AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14156, 7 March 1908, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS.

Sm,—So iar only' one letter on the above s~ subject has appealed in your columns since ■your leaduri-tio of Saturday, February 22. I refer to ■that bearing the signature of James R. fikler, of Mahcno. That farmers should bo ' intensely interested in tho matter is; of. course, natural and fitting,' and that the at'wicc of intelligent, practical farmers.should be carefully consiuered fey those who hajye-the administration of education entrusted to them, I trust no one will deny. Mr Ulder writes as ono who knows what he in talking about when he advocates the appointment of an instructor tt'rom tho ranks of the farming community, for there is no knowledge so real and trustworthy as that based upon actual practical experience such as is gained first hand on a farm. Mr Elder again bits the right na.il on the head when ho sajra that tho first business of a'farmer is to make his farm pay; and at is well known that what will Jo in ono district, and pay well, will entirely fail in another district under different circumstances of 6oil and climate. Now, in New Zealand methods of farming' arc generally recognised to 1» modern and\ specially adapted to our j/eculiar circumstances of Boil andl climate.. AVe, of course, all know that the methods of working and treatment in North- Otago are different from' those t in, 'say, tho Ctothji district; .but. these differences arise through differences in, soil and climate mentioned above; hence methods may to'amplified or modified to suit. The principles are- the same. Now, take Canada. There the ground is not ' much , moro' than surface-scratched before the" sowing- of wheat. The soil underneath is, to a, great depth sometimes, frozen hardenougii to defy cultivation, but Nature, does tho rust in the gradual process of thawing. Manuring anc! tilling is' 'unnecessary there. I mention Canada because I want to emphasise that .if a .man were sent from Otago to such a country, or to any - t other ooumtry, he would sec and learn only these methods of agriculture specially suited to that particular country. Ho would not iiecceearily learn anything of benefit to agriculture in. New Zoaland. He would return with, the same principles as ho set out with, Then, of what benefit would it be to send a iman abroad ? What •would he be expected to "pick up"? . I can quite understand that other countries may be ahead of us in the teaching of/ agriculture,to the young. , They may have well-equipped laboratories and experimental farms connected with their colleges, and an cnthusmstio, wide-awake instructor might receive ranch in ideae of experimental work, organisation, and methods |0f instruction; but it is surely prematura to appoint an instructor before we have a definite plan- of~teaching agriculture. Where-is it to be taught? In

the primary school ; t already has a place, though cottage gardening is practically tho more spocifio term; This is good; blit can wo go farther ami loach agriculture, properly eo called, in Iho primary school? Is there no limit to liie addition of tlie overburdened -primary school syllabusY Am all subjects that iwssces ediicativo (|iialities or utility to find a place in the primary school, where pupils remain up to Ihe ago of 13 or 14 years? What. I ask, is tho functionlof technical education'; Agriculture is surely a more fit subject for technical schools in Hie, country than for tho primary .whwl. Certainly the primary school in the country, by a wise course of elementary science lessons, based on experiments, or Nature study, or cottage gardening, could make a beginning; hut where are tho cxperi'mental farms for the real training? Where is the money to come from?

I have already encroached sufficiently on your valuable space, and I hope that somo abler pen than mine will throw light upon what at present seems to me to lie dangerously liko a step in tlie dark. While all must agree that (ho love for agriculture-must be promoted in Ibis fair land, there must bo wide difference o! opiuion as to the best means of teaching our young men to become successful farmers. Tho work done al Maheno, as described by Mr Elder, is educative a.nd useful to the farmers in the district, as it is to tlie boys; but liow far can this work be carried, and'to what extent can it be improved by the appointment of an instructor? These aro questions to be answered.—l am, etc., Teacher. March 2.