E.—7a,

40

prosperity depends. The names of Fjord and Segelcke, among many others, are held in great honour among the Danes, for these men did notable pioneer work in bringing scientific methods into the daily routine of the farm and butter factory. The confidence of the farmers once won has never been lost, and to-day the co-operation between University and farm is loyal and complete. It is worthy of note, however, that Denmark was satisfied with no makeshift arrangements for the training of agricultural leaders and teachers. The Royal College or Institute of Agriculture and Veterinary Science at Copenhagen, although not a part of the University, is of university standing. It is splendidly housed, and has a staff of some forty professors, many of them—e.g., Westerman and Bang —of world-wide reputation. It offers advanced courses in the various branches of agriculture, and in veterinary science, in forestry, or other allied branches of rural industry, to students who have had a full course of secondary education, and who, in addition, have had two years' practical experience on a farm. The Institute supplies the directive power behind all the agricultural activity of Denmark. It controls the arrangements, carried on at selected farms, for making economic experiments in dairying, and in the feeding and breeding of animals. It makes continuous tests of butter manufactured for export. It distributes sera and vaccines necessary for combating disease in domestic animals. It is in organic touch with the Government experts in agricultural economics. Its graduates go forth as teachers, as research station officers, as counsellors employed by the farmers' associations and co-operative societies. So great is the appreciation of the work of the scientific agriculturalist that over one hundred counsellors are employed as advisers throughout the country. It is undoubted that the greatest factor in Danish success in dairying and marketing has been skilled leadership and guidance. The country has prospered not so much because' the average rural worker has been reasonably well educated, but because he has been well led and advised by men whose scientific training was the best that could be given. The Danes have realized fully that the rank and file of agriculturalists should have a good elementary education. They have made a wonderful success of their system of adult education, under which farm youths of from eighteen to twenty-five years of age attend the People's High Schools, and thereafter the People's Agricultural Schools during the five winter months, while farm girls attend the same schools during the three summer months. In this way they secure a good average of general education. But it is to trained scientific leadership that they really owe their success, and in leadership the second best cannot be tolerated. The sustained enthusiasm and the great expenditures which have been necessary to build up such an efficient school as the Royal College of Agriculture at Copenhagen have been amply justified by the great increase in national production. The history of this school illustrates the wisdom of concentrating upon one first-class institution capable of turning out first-class graduates. How has New Zealand faced the same problem ? It has endeavoured to create a degree course in agriculture by an alliance between Lincoln Agricultural College — a school designed primarily to train practical farmers —and the neighbouring University College at Christchurch. No professor is, however, at the head of the agricultural school, and, so far as we can learn, the science subjects taken at the University Colleges are not treated from the point of view of the needs of agricultural students. No special arrangements have been made for the agricultural students during their year at the University College. They attend classes in science subjects originally planned for students of pure science, or of medicine, or of home science. Naturally, therefore, the subjects are not treated from the point of view of the agriculturalist. While we agree that a wide knowledge of science is invaluable, and that a student who learns the truths of foundation sciences, such as physics, chemistry, and biology from an inspiring teacher has gained a great • asset, we believe that teaching and learning gain wonderfully in reality and interest, if the matter of the teaching is related to the practical concerns of the student's future vocation. Nothing is more evident in studying the product of schools and universities than the existence of a great gap between the knowledge of a subject and the power to apply this knowledge in practical affairs. . This is true of students

How Denmark trains scientific agriculturists.

Denmark owes most to skilled leadership.

New Zealand has no efficient university course in agriculture.