SCHOOL FARM WORK.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 21 November 1929, Page 10

SCHOOL FARM WORK.

SUPERVISOR’S REPORT. IN SOUTH. TARANAKI. Reporting to the Taranaki Education Board at yesterday’s meeting, the supervisor of the agricultural work in the schools (Mr It. G. Ridling) said, inter alia: ‘‘Some improvement in the keeping of records is evident, but the keeping of garden records still is a weak feature of the work. Teachers have been asked to prepare a wall plan of the garden upon a large scale-, on which annual records of cropping are to he kept. In many schools a class record of practical work rather than an individual record has been recommended, for individual records are necessarily scrappy, whereas class records can be- very full. Such a record eventually is filed in the- school, and the difficulty of loss of continuity because of the change of teachers is overcome. A completely satisfactory system that can be carried out by the individual lias not yet been designed. “Nursery work 'is well in hand. The Arbor Day planting operations arranged in schools in South Taranaki were carried out during the month, and were this year confined almost wholly to replacing trees that have died out in the plantation. Unfortunately the strong southerly winds that followed the planting will cause considerable loss. Most surplus trees ready for planting out have been disbursed, but in a few cases where trees were not required and could not he carried over they have been destroyed. “Work under hoys and girls’ agricultural clubs is progressing favourably. Seed a.nd manure have been distributed, and calf-rearing is proceeding satisfactorily. The field days at which the judging for the champion animals is carried out will be bekl before the next board meeting. Last year the board gave instructions that pupils attending the field days should be marked present on the school roll. The work proved iso successful and of such value that the same instructions might with- advantage be again issued to teachers.”