State  Aid  to  Agriculture  in  Canada. 
105 
is  also  a two  years’  course  for  the  Associate  Diploma,  and  there 
are  annual  short  free  courses  in  various  subjects  open  to 
farmers  and  farmers’  sons.  For  Ontario  students,  the  tuition 
fees  are  only  4 1.  per  annum  for  the  first  and  second  years,  and 
10Z.  per  annum  for  the  third  and  fourth  years.  Owing  to  the 
long  summer  vacation  usual  in  Canada,  lasting  about  five 
months,  combined  with  a system  of  payment  for  practical 
work  during  the  session,  it  is  possible  for  students  to  earn  a 
large  proportion  of  the  cost  of  their  college  education  and 
maintenance.  The  net  expenditure  for  1910  in  all  departments 
of  the  College  was  32,573Z. 
During  the  last  thirty  years  an  Expei-imental  Union,  con- 
sisting of  about  400  present  and  past  members  of  the  College, 
has  ari-anged  for  the  conduct  of  co-operative  experiments  by 
farmers  in  agriculture,  forestry,  horticulture,  &c.,  the  experi- 
ments being  supplementary  to  those  can-ied  out  locally  at  the 
College.  The  members  pay  a nominal  annual  subscription  of 
2s.,  and  the  provincial  Government  makes  an  annual  grant 
of  about  550Z.  to  defray  cost  of  seeds,  plants,  fertilisei’s,  &c. 
The  experiments  are  of  great  pi'actical  and  educational  value,  and 
are  conducted  by  over  4,000  farmers  throughout  the  province. 
Associations  for  the  bi’eeding  and  registration  of  pedigree 
live  stock  and  for  the  development  of  various  branches  of 
agriculture  receive  government  grants  ixnder  the  Agricultural 
Associations  Act,  1906,  since  amended,  and  consolidated  in 
1910.  They  are  under  the  general  superintendence  of  the 
Live  Stock  Branch,  the  chief  officer  of  which  is  known  as  the 
Director,  who  also  acts  as  Secretary-Treasurer  for  each. 
Amongst  them  are  included  the  Ontario  Horse  Breeders’ 
Association  and  the  Dominion  Breeders’  Associations  for 
cattle,  sheep,  pigs,  and  poulti’y. 
General  agricultural  shows  (or  fairs)  are  held  by  societies 
oi’ganised  under  the  Agricultural  Societies  Act,  1906,  amended 
and  consolidated  in  1907.  These  are  under  the  general 
management  of  a Superintendent  of  Agricultui’al  Societies. 
Their  grants  in  1910  aggregated  21,514Z.,  distributed  as 
follows  : — p 
Agricultural  Societies’  Grant  . 
. 15,411 
Services  and  Expenses  of  Judges 
. 2,055 
Spring  Stock  Shows 
719 
Field  Crop  Competitions . 
. 1,438 
Seed  Fairs  ..... 
103 
Special  Grants.  .... 
. 1,644 
Expenses  of  Meetings 
144 
Total 
. £21,514 
