AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

Waikato Times, Volume 87, Issue 13270, 28 August 1916, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

DOMINION'S PUNY EFFORTS. WHAT A.MKHICA IS lilUMi. During his slay in America .Mr K. Clifton, Xew Zealand Commissioner at the Panama Kxposition, had special facilities placed in his way for acquiring knowledge nf American methods of agriculture and seeing all of importance there was to see in the agricultural world. Speaking of agricultural America to a Waikato Times reporter, he declared that there was one thing he could go on repealing for ever, thai the facilities for agricultural education were beyond and above all appreciation. In every State and at several institutions in many (if those States, the young man who intends to follow the vocation of a fanicr could pass from the primary school to the high school and on to the I'niversity, and there meet with every facility to secure tli■* fullest equipment in the profession of farmer, together with a I'niversity decree in agriculture. The students of the California I'niversity numbered 7000, of whom 1 .">0 were women. Associate! with tiie I'niversity was a college farm, <>o miles distant, level land, til under irrigation, lis staff of professors was numerous and its equipment for study in every branch of agricultural research was very valuable. Similar institutions were to be found singly and duplicated throughout the, length and breadth of the Slates of the I'nion. At these college farms, during the vacation period, a "farmers' week" was usually advertised. At the Californian College farm during .Mr Clifton's visit there 1 iof> farmers with their families assembled during one such week. .Many of the visitors were accommodated in the college dormitories, but the greater number were provided for in a range of tents under shelter by the authorities of the I'niversity. From 8 o'clock on each morning until 8 or 9 o'clock every night, lecturerers were engaged instructing the visitors in the different branches of agricultural science in which they were I specially interested. And thus was America building up her agricultural industries and developing her agricultural resources. New Zealand's efforts in this direction were dwarfed out of sight.