LINCOLN COLLEGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9535, 6 May 1909, Page 1

LINCOLN COLLEGE.

DIRECTOR ARRIVED FROM ENGLAND. [Fboh Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, May 5. Among the arrivals in New Zealand by the Rimutaka was Mr R. E. Alexander, the newly-appointed Director of Canterbury Agricultural College. Mr Alexander graduated in agricultural kowledge at the. Royal College . of Science, Dublin, and on the completion of his college course was appointed agricultural instructor in . County Derry. Subsequently he became manager and resident instructor at Albert College, Glasnevin. Mrs Alexander accompanies her husband. Mr Alexander has an attractive personalty, and, though young, gives one the impression, that he is well qualified to speak on those subjects on which he is inclined to speak. Reticence is his chief fault, if it is a fault. Any way, whatever it is he possesses 1 it, but he did have a few words to say to a news- | paper man about Agricultural education in Ireland, and what he said was interesting. Agricultural education across the Irish Sea, he remarked., dates from 1900-1. when the scheme was initiated at Belfast. Previous to that there was little 'in the way of practical agriculture. Now there are three other stations and two dairy schools, and winter . classes ,are held, regularly in large tilling • centres, practical demonstrations being given by trained and expert lecturers.' Mr Alexander is more than hopeful regarding the benefit that will accrue from the scheme. Experimental plots are constructed in' the summer months, and the theoretical and practical demonstration is given i during the- winter. Mr Alexander, who has- completed a very successful course of agricultural sciences, is of opinion that the farmer himself, under the new process, will become a more business-like producer... the instruction tending to make him keener in placing his produce, and to conserve the good of his land by judicious manuring. The work of the College schools is being taken up with a good deal of enthusiasm. The student undergoes one year of practical study at one of the primary schools. The Albert College, Glasnevin, of which Mr Alexander was manager and resident instructor, is more a secondary school, where a greater part of the twelve months' course is devoted to farming and kindred subjects, the whole concluding with a three-years' course, mainly scientific research labour at the Royal College of Science, Dublin. Thus equipped with a pretty general practi-, oal and theoretical knowledge of land tilling, the student goes forth to benefit both himself and his holding. Ireland has been noted in the past for her beef and the introduction by the Department -of blooded bulls and cows is making for a general improvement in the matter of the stock. The central part of Ireland, says Mr Alexander, is given over largely to grazing, with the result that the dairying industry there suffers. The scheme under which purebred live stock is introduced is resulting already in big improvement. The beef goes' away chiefly to Glasgow, Liverpool,* and the West of England. As regards her potato fields, not yet lias Ireland -raised : a blight-proof tuber; but experiments are approaching that very desirable consummation. The bulk of the exported article goes to Malta. ' '■• In the matter of a practical education in dairy methods Ireland leads New Zealand. Two dairy schools for girls at Cork and Cookstown are in great vogue, though applicants are selected. So warm is the enthusiasm in this particular line that 'the firstnamed institution has its admission books full bv.er three years ahead, while at Cookstowh, founded about eighteen months ago, the number of the chosen applicants was sufficient for a full two years. The popularity of these schools is doubtless due to the . fact that . domestic economy is part of the curriculum. Girl students representing' all olases of* society are in attendance. . The course is a short one — ■ six weeks^ — but the very promising ones may take a second, third, or even a fourth term. The dairying industry has gone ahead with leaps and bounds since 1892, when the co-operative system ousted the proprietary idea. In the central plain, however, adds Mr Alexander, the industry is not flourishing, nor is it ever likely jbo flourish, despite the fact that the country there is good grazing country. The people are content with summer dairying, but as they do not provide food for the cattle from November to May, during the most rigorous time of the year, the winter business in tbis respect is nil. It pays the land holders better to let their holdings vor" merely grass purposes, some of them grazing hundreds of bullocks, which brings them in £8 to £9 a head per annum. No provision in the way of tillage for winter food is made on the central plain, and the dairying industry is subordinated altogether to beef raising. * > Mr Alexander did not wish to say anything concerning his work at Lincoln College.