A CARNEGIE GRANT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20839, 22 September 1937, Page 3

A CARNEGIE GRANT

FOR YOUNG FARMERS A SPLENDID COLLECTION OF BOOKS The general interest taken in the young farmers’ movement promises well for the future of farming in the Dominion. There are quite a number of young farmers’ clubs in South Canterbury, and yesterday a very fine collection of specially chosen books came to hand from the Carnegie Institute for the use of members of clubs in South Canterbury. The contribution came about as a result of a deputation consisting of representatives of young farmers’ clubs, the Department of Agriculture and Lincoln College recent waiting on Dr H. Field, Professor of Education, Canterbury College to see if it were possible to obtain some system similar to the Association for Country Education Hamper System for a library scheme for young farmers. The university authorities were much interested in the matter and with the assistance of Mr G. T. Alley, they approached the Carnegie Trustees and obtained a grant for three hampers of books—one for North Canterbury, one for South Canterbury and one for Otago. The idea behind the movement is that a hamper will be sent to a club in each district and it will then be exchanged with the next district and so on. It is the intention of the responsible authorities to try out the scheme at once by sending the hamper to one of the clubs in order to find out what the boys’ tastes in books are, and Wiat response is likely to the scheme. T 1 ? books, which arrived yesterday,

will be tried out first of all with the Southburn Club.

The type of books range from technical talks on farming, interesting travel books and novels, which deal principally with farming, such as “Country Dailies” by A. G. Street; “The Cattle King,” by lon Indriess; “The Good Earth,” by Pearl Buck; “Inside Europe,” by John Gunther; the last named being a publication which has achieved phenomenal success in America and England, and the best seller of any non-fiction book by an American since the Great War; and others of a like nature. The main idea behind the scheme is to induce the lads to take up serious reading, not only in the specialised field of farming, but appertaining to their own walk in life.

Among the many excellent books relating to farming are “Agriculture for New Zealand,” by R. P. Connell and J. W. Hadfield; “Soils and Manures in New Zealand,” by L. J. Wild; “Weeds in New Zealand and how to eradicate them,” by F. W. Hildendorf; “Sheep Farming in New Zealand,” by W. Perry and other experts; “Modern Horse Management,” by Major R. S. Timmis; “Breeding of Profitable Dairy Cows,” by E. p. Prentice.