CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11887, 10 May 1899, Page 3

CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

The usual monthly meeting of the Board of Governors lof Canterbury Agricultural College was held at Lincoln yesterday; present—The Hon E. O. J- Stevens (Chairman), the Hon W. Bolleston, and Messrs D. M’Millan and J- Rennie. The, report of the Director on the work a\Z XIL stated ttot there tvere n,™ thirty students in attendance. Ihe folio tho month • --Agriculture, for first yc.n s &3T- Apnl U; ter -***£*• students, on April 15 Genera] Uiemistij , for first year’s students,- cn April 19, • second years students, on April 20. Ihe results J of the examinations for second Ws indents wore very A number of first year’s students had not studied science subjects before com,ng o the College, and, in consequence the.results at present were not so satisfactory as might have been burly anticipated a. the Sd of the year', after they had become acquainted with the different objects ot. instruction All the weekly examinations woMd be completed durihk the, present month. ,and before the examinations for the first'term began. - The experiments under way for next year’s crop* were:-(a) Thick and thin sowing—i ield 24, acres, sown down with Dun oats on April 19 and 20. Part of it was sown at the rate of 13 bushels per acre, and part at the rate of 1 bushel per acre (b) Thick and thin sowing of ryegrass—Part of same field was sown with 1 bushel ryegrass, another part with I 5 bushels, and a tmr part with 2 bushels; with 51b cowgrass, 21b white clover, 21b cocksfoot in each case. The arrangements for the breeding sheep of all kinds were as. follows: Stud Border Leicester 50, English Leicester 60, Shropshire 57, Romney Marsh 36, Lincoln 32.; total 225. lilt with ram on April 6- Experimental breeding ewes for tiro production of fat- lambs—--300 half-bred Lincoln-Merino ewes were put to the following breeds of rams on May 2:— Border Leicester, English Leicester, Southdown, Shropshire, Romney Marsh, and Lincoln. Fifty ewes were put to each ram. Sixty ewes, made up of the following breeds and numbers: —27' Border Leicester, 20 English Leicester, 11 Romneys, and 2 Lincolns, have been, put to a Southdown ram, and s’xly of tbs same breeds and equal numbers have been put to a Shropshire ram. Both rams were put in on April 6. The sales for the month_were: bushel; 2 English Leicester rams, at each; 7 Shropshire rams, at 2£gs each; 1 Shropshire ram. at T£gs ; 1 sow, at sgs ; 1 cockerel, at 11s <6d; 22 lambs, at 11s each; 28 sheepskins and 6 tins of fat. The report was adopted, and it was decided, to hold the outside examinations in June, and to appoint external examiners to conduct them. .

It was decided that this season’s wheat should be sold in the local market, instead of being shipped to London. Accounts to the amount of £662 11s lid were passed for payment. Mr Rolleston brought up, the question of entrance scholarships to the institution. He pointed out that the matter had been brought under, the .notice of the Government last year, but had practically been hung up, pending the passing of the Technical Education Act. They had failed to get the Agricultural atid Pastoral Association, to take the matter up, and he thought another endeavour should be made to induce the Government to consider the question. He quoted from a report of Mr A. D. Riley. Principal of the Wellington Technical School, on the question of technical education, and was glad to see that the Government was taking an interest in the question and was getting these reports cir-, culated. He moved—“ That in continuation of, the correspondence between the Board and the Government, which took placein the year 1898, oh the subject of the establishment of scholarships, the Chairman be requested to again place himself in communication with tEe Government, with a view of ascertaining whether it proposes to establish scholarships .as previously suggested.” This was seconded by Mr Rennie and carried. It was further decided to ask the Government to supply copies, of Mr Riley’s report to the members of the Board, and the staff of the College. On the motion of Mr Rolleston, it was decided 1 to instruct the Director to report upon the desirableness of hawing a recognised system of text-books in connection with the lectures in the various branches.