72 Report of Committee on Agricultural Education. 
On this important question of the efficiency of the teachers 
the Committee summarised their conclusions as follows : — “ In 
developing the existing facilities attention should be first given 
to securing a highly qualified staff. Many institutions employ 
too few teachers, or relegate the teaching of important subjects 
to junior members of the staff. It is of special importance 
that high qualifications should be secured in the teachers of 
such subjects as agriculture, agricultural chemistry, and agri- 
cultural botany. The staff of the higher institutions should 
include men who are not only capable teachers of, but 
recognised authorities on, these subjects. Further develop- 
ments in agricultural education will be difficult until a 
greater supply of well-qualified teachers is available. This 
subject demands the serious consideration of the Board of 
Agriculture.” 
Less Advanced Agricultural Institutions. 
While the Committee found that the number of higher 
institutions affording instruction in agriculture is now nearly 
sufficient, they stated that “ the facilities for agricultural 
instruction of a lower grade are unorganised, unsystematic, 
and wholly inadequate. Very few institutions giving instruc- 
tion of this grade exist, and if satisfactory provision is to 
be made their number must be materially increased.” This 
state of affairs may be regarded as inevitable. In England, 
as in Ireland, a beginning had to be made at the top, and 
it is apparent that if twenty lower grade institutions were 
founded within twelve months from now it would be found 
impossible to staff them efficiently. 
The section of the Committee’s Report, which has met with 
most criticism is that dealing with the best type of institution 
to provide instruction for “the rank and file of young 
farmers.” As in many cases this criticism seems based on an 
inaccurate idea of the Committee’s actual recommendations, 
this opportunity of explaining them is welcome. 
Abroad may be found two types of schools for this class of 
student. There is, first, the secondary agricultural school, or 
practical school of agriculture, attended by students of from 
fourteen to sixteen or seventeen years of age, where general 
education is given in continuation of that provided in primary 
schools, together with theoretical and practical instruction in 
agriculture. The course extends over usually two and 
occasionally three years, half the day being spent in manual 
labour on the farm attached to the school. The second type 
of school is known on the Continent as the Winter 
Agricultural School. As the name implies, these schools are 
open only for six months of the year, but in many of them 
