School Retains Interest In Agriculture

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32351, 17 July 1970, Page 9

School Retains Interest In Agriculture

Rangiora High School is unusual among secondary schools in Canterbury these days. It is one of the very few—there is probably only one other—that provides a full agricultural course for its pupils and as a very real aid to agricultural studies it has its own 100-acre mixed cropping and sheep and beef cattle farm right next to the school.

As well, it has a boarding department to enable boys from a distance to take advantage of the agricultural instruction that is not offered in other parts of the province, and there are now spare places in the hostel. Rangiora . has a long history of agricultural in-

struction. Agriculture was introduced as a subject 60 years ago when Mr T. R. Cresswell was headmaster. Half an acre was then leased for experimental plots. The period 1929-30, however, ranks as one of the notable eras for agriculture at the school. At that stage by means of public subscription and Government, subsidy the school was able to buy an area of 85 acres. Some $5OOO was raised I locally under the auspices of a local committee working with the school board, in- . eluding $5OO from the i Rangiora Borough Council ’ and private donations ranging from $lOOO down to $2.1. The Minister of Education at the time (Mr H. Atmore) was a whole-hearted supporter of an agricultural bias in schools and the Prime Minister (Mr Forbes) was also favourable so that the Government provided $7OOO to support the local effort

Mercantile firms gave equipment and local farmers provided stock. The farth today comprises just on 100 acres. The agriculture course at Rangiora aims at leading to school certificate in agriculture and animal husbandry. About 20 boys are now studying these subjects at fifth-form level and 85 are taking agriculture at all levels—this is out of. 1080 on the school roll. The course is directed by Mr J. E. Hope, agriculture master and head of the agriculture department, who has been at Rangiora for nine months after two years at the Feilding Agricultural High School. It caters for the boy who is going back to the home farm, is looking to taking a diploma course at an agricultural college, or who is contemplating a career in a field allied to farming such as in the stock and station agency business or as a technician associated with some facet of agriculture—a field which Mr Hope says is rapidly expanding these days. A development that is likely to add to the stature of the school’s agricultural course and make it more popular is that -under the lower sixth form certificate system schools may introduce subjects of their own choice, subject of course to approval of the Education Department, so long as they are in advance of school certificate level.

Rangiora has in mind, according to its principal (Mr T. M. Penny) to introduce at an early stage—probably next year—a course that may bear the name of agricultural economics. It could include some budgeting, agricultural planning and bookkeeping. This will bring agriculture into the sixth form. Mr Hope says that the agricultural course is designed to embrace the principles of agriculture and the scientific background to agriculture rather than the actual practice of farming. It is also seen as a means of stimulating interest in living things and capitalising on a natural interest in the understanding of plants and animals. One of the aims of the course is also to indicate that farming is a way of life and not merely a means of making a living. That agriculture is a course attractive to pupils and meaning something to them is perhaps indicated by the fact that school certificate passes in agricutural subjects by 75 to 80 per cent of candidates is not uncommon.

Through creating an interest in agriculture the course is also able to help recruitment into the agricultural labour force and allied services—Mr Hope says that the late principal of Feilding Agricultural High School (Mr McLeod) had said that New Zealand agriculture needed an intake of 3000 a year.

The school farm is looked on as an outdoor laboratory where the boys are taken to watch practical activities like the spraying of cattle, and the mowing and conditioning of hay, and where experimental work -can also be done. In rotation two fourthform boys spend a morning working on the farm under the eye of Mr G. T. M. Hilbers, a Dutchman who has been the farm manager for two years. The boys have to keep a diary about this aspect of their training and discuss it in class. And although the farm is only across the road from the school the lawn outside the classroom is also being used as a demonstration area, free from the interference of stock. Here Mr Hope has laid down a trial with fertilisers and chemical sprays. On the farm he is planning soon to plant out a trial area with crop plants, like swedes and turnips, and grasses, like Tama and Ariki, and clovers like Montgomery red so that students may become conversant with species that they may not otherwise see on the property. The farmlet is a long narrow one—it runs about two paddocks wide and is in two blocks each of about 50 acres. It is on two soil types and ranges from medium to heavy. An overhead low-pressure spray irrigation system is used to supplement natural moisture.

On available grazing the equivalent of about seven ewes to the acre are run. A recent stock tally included 203 Corriedale ewes, five rams, 10 Friesian heifers, 55 Friesian steers and 70 bobby calves. With pasture renewal it is expected that this will be improved On. The ewes are five-year-old and were bought in. Corriedales were, selected on this occasion because of their fine wool and have been mated with prime lamb type rams.

pects of the farming scene visits are made to other local farms, freezing works, seed-dressing stores and the Crop Research Division at Lincoln, and the boys listen to speakers on specialised subjects like wool classing and farm safety.

Under the school board of governors the farm is administered by a sub-commit-tee at present comprising Mr R. A. Milne, senior farm advisory officer of the Department of Agriculture at Rangiora, as chairman, and two farmers, Mr K. D. Stevenson, of Flaxton, and Mr H. L. Stone, of Kaiapoi. The hostel manager (Mr R. D. Mackie) says that about 25 per cent of the 60 boys in the hostel would be agriculture students. Boarders come mainly from within a radius of about 50 miles of the school, but they range from the Fairlie district in South Canterbury to Banks Peninsula and Kaikoura and even South Westland. At present the hostel is about 18 short of capacity and a full house is regarded as being necessary to make

Today on what was the old dairy farm a former dairy shed is being used to accommodate bobby calves before they graduate to outside grazing. These cattle, mostly Friesians, are carried on to about 18 months old before slaughter. The first crop of these sold for an average of $ll4.

On the cropping side about 30 acres go into cash crops. These include barley, oats, and potatoes and this year there will be some wheat. The potatoes are grown for hostel requirements. A fodder beet crop at present growing on the school farm is estimated to yield about 84 tons to the acre. At present $6OO is being spent on improving farm fencing as part of a farm development programme. The farm also offers an opportunity for study of budgeting and farm management, and to cover other as-

the enterprise an economic proposition. But the opening of another hostel just outside the province, the raising of the grading of some country secondary schools, better transport arrangements to country secondary schools, and the recent difficult economics conditions in farming and the drought have affected the boarding roll.

The hostel is in what were mainly former army buildings. The facilities include a library, recreation room and hobby rooms and the hostel is close to the school sports field. Pupils have access to the swimming pool, tennis and fives courts and the gymnasium under supervision. They are encouraged to join local organisations and one night a week during the season the Rangiora Miniature Rifle Club provides instruction for boys. Boarders in the past have taken part in St John Ambulance cadet classes.

The boarders are able to go home regularly at weekends.