416 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Noy., 1897. 
out the idea in Eton School, at Nundah. Plots of ground were laid off for the 
boys; fencing material, tools, and seeds were provided for them; and they were 
promised prizes for the neatest gardens, the greatest variety of flowers or 
vegetables, and for the earliest production. A great spirit of emulation was 
created in this manner. The little gardens were quickly fenced in, dug up, 
manured, and sown. Daylght and evening saw the busy gardeners watering 
and weeding, and in due course the first fruits were brought in by three 
triumphant gardeners. The first fruits were—radishes and mustard and cress. 
One lesson had taught afew wily market gardeners how to win one of the 
prizes. Soon these gardens became an institution, and many excellent 
vegetables and flowers were produced by them. Now, what was done here 
may be done in all schools having an acre or two of spare land. At present 
the school children at the State schools enter with great zest upon tree-planting 
on Arbor Day, and with a little assistance and encouragement they would 
prove equally zealous in the cultivation of small fruits, flowers, and vegetables. 
A. proof of this lies before the writer in the following article in the London 
Agricultural Gazette, entitled :— 
Flower Culture in Schools.—A very interesting addition has been made to 
the educational work of the Agricultural and Horticultural Association, which 
has done so much to promote “gardens of taste” by establishing industrial 
flower shows. The new effort aims at reaching the children in our public 
schools. During the past spring the Council of the Association commenced by 
offering prizes for the culture of pot plants to the children in twenty-seven 
London schools. Prizes were offered for every class, as well as for each school. 
The flowers to be grown were Tom Thumb nasturtium, candytuft, ten weeks 
stock, German aster, Virginian stock, and godetia. The prizes consisted of 
garden tools, floral certificates, and bound copies of the Association’s annual, 
“One and All” Gardening. Each little competitor was supplied with the 
necessary seeds and very detailed instructions for carrying out the work, a 
nominal charge of one penny being made in each case, to give the children a 
personal interest in the success of their attempts. No less than 1,627 
competitors entered, arid the results were exhibited in twenty-seven little flower 
shows before the recent breaking-up for the holidays. So much interest and 
enthusiasm was shown, that Mr. Edwin Owen Greening, at whose instance the 
experiment was made this year, hopes to see a great development of the 
movement in future years. ‘The subject was brought before one of the meetings 
held in connection with the “One and All” Flower Show at the Great 
National Co-operative Festival at the Crystal Palace. 
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. 
In the United States of America there are 5,000 students attending the 
various agricultural colleges, and nearly 11,000,000 acres of land have been 
granted to these institutions by the United States Government. On a 
population basis there is one agricultural student for every 14,000 inhabitants, 
In Queensland, thirty students attend the Queensland Agricultural College, 
which has a grant of 1,672 acres. On the population basis, Queensland has 
one agricultural student for every 15,730 inhabitants. 
AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
Tur annual show of the Gympie A.P. and M. Association took place on the 
Gth October, and, although a two days’ show, was practically not closed until 
the 8th. A heavy wind and rain storm interfered with the arrangements on 
the first day, but the fine weather on the succeeding days enabled crowds to 
reach the ground. There were amongst the varied exhibits some magnificent 
gold specimens from several well-known claims and very good agricultural 
exhibits. , 
