AGRICULTURE IN SCHOOLS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 November 1929, Page 17

AGRICULTURE IN SCHOOLS

THE WORK IN TARANAKI. Agricultural instruction in the primary schools of Taranaki wus reported on as follows yesterday by the chief Miss Allen with Standard 111. pupils in Most of the work carried out during the month lias' been in experimental areas and : in school plantations. WOl k of a very practical nature is being undertaken in a highly satisfactory manner. There is still apparent the difficulty of combining satisfactorily experimental work dope inside the school -and practical gardening work outside, but in some schools the importance ot this is realised, and theory and practice are closely allied. Two town . schools visited are carrying out • particularly good practical work, namely, Westown and Fitzroy. The Fitzroy school is to be especially commended, because by the graciousness of residents in tho vicinity of tho school, experimental areas have been provided on a vacant section and in a resident’s garden. Tho work of Miss Allen with standard 3 pupils in the the latter 'case" is particularly good. Some improvement in the keeping ot records is evident, but the keeping of garden records still is a weak feature of tho 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 be 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 has 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 tho 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 be carried over they have been destroyed. Work under’ boys’ and girls’ agricultural clubs is progressing favourably. Seed and manure, excepting that for the swedo. crops in North Taranaki and Ohura, have been distributed, and calfrearing is . proceeding satisfactorily. The field days at which tho judging for the champion animals is carried out will be held 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 so successful and of such value that the same instructions might with advantage be again issued to teachers.

Work' at the district high schools is proceeding satisfactorily. At Ohura the whole of the science work is conducted by the head teacher, and is proving singularly comprehensive and successful. The close association of laboratory work and field work at this school is exemplary.