126 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER * 
February  7,  1901. 
Agricultural  Education  in  Canada. 
We  are  constantly  bei'  g  told  that  in  England  the  people  are  so 
enlightened  that  they  are  left  to  carry  out  much  valuable  work  quite 
independently  of  State  md.  Are  we  making  this  quite  clear  to  the 
reader  ?  We  infer  that  here  private  enterprise  does  the  work  that  in 
other  countries  would  emanate  trom  the  Government.  Well,  that  is 
very  good,  and  in  countless  instances  the  result  may  be  termed  very 
good. 
But  there  is  a  limit  to  private  enterprise,  and  we  question 
sometimes  whether  it  would  not  be  wiser  if  the  State  took  action 
a  little  and  a  little  sooner.  We  do  not  want  to  curtail  the  liberty  or 
liberality  ol  the  subject,  but  we  think  sometimes  it  might  with  great 
wisdom  be  sui  phmented.  There  is  much  red  tape  yet  abroad,  and 
our  modes  of  muv.ng  are  cumb  -rsome  and  clumsy.  We  cannot  shake 
ourselves  tree  ot  precedent.  That  is  one  result  of  (shall  we  say)  our 
old  age  as  a  nation.  The  young  countries  simply  walk  round  and 
over  us,  and  put  plans  into  motion,  get  them  into  good  working  order, 
while  we  are  still  considering  whether  any  change  is  necessary  at  all. 
Perhaps  it  will  be  said  that  any  comparison  between  ourselve-  and  the 
Dominion  of  Canada  is  not  fair  to  ourselves.  Our  arts  and  handicraft 
are  so  manifold  that  we  must  not  single  out  one  particular  branch  and 
say  that  the  teaching  of  that  branch  needs  specal  attention. 
There  we  think  the  m  stake  is  made,  before  our  trade  grew,  and 
even  now  there  is  au  immense  amount  of  pure  agriculture,  and  we 
make  small  provision  for  its  encouragement.  By  that  we  do  not 
mean  the  imposition  of  bounties  ;  we  mean  we  do  not  provide  adequate 
elementary  instruction  for  those  whose  lives  will  be  passed  in  country 
villages  either  as  workers  or  holders  of  agricultural  lands.  Canada 
is  essentially  agricultural,  and  the  Government  is  fully  alive  to  the 
necessity  of  f«  ster’ing  by  every  n  eans  in  its  power  the  agricultural 
interest.  We  ought  n >t  to  be  too  proud  to  take  useful  hints  wherever 
found  ;  indeed,  we  should  be  glad  to  think  that  this  great  English 
speaking  nation  aero  s  the  water  is  so  up  to  date. 
It  is  an  t  Id  habit  ot  school  days  which  still  lingers  with  us,  in 
reading  or  hearing  of  a  End  not  ve  y  familiar,  it  is  just  as  well  to 
take  down  the  atlas  and  impress  the  situation  on  the  mind.  Lo  .k  at 
the  great  expanse  of  Canada,  consider  its  divisions — Ontario,  Manitoba, 
North  West  Territories,  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  British 
Columbia,  and  Quebic.  The  first  item  is  of  course  expenditure,  and 
the  figures  are  rather  startling.  The  D'  minion  and  Provincial 
Governments  in  1899  expended  about  £156,250  on  account  of 
agriculture.  In  what  way  was  this  money  laid  out  ?  In  experimental 
farms,  by  dairying  instruction,  by  assistance  to  agricultural  soc  eties  in 
the  North  West,  by  cold  siorage  in  the  transport  of  butter  and  fruit  by 
rail  and  steamer  Irom  the  interior  to  the  sea-board  and  across  the  ocean. 
At  the  experimental  farms  the  work  consists  largely  in  submitting 
actual  observations  in  the  field  to  scientific  tests,  and  in  the 
application  of  the  best  results  of  scientific  knowledge  to  matters  of 
everyday  importance  on  every  farm  throughout  Canada.  Much 
literature  is  distributed  from  the  central  fatm,  and  experts  travel  and 
lecture  throughout  the  D  >miriion. 
The  Ontario  Agricultural  C  liege  takes  young  men  of  sixteen  who 
are  intended  to  own  ami  nunage  laims,  and  gives  them  a  two-years 
course.  Bv  staying  four  years  they  can  qualify  for  the  di  gree  ot 
B.S.A.  There  is  a  special  dairy  school  attached  to  the  college  op>  n 
to  both  sexes.  To  prove  that  the  colhge  supplies  a  need  we  only  and 
that  it  is  full,  and  there  are  forty  students  who  have  to  remain  outside. 
Now  we  come  to  the  best  feature  (as  we  think).  The  Public  Sc  ool 
Act  has  been  lately  a  i  ended,  and  the  rural  elementary  give  special 
instruction  in  agriculture,  and  this  teacning  is  made  compulsory  in 
Standards  IY.  and  V.  in  the  country.  In  the  towns  it  was  placed  as 
an  option  with  botany.  There  are  at  Toronto  and  Ottawa  two  normal 
schools  for  training  teachers,  and  special  instruction  is  given  in 
agriculture,  the  expense  being  met  by  Government  grants. 
In  Manitoba  agricultural  instruction  is  given  in  ad  the  public 
schools,  and  text  books  and  boxes  of  chemicals  for  illustrating  the 
lessons  are  supplied;  the  work  is  making  great  progress. 
In  the  North  West  territories  agri  ultural  instruction  is  compulsory 
in  all  public  schools  from  Standards  I.  to  V.  The  nature  of  the  soil  is 
studied,  plants  are  grown  under  all  conditions,  and  the  lessons  learned 
in  school  are  enlorced  by  observations  outside  the  school  and  home. 
Animal  life  is  studied  both  from  literature  and  from  life,  and  the 
children  learn  to  have  an  intelligent  knowledge  of  their  most  familiar 
surroundings.  In  the  elementary  classes  the  teaching  takes  the 
simplest  possible  form,  and  the  children  are  not  confused  by  terms  and 
illustrations  far  above  their  heads.  “  Nature  lessous  ”  is  the  term 
applied  to  this  teaching  of  agricultural  rudiments  in  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  term  is  a  happy  one  we  think. 
To  encourage  a  special  study  of  agriculture  at  the  normal  school  at 
Truro  (Nova  Scotia),  teichers  who  are  successful  in  obtaining  an  agri¬ 
cultural  diploma  receive  in  a  school  where  agriculture  is  taught 
100  dollars  more  than  a  licensed  teacher  without  such  a  diploma. 
Five  prizes  of  50  dollars  each  are  offered  annually  by  Government; 
tu  tiou  is  also  free,  and  there  is  an  opportunity  for  earning  money  by 
working  on  the  provincial  farm  attached  to  the  school. 
In  the  province  of  Quebec  there  are  four  agncultural  schools, 
and  there  is  a  large  dairy  school  at  St.  Hyacinthe,  where  are 
trained  inspectors  for  cheese  and  butter  syndicates.  This  school  is 
under  the  control  of  the  Dairymen’s  Association,  which  was  founded 
in  1882.  Of  course  in  Quebec  (the  province)  fruit  growing  is  a  great 
feature,  and  there  are  two  pomological  and  horticultural  societies,  and 
the  Government  has  established  four  fruit  experimental  stations.  By 
means  of  these,  the  farmer  will  obtain  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
fruits  best  adapted  to  the  region  in  which  he  lives. 
There  are  sixty-five  agricultural  societies  in  operation,  and  in  1896 
there  were  509  farmers’  clubs,  and  these  clubs  organise  competitions 
respecting  farm  crops,  purchase  thoroughbred  animals,  attend  lectures, 
and  take  part  in  discussions.  Fruit,  and  milk  products,  such  as  cheese 
and  butter,  seem  in  this  province  to  claim  the  larger  share,  and  we 
certainly  know  by  experience  that  Canadian  cheese  is  among  the  very 
best.  What  surprises  us  is  the  thoroughness  throughout  the  Dominion 
with  which  this  agricultural  teaching  is  carried  out.  We  have 
gathered  our  information  from  extracts  supplied  by  Dr.  William 
Saunders,  director  of  the  Central  Experimental  Farm  at  Ottawa.. 
It  is  modestly  allowed  that  the  first  teachers  and  teaching  of 
agricultural  subjects  or  “Nature  lessons”  was  not  up  to  the  mark. 
Tnat  we  can  quite  understand  ;  it  always  takes  time  to  get  a  new 
scheme  iu  o  workable  order,  and  when  the  teache  s  have  fairly  grasped 
what  is  needed  of  them  the  rest  will  be  comparatively  easy,  especially 
as  there  is  a  growing  appreciation  by  the  parents  of  the  work  that  is 
being  done  for  their  children.  Would  that  we  could  see  “Nature 
lessons”  given  in  all  our  elementary  schools  throughout  the  United 
Kingdom  ! 
Work  on  He  Home  Farm. 
We  cannot  give  a  very  satisfactory  account  of  the  progress  made 
during  the  past  week.  It  has  been  a  period  of  storm  and  blizzard,  and 
work  has  been  almost  at  a  standstill.  What  it  may  have  been  at  sea 
we  can  only  guess,  but  we  never  knew  rougher  or  more  searchingly 
cold  weather  on  land. 
The  men  who  are  hedging  at  piecework,  having  lost  muoh  time  lately, 
braved  the  elements  on  a  recent  morning,  but  were  driven  home  again 
about  9  a.m.  That  the  Wheat  plant  has  Buffered  is  very  probable, 
whilst  there  is  also  reason  to  fear  damage  to  the  young  Clover,  as  its 
roots  were  in  a  partly  waterlogged  state  during  these  frosty  winds. 
The  same  remark  applies  to  the  Turnips,  and  we  fancy  that  a  good 
proportion  of  the  very  large  white-fleshed  ones  will  rot  before  they  can 
be  eaten.  This  will  tend  to  do  away  with  the  glut  now  prevailing,  roots 
being  given  away  freely  to  those  who  will  find  sheep  to  consume  them 
on  the  land. 
Manure  leading  is  the  only  possible  work,  for  there  is  too  much  snow 
for  satisfactory  ploughing.  We  have  noticed  carts  travelling  by  with, 
very  small  loads,  which  looks  more  like  exercising  horses  than  getting 
work  out  of  the  way.  Perhaps  the  men  who  are  filling  the  carts  in  a 
large  covered  yard  are  too  willing  to  make  such  a  desirably  sheltered 
job  spin  out. 
There  would  have  been  more  threshing  if  the  weather  would  have 
allowed.  One  farmer  expresses  satisfaction  at  the  delay,  as  it  enforces 
increased  economy  of  straw.  Ceitainly,  stackyards  are  exhibiting  a 
very  thin  appearance  for  the  beginning  of  February.  Haystacks,  too, 
are  rapidly  dwindling,  for  the  ewes  have  demanded  a  supply  of  dry 
fodder  during  the  last  few  days,  whioh  under  milder  conditions  they 
would  not  have  needed,  and  this  extra  drain  upon  the  supply  of  hay 
and  chaff  has  come  at  a  very  untoward  time.  The  careful  flockmaster, 
however,  will  not  refuse  the  animals  the  dry  food  which  is  really  a 
necessity,  much  as  he  may  grudge  it.  There  are  not  many  lambs  about 
yet,  and  a  good  thing  too.  We  have  heard  of  one  or  two  foals — one 
born  in  December,  a  few  days  too  soon  to  suit  the  owner’s  views,  who  is 
an  exhibitor  of  Shires. 
Driving  past  a  neighbour’s  field  yesterday  we  noticed  that  he  had 
got  quite  a  considerable  breadth  ridged  up  for  a  Potato  crop.  The  work 
is  perforce  stopped,  but  the  ridges,  being  left  very  rough  and  open  to 
the  weather,  must  be  deriving  much  benefit  from  it,  and  will  make  a 
fine  tilth  for  the  tubers  to  root  into  when  planted.  Prices  have  been 
a  little  easier,  but  the  frost  will  have  a  hardening  effect  once  more.  As 
seconds  will  probably  make  a  good  price,  this  should  be  a  favourable 
opportunity  to  get  a  change  of  seed.  Scottish  seed  is  expensive,  more  so 
this  year  than  usual,  but  is  a  good  change  for  any  soil,  as  also  is  warp- 
grown  seed.  Limestone  seed  does  very  well  on  sand,  and  black  soils  on 
limestone. 
