12 BULLETIN 269, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. m 
England. — The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 1 has made arrangements 
in England and Wales for providing technical instruction in agriculture to 
small holders. It appears that in spite of recent advances there is still much 
room for the small holder to improve his condition with the help of suitable 
instruction. 
Out of a total of 435,700 holdings in England and Wales above 1 acre, 292.400 
are under 50 acres, while in addition there are over 118,000 allotments under 
1 acre belonging to local authorities apart from a large number of allotments 
leased by private landowners. Thus there is an extensive field of work for the 
teacher, and it must be remembered that of all classes of the rural population 
the small holder and rural laborer have the least opportunity of obtaining 
instruction and skilled advice. 
Small holders and allotment holders are usually to be found in groups or 
colonies, and these afford a convenient center for organized day and evening 
classes, and for courses in such subjects as horticulture, poultry keeping, and 
dairying. Such a colony is also a most appropriate center for demonstration 
fields or plats to illustrate the best methods of growing and manuring market 
garden crops, fruit, etc. These demonstrations are used by the instructors to 
introduce crops not usually cultivated by the holders, and when well managed 
are of greater use in educating the small holders than class-room instruction. 
Canada. — In Canada 2 women's institutes have powerfully contributed to 
improve the position of farm women, while also raising their intellectual level, 
and justify^ W interest they have aroused, even beyond the limits of the country 
in which they had their origin. They have been copied with excellent results, 
especially 1 i the United States, where similar associations have been very 
successful. 
Women's institutes were first founded in Ontario, and their development has 
been most remarkable. At present there are 800 of them, with about 25.000 
members. In 1912-13 lecturers were sent to 1,377 meetings, and 6,204 meetings 
were held without the assistance of outside lecturers. In 1912-13, 1,667 persons 
attended the demonstration lecture courses. 
In Manitoba these institutes are called home economics societies. Their 
progress has been very rapid recently. The department of agriculture has 
directed the work and appointed special inspectors and lecturers to travel 
through the Province, organize new societies, give courses of instruction in 
those already existing, and supervise their work. 
There are 35 women's institutes in British Columbia with a membership of 
over 2,000. 
In New Brunswick there are 1,000 members in 41 lQcal women's institutes. 
In Saskatchewan and Alberta domestic-science courses have been held, though 
not directly in connection with women's institutes. 
Italy. — In Italy 3 a considerable number of so-called itinerant chairs of 
instruction in agriculture and viticulture are scattered throughout the Kingdom. 
They are under the oversight of the ministry of agriculture and for the most 
part are autonomous ; that is, they are founded and administered by local bodies 
of interested persons and are maintained by the communes and Provinces and 
hy the State. Each of these have their own subordinate institutions (sections). 
iJour. Bd. Agr. [London], 21 (1914), No. 6, pp. 571, 572. 
2 Internat. Inst. Agr. [Rome], Mo. Bui. Econ. and Soc. Intel., 5 (1914), No. 6, pp. 17-19. 
3 Land u. Forstw. Unterrichts-Ztg., 27 (1913), No. 1-2, pp. 125, 126. 
