286 
JOURKAh OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
Soptdiibcr ir, 18' 4 
Danish Training. 
As going to the root of the matter, and as showing what 
might be done for and by the rising generation of farmers in 
this country, we may usefully—most usefully—devote our last 
notice of Mr. Dunstan’s remarkable pamphlet to a sketch of his 
account of the education of farmers’ sons in Denmark. The 
work was begun in high schools, founded by farmers in county 
districts, and it subsequently became merged in that of district 
schools, founded simply for the teaching of agricultural subjects 
and sciences. He describes the system followed at one of these 
schools where farmers and farmers’ sons of about twenty-four 
years of age, previously well grounded in the practical side of 
agriculture, go through a course lasting from November till 
May, “ living in the house, and going through a complete curri¬ 
culum of study by means of lectures and laboratory work.” 
Chemistry, physics, geology, botany, drawing, writing, arith¬ 
metic, land surveying, general agriculture and farm management, 
dairy work, farm stock, and the history of agriculture in 
Denmark are the subjects taught. The fees for the course are 
—first month, 54s.; second month, 48s.; third month, 43s.; 
fourth month, 40s. ; fifth month, 35s ; sixth month, 11s, these 
fees including board, lodging, and instruction. Well does Mr. 
Dunstan go on to point out that the students who attend these 
schools come to learn simply for their own advantage, and to 
understand the principles on which their practice depends The 
fact that the majority of the students pay their own expenses 
indicates the spirit in which the system of education is taken up. 
The most striking points in this system are, first, the founda¬ 
tion of high schools by the farmers themselves; secondly, the 
simplicity yet completeness of the curriculum ; thirdly, that full 
advantage may be taken of such a course for six months inclu¬ 
sive of board and lodging by payment of a total sum of £16 11s. 
This is made possible by the fact of the Government grants and 
part payment of the teachers’ salaries after a successful exist¬ 
ence of the school for one year. The success of the school 
whose system is described is proved by the large number of 
its students, and it is pointed to as an indication of the value of 
such technical education in the eyes of the farmers, actual 
workers on the farm, and not the class from which land 
agents and gentlemen farmers are drawn. 
As yet we have no educational system of the sort in this 
country by means of which working farmers and their sons can 
become grounded in the principles on which their practice 
depends. Even the latest departures by County Councils are 
too costly, and the wants of the farmer of small means—always 
the more numerous of his class—appear to be ignored. His 
spending power has become so contracted that if he is ever able 
to take advantage of some such curriculum, it must be under 
terms very similar to those of the Danish schools. He must 
enter the school solely with a view to becoming a more skilful 
ivorlcing farmer ; he should leave it with that confidence which 
clear knowledge o'" the science of his calling confers, resolved to 
apply his knowledge with his own hand to his own practice. 
The school, therefore, for his purpose is certainly not such an 
institution as our leading agricultural colleges, which, however 
suitable for the sons of landed proprietors, farmers of consider¬ 
able means, and land agents, are quite unsuitable for him It 
must be a worker^’ school pure and simple, and not a mixed 
institution where the worker may get ideas cr acquire habits 
which may render him dis ontented and a failure. To be ome 
a prosperous man he must work with hands and brains, and the 
school he wants is precisely that whhh will enable him to do so 
in the best way. 
Equally sensible is the Danish summer course as described 
by Mr. Dunstan. He found thirty-six dairy managers attending 
a four months’ course from May to August. Preliminary know¬ 
ledge is required in the student, who has to bring evidence that 
he has passed at least one year in one dairy, or two periods of 
eight months in each of two dairies, and being also required to 
have a fair knowledge of writing and arithmetic sufficient to 
enable him to take advantage of the courses of lectures The 
aims of the s hool are to impart to the dairyman such know¬ 
ledge as will enable him to increase his understanding of the 
practice of dairy work and to improve his qualifications so as to 
enable him to fill the important post of manager of a large 
dairy. The inclusive cost is about £3 a month, and success 
under examination is marked by certificates which denote profi¬ 
ciency and fitness for the control of dairying. To the ordinary 
worker the knowledge gained would te more precious than the 
certificate, but even for him it would have a certain significance 
as evidence of a standard of achieved excellence up to which his 
subsequent practice must be kept. 
"WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Very favourable for the clearance and stacking of corn and for 
autumn tillage has the weather been. Corn ricks make a fine show— 
eighteen big ricks did we see near one midland homestead recently. If 
most of them were Wheat the show is likely to prove a hollow unprofit¬ 
able affair. Well may farmers hesitate to sow much Wheat this autumn 
if they pay heed to prices quoted from the market returns of the first 
week of this month. In several places in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire 
new Wheat was sold at 16s. to 19i. per quarter of 8 bushels, and the 
general average for the whole was actually only 21s. Id., a decline of Is. on 
the week, and 5s. per quarter lower than in the corresponding week of 
last year. It is stated on reliable authority that it is over 200 years 
since anything like so low a price has been quoted for Wheat in England. 
The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society quotes Wheat averages 
as far back as 1641, and throughout that long period the wretched prices 
of last week were never touched even in the worst harvests. 
Surely under such circumstances every sensible farmer will have aa 
little to say to Wheat culture as possible, will restrict his winter corn 
crops to winter Oats, Barley, and Rye, and will be more than ever keen 
for information as to what he can turn to as a substitute on which 
some profit is possible. It must be mixed farming now, and he must 
pay heed to the sustained value with increased consumption of poultry, 
dairy produce, and meat. Our imports of poultry and eggs from abroad 
have in twenty years increased by nearly 450 per cent., and show a 
constant and steady advance. Why is it that home supplies do not 
increase? Why also do we allow such remote countries as Russia, 
Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as our own colony of Canada, to 
send us farm produce which we can raise so easily ? We paid last year 
to them for eggs and poultry £4,454,598, and, in addition, to Ireland for 
the same form of produce £2,000,000. Advisedly do we quote these 
vital statistics in our work note this week in order that farm work may 
be done to better purpose in the farmers’ coming year which begins at 
Michaelmas, and that the heedless, reckless clinging to Wheat growing 
under impossible prices may cease. The term “ unfortunate farmers ” 
has been used in connection with recent Wheat quotations. If under 
the light which such figures throw on the situation Wheat growing 
is persisted in, some much stronger term than unfortunate will probablyt 
be heaid. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oa.udbn Sqoarb, Loxdok. 
Lat.51°32'4'1" N. ; Ldq?. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
Ix TUB Day. 
'a 
PS 
1894. 
September. 
Barometer 
I at32‘',and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
f»ich 
Sunday .. 
9 
31-138 
56-2 
52 9 
N. 
55*0 
62-4 
4S 7 
101 9 
43 4 
0- 83- 
Monday .. 
10 
30-429 
53 1 
50 1 
N. 
54 9 
64-2 
47-3 
108-0 
40-8 
— 
Tuesday .. 
11 
:10'351 
53-4 
5T6 
N. 
54-9 
68 7 
42-9 
. Go'S 
37-2 
— 
Wednesday 
12 
30-356 
59-8 
56-8 
N.E. 
55 1 
67-9 
46-9 
103-9 
40-1 
— 
Thursday .. 
13 
30-39 1 
55-0 
50-4 
N.E. 
55*4 
64-8 
46-4 
107 7 
41-1 
— 
Friday 
14 
30-396 
56-6 
54-2 
N. 
55-6 
6')-9 
49-7 
11T8 
42-4 
— 
Saturday .. 
15 
30-386 
57-1 
51-2 
N. 
56-1 
62-2 
50 9 
72 9 
44-2 
0-Cl) 
30-349 
55*9 
52-9 
55-3 
65 3 
47 5 
101-8 
41-3 
O-099- 
REMARKS. 
fth.— Gleams of sun early ; dull day, with frequent showers. 
10th.—Cloudy early ; bright sunshine all day , cloudy again at night. 
11th.—Misty early; bright day and night. 
12th.—Bright sunshine almost throughout; bright moonlight night. 
13th.—Generally over. ast till 4 F.M., frequent sunshine after. 
14th.—Generally cloudy and at limes threatening; fine night. 
15th.—Cloudy morning ; fair afternoon and evening. 
A fine week, with high and steady barometric pressure. Temper iture 3^ al»ve tha.t 
tf the preceding week, and only slightly below the average.- G. J. S ■ .\ioX3. 
