AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LI, Issue 9138, 10 July 1906, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

At the Opera House on Monday evening, at the conclusion of Mr Cooper's address, the Chairman introduced

Mr Grant, who is acting on behalf of the Wa/nganui Education Board in coianection with nature study and agricultural education. Mr Giant said that he thought the farmers and in fact the whole community were very much interested in the subject of agricultural education. The education of a century ago was very poor as far as book-learning went, but many of the people had a for better practical education than the common people of today. Their children were made self-re-liant, now they wen© not, on account of the fa^oxy system, which taught them only one branch of a trade or occupation The factory system in turn had done valuable work, but in New Zealand they also wanted to encourage the education of eye and hand) and the development of the individual .observation faculty. In the Wanganui education distinct a system of school gardens was being introduced, the Government furnishing the tools. The children must measure, out their own plots and dig them, do their own planting, examine the plants as they grow andi write notes about them, etc. By this means it was hoped to sharpen their observational ifacujtiee. Ait tijedir last meeitdng the Board decided to establish a school experimental station at Bakombe. It was here intended to educate the children im the principle of selection. For instance, it was intended to purchase a quantity of oats and allow the children to select the best seed and plant and attend them. From the heads the best seed) would be selected and so on, and the same would Be done •with a selection of the worst seed. If these processes are carried out for four or five yearns it is expected to produce superior seed to that now used from the good seed) originally planted. In Canada this system was in favor to a very, great extent. " The most easeful of these experiments were made in respect of whea*. Beet and other things had been vastly improved by careful selection in other countrieSj and that being the case thetre could be no haa-m in experimenting in New Zealand. ■He thought something might be done* fox the young people her© of between 16 and 20 if they were given lectures and encouraged to read farmers' papers. Taranaki was a dairying province, but he had noticed that no particular breed of cows was gone in. for and something might be done by inducing habits of careful selec-' tion. Mir Grant gave a most interesting account of the vary fine work done for agricultural education in the State of Illinois, U.S.A., by asociatfons which succeeded in interesting- the youth of agricultural districts in the scientific farming and he said thetre was no reason why in time very much good could not be achieved in New Zealand, though at present it was a time of 6mall things. He Had recently conducted with fairly satisfactory results a series of lectures to children down the line in elementary chemistry, and intended starting the same here in connection with the technical classes in the course of a week or two.

On the motion of the Chairman (Mr F. W. Wilkie), a vote of thanks was passed to Mr Grant. The Chairman added that personally he was vieary much impressed with the necessity of technical education in the way of agricultural teaching in the schools, , and he .hoped Mr Grar.t'6 work would be encouraged.

• Telegraphic communication between Hawera and Wanganui ceased at noon, the* severe weather bringing the ■wires to earth. Communication is also severed between Auckland, Napier and Wellington. Farmers and butchers are (reminded that consignments for Messrs Jackson and Co.'s and Messrs Levin and Co.'s Wanganui wool, skin and hide gale, to be held on tho 25th. inst., should reach Wanganui by the 21st. The meeting to be held in the Oddfellows' Hall to-night, on behalf of tibe social work of the Salvation Army, commences at 8 o'clock. Addresses will be delivered by Adjutant McLure and other friends. The musical programme will include items by the Hawera Town Band. A collection will be taken up in aid of -rescue w*rk.