8 
TtlE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUEIST. 
[July 2, 1900. 
or iusdustrial schools of Triuidad. It is stated, how- 
ever, that lectures on agriculture are given at the 
Victoria Institute, Port of Spain. According to Mr. 
Moore, instruction in fruit and banana cultivation 
is also given in this island, and the school teachers 
are provided with various agricultural publications. 
Iq British Guiana there is an agricultural assist- 
ant attached to the Botanic Gardens at George- 
town; and the Royal Agricultural Society in thiB 
colony, I am informed, approached the Governor in 
Council iu 189S, with the view of having an agri- 
cultural school and experimental farm established 
and also of having plots of land attached to coun- 
try schools, where pupils would spend a porl;ion of 
their time daily in learning practical agncultuip. 
Leaving the islands of the West Indies, and the 
Crown colonies on the mainland, I now proceed to 
notice the several self-governing colonies which form 
the Australasian section of Greater Britain. 
In the mother colony of New South Wales, agri- 
culture is taught in the state schools, either under 
object-lessons or natural science. It is also an 
optional subject for teachers in the series of exa- 
minations they undergo to obtain promotion from 
one grade to another. An agricultural text book, for 
use , in the schools, has also been published by the 
Department, and an itinerant lecturer on garden 
and farm work visits the more important schools. 
Under the scheme of technical education, also 
carried out in Sydney and various country towns, 
courses of instruction in agriculture, sheep and wool- 
classing, wool-sorting, and veterinary science are 
provided. 
Agricultural education, pure and simple, is how- 
ever, in the hands of the Depat-tment of agriculture. 
There is, under this department, the Hawkesbury 
Agricultural College, with experimental farm atta- 
ched located near the town of Richmond. The com- 
plete course of instruction at this institution covers 
a period of two years of four sessions, and the sub- 
jects taught are "practical agriculture, principles of 
agriculture, agricultural chemistry, botany, geology, 
entomology, farm-book keeping, veterinary science and 
practice, ari.hmetic and English, elementary survey- 
ing and mechanics." The practical work at which 
all students have to engage in is noted as follo.ss: — 
'■(1) Milking cows, making butter, use of dairy 
appliances. (2j Killing and dressiug sheep. (3) Car- 
pentering work, such as mortising and cutting tenons, 
setting out roof. (1) Blacksmith's work, welding iron, 
making 1 o'ts, fittiDg and putting on horse-ihoes. 
(5) Fencing, mortising posts, putting up wire or 
otber fences. (6; Yoking up and driving bulllocks, horse 
work, hay leveling, farm implements, engine work.'' 
Though the Hawkesbury College is the only one 
in the colony where the whole science and practice 
of agriculture is taught, the scheme of education ori- 
ginally formulate f embraced the establisement of 
'• certiin farms and orchards typical of the most im- 
portant climatic regions of the colony, where those 
who did not desire to undertake the comprehensive 
training of the college might be instructed xinreyiii 
the practice of the various branches of agiiculture." 
For such experimental farms have now been esta- 
blished. The rtl urrumbridgee, or Bomen Experimental 
Farm, near the southern town of Wagga Wagga, 
represents the comparatively dry Riverina region ; 
the AVooUongbar Experimental Farm, in the Rich- 
mond River district, is iu the sub-tropical region ; 
the Bathurst Experimental Farm represents the 
western plains and colder portions of the colony ; 
while the experimental farm at Coolabah, in the 
Bogau Scrub, has been established for experiment 
in the aiid portion of the colony. 
In all these experimental farms lectures on agri- 
culture are given, and the course is for a year of two ses- 
sions. Students at the central college are advised to 
continue their course at one of these farms, for the 
student there is " afforded some practical experience 
of the cultivation ol land in a climatic region typical 
of that ill which he intended to settle." According 
to the Minister fyr Agriculture, " training at college 
would provide him with a general and practical 
acquaintance with farming in all it^ branches, but 
to enable him to become (for example) a successful 
we.stern New South "Wales cultivator a little practical 
experience of dry country method, is absouletely 
necessary." 
Additional means of imparting information and 
instruction is further afforded by the employment of 
a dairy expert, a fruit expert, a viticultural expert 
and a travelling agricultural instructor, who for a 
number of years, was piincipal of the Agricultural 
College. An 'Ayrtcidtiiral Gazette is now published, 
which in value approaches some of the publications 
issued by the Cnitea States Department of Agriculture 
— a department which is generally admitted to be the 
best organised and most practical of any Govern- 
ment in the world. In passing, I may note that I 
find it stated in the Report of the the JSew South 
Wales Under Secretary for Agriculture, 1899, " that 
amongst the 130 odd young men undergoing the 
full course (at Hawkesbury College) are several from 
England, Cape Colony, the neighbouring colonies 
and Japan." 
Respecting Queensland, the Agent- General for the 
colony has been good enough to I'eply to my en- 
quiries as follows : — 
"1. Agriculture is not taught in the elementary 
schools of the colony, but 
'■ 2 Four State bursaries are granted, giving free 
boaid and instruction to resident students for three 
years at the Government Agricultural College at 
Gatton. Admission is by competitive examination 
in reading, writing, arithmetic, English composition 
geography, mechanics, and drawing to scale. Candi- 
dates for these bursaries must be between Ifi and 18 
years of age, of sound constitution and good health, 
and themselves must have resided in the colony two 
years and their parents three years preceding the 
ex imination. 
o. The agricultural College at Gatton was estab- 
lished in July, 1897. The college farm or ground 
comprises an area of 1,692 acres. Dormitory accom- 
modatio i is provided for 5t) students. The buildings 
include a chemical laboratory and lecture room. The 
fees, which cover instruction, board, washing, room 
rent and lights, are £1') per annum. The students 
are e- gaged for one half the time at manual labour, a 
day of out-door work alternating with a day of study. 
''4. Experts in dairying and other subjects are em- 
ployed by the Department of Agriculture to travel 
throughout the colony and give perjonal instruction 
to farmers. Bulletins on various subjects of interest 
to farmers are also issued by the Department, which 
with the Queensland Agricultural Jo'irnal, are freely 
distributed." 
^ 
EXPERIMENTS TO PRESERVE TIMBER. 
Years ago experiments were made at Geisenheim, 
by Professor Giseyius, of Koenigsberg, with 6 feet 
long poles from pines, to be used for vines, and it 
was found that several fluids were better for pre- 
serving than merely burning the ends. Oil of tar 
and carbolineum were found useless, inasmuch aa 
the creosote in them gave that tasts to plants grow- 
ing near, and other fluids were too expensive. But 
a solution of 2 lb. or 3 lb, of bluestoue was found to 
he cheap, easy to use, and well preserving. Later 
experiments were made in the Agricultural School 
at Dahme, and at the hop girden ai Sussentlial with 
pine and fir poles, 21 feet long, and Vv'ith fencing 
posts. The solution impregnates, and rises within 
three or four days to the top if you remove the bark 
from freshly cut stems and place the lower end into 
it. In trees cut some days before they are peeled 
and put into the solution, it rose only from 3 feet 
to 6 feet high. If it freezes this method cannot be 
used; the warmer it is better. The casks must be 
very strong, and have to be filled up twice a day. 
For 90 hop poles, about 24 feet long, it required 6 
lb. of bhiOBtoad,— Queensland Agricultural Journal, 
