JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14159, 27 September 1911, Page 6

JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS.

The complimentary dinner by tho Northern A. and P. Association to Mo- A. 8. Clarkson has been fixed for Thursday evening.

At a meeting of the Wellington Education Hoard yesterday, Mr VUo moved: —"That a committee be set up to confer with the Education Department, the Masterton Trust Lands Trustees, and agricultural bodies interested, on the qtiestiou of the establishment in the Wairarapa of a School of Agriculture." Mr Field seconded the motion. Mr Buchanan, in supporting tho proposal, reminded the Board that a good deal of money was being spent by other countries in agricultural advancement, and across the sea in Australia there vrere many opportunities offered to intending farmers to acquire knowledge. The motion was carried.

The much debated question as to the advisability of docking lambs with the searing iron or the knife will soon be prominently before the owners of sheep. Controversy has raged rather fiercely with regard to the merits and demerits of the two systems, and in Australia some rather elaborate experiments have been carried out to determine, if possible, if any advantage accrues to either of the systems. The result of these experiments is slightly in favour of the knife, but in New Zealand, opinion is pretty equally divided regarding the two styles of operating. Mr T. Teschemaker, ot Otaio, in speaking to a representative of "The Press" upon the subject, stated that he favoured the searing iron, and had had uniformly good effects with, its use. The great point in its favour, in his opinion, was the

fact that lambs "mothered up" very much quicker after being docked witli the iron than with the knifo, and this ■was a very great advantage on a big place where the paddocks were of large area.

The following report from Mr F. J. Heatloy, technical organiser .to the Board, was adopted at last night's meeting of the Taranaki Education Board: —"With regard to agriculture taken up in the primary schools as a preliminary to a rural course in the High .Schools at Stratford and New Plymouth, it may bo worth while to go into the matter of rural or agricultural scholarslups, where one of the subjects for examination would bo agriculture. With regard to further agricultural instruction of pupils, it plight bo well to consider the possibility of establishing a small model farm in the district, where a number of the senior boys, of sixteen to eighteen years of age. who hare put in a two or three years' course in the rural divisions of our secondary schools, might, under a practical agriculturist (who should also bo competent in teaching), receive instruction in farming on a sufficient scale to bo of use when they go back to the land. The brighter of the students might, after two or three years on the model farm, go to Lincoln College, -where they might qualify as instructors." A Press Association message says Mr Heat ley is to submit details of his proposed farm school.