expenditure by 51/. ; but during the quarter just ended the 
expenses had been more than covered by the payments, the latter 
amounting to 383/., and the cost of board to 243/. All the other ex- 
penses last year for salaries, taxes, &c, came to 415/., and, estimating 
these at the same rate this year, he calculated upon having a surplus 
of 145/. or 3 per cent, upon the capital. The head master received 
120/. a-year, and was provided with a house to live in. Two under 
masters had 40/. a-ycar each, and their board was reckoned at about 
20/. each, for forty weeks at 10s. a-week. The cost of the boys' 
board was 8s. a-week each. The head master had also assigned to him 
any profits that might remain over and above a dividend of 3 per cent. 
Of course the boys were not clothed by the institution, and those who 
learnt Latin paid extra ; otherwise the 25/. a-head covered all expenses. 
The food was as good as could be desired, and there was an undoubted 
inclination displayed by the higher classes to avail themselves of tho 
benefits of the school ; but the check upon this disposition was to keep 
the expenses down, and if boys came there who required classical edu- 
cation and extras, to make them pay at a higher rate. Since the com- 
mencement of the school he had traced many of the boys, and found 
that a good proportion of them had turned to farming. At the outset 
he thought that practical farming might be connected with the school, 
but local circumstances obliged him to keep the farm altogether distinct. 
It was carried on, however, contiguous to, though not connected with, 
the school, in the hope that some pupils would be glad to receive a 
special education there. As yet the experiment of the farm had not 
decided him whether such a combination was desirable, though ho 
had met with pleasing illustrations of the advantage of letting instruc- 
tion in- practical farming keep pace with the education given in the 
school. 
For the raising of capital to establish other schools he approved of 
the principle of limited liability : a strict examination of the accounts 
was sure to be a check upon the master and matron. When there was 
a profit the shareholders could, of course, do what they liked with it ; 
but if they appropriated it to the augmentation of the masters' salary, 
or as prizes or scholarships, as had been done in this school, all parties 
would be interested in keeping the expenses down, and there would be 
no danger that the desire of realising a good dividend might induce 
the proprietors to neglect the true interests of the school. He could 
honestly confirm the statement of Sir Edward Kerrison that for about 
