SCHOOL AGRICULTURAL CLUBS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 71, 17 December 1937, Page 10

SCHOOL AGRICULTURAL CLUBS

The award of the Stuart Wilson Cup and the Henry A. Lane Shield to South Taranaki for the most creditable work among the Boys and Girls’ Agricultural Clubs of New Zealand during the past year recalls attention to an interesting and extremely valuable movement in our rural life. The clubs have been organised to inculcate an interest in farming pursuits among country children, and to judge from the enthusiasm shown by the young agriculturists the movement no doubt plays its part together with others in the efforts being made to arrest the drift from the country to the towns. The Stuart Wilson Cup is an individual award, the qualification being that the candidate is a member of a recognised boys and girls agricultural club. In estimating the merits of each performance the quality of the land used is taken into account, its crop suitability, weight and quality of crop produced, and the records kept. Ihe Lane Shield is a school award, based on aggregate points, open for gioup competition in agricultural projects and at A. and P. shows. I* l ’ s trophy has been gained by the Tikorangi and Egmont Village schools in turn during the past two years. J’he idea underlying the conditions laid down for the shield is to induce the schools to take part in as many competitions as possible, both in the field and at shows. t says much for the keenness of the scholars concerned that they have been able to retain the shield in their district against what must be strong competition from others. Increasing interest has been taken by country school children m these competitions, which have given a zest to their interest in agricultural instruction, and enabled a creditable degree of proficiency in this subject to be attained. The winner of the Stuart Wilson Cup, Ron Balsom, of Meremere School, showed a return of 86 tons scwt. of carrots to the acre, a highly commendable feat for a schoolboy. Ihe boys and girls’ agricultural clubs are steadily increasing in number. They are deserving of every possible encouragement. As a nation whose economy is based on the land and its products the younger generation should be encouraged to become “farm-conscious,” and this healthy competition among the school clubs should be a valuable stimulus in that direction.