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 AGRICULTURAL 
 
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 531 
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 i^AK 7 1895 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Arciiive 
 
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 THE 
 
 o>; 
 
 ast, Unsmt, antr Jutere^ 
 
 OF 
 
 TECHNICAL EDDCATIO: 
 
 IN CONNECTION WITH 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 BY 
 
 ARTHUR SMITH. 
 
 ONE SHILLING-. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
 St. Albans : 
 Printed and Published by Gibbs & Bamforth, Market Place. 
 
375- -^3 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In preparing this little work, the writer has endeavoured to 
 avoid mistakes either in statements of fact or statistics, but at 
 the same time errors may possibly have crept in, and in the 
 latter case he would esteem it a favour to have them pointed out. 
 The information in Appendix A. has for the most part been 
 kindly supplied by the clerks and organising secretaries to the 
 various County Councils, to whom, for their courtesy in supplying, 
 the author takes this opportunity of tendering his best thanks. 
 For the matter in the Appendix containing the list of places 
 where lectures in agriculture were given last year in connection 
 with the Science and Art Department, the writer is under 
 obligation to Professor Buckmaster. The statistics, etc., relating 
 to State aid to agricultural education abroad, have been taken 
 from the Blue Book, containing the report of the Royal Com- 
 mission on Technical Instruction. 
 
 ARTHUR SMITH. 
 
 Smallford, St. Albans, 
 December, 1891. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB. 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 Past and Peesent — 
 Enoland — 
 
 Eoyal Agricultural College, Cirencester 9 
 
 Aspatria Agricultural School, Cumberland 10 
 
 College of Agriculture, Downton 10 
 
 Lectures at the University of Oxford 11 
 
 Normal School of Science and School of Mines, London . . . . 11 
 
 Institute of Agriculture, South Kensington 12 
 
 King's College, London 12 
 
 Eoyal Agricultural Society of England 13 
 
 Dairy Schools — 
 
 Mr. Allender's Scheme 13 
 
 Wales — 
 
 University College of North Wales, Bangor 14 
 
 Scotland — 
 
 University of Edinburgh 15 
 
 University of Aberdeen 16 
 
 Glasgow Technical College 16 
 
 Ireland — 
 
 Templemoyle Seminary 17 
 
 System of National Education 18 
 
 Albert Institution, Glasnevin 20 
 
 Munster Farm, Cork 21 
 
 Canon Bagot's Travelling Dairy 21 
 
 Future — 
 
 Landlord 23 
 
 Tenant's or Occupying Owner's Sons, &c 24 
 
 Agricultural Labourers 25 
 
 Appendices — 
 
 A. Appropriation of Technical Education Grant 30 
 
 B. Approximate cost of founding a Farm-School 33 
 
 C. State aid Agricultural Education Abroad 35 
 
 D. Lectures in connection with Science and Art Department . . 36 
 
 E. Speech by Mr. Gladstone in 1858 38 
 
The Past, Present, and Future of 
 Technical Education in connection 
 ^^^ith Agriculture in the United 
 Kingdom. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Among the multifarious methods adopted by man as a means Agriculture 
 of livelihood, none can be said to at all approach agriculture in the most 
 importance. important 
 
 All trade and commerce rest on or commence by the ^^ ^^ ^^' 
 primitive activity of the farmer. It is, as Emerson has well put 
 it, " his part to create wealth." But there has been a great 
 reaction, even for this period of rapid change, since the days 
 when this essayist wrote concerning husbandry, that it was not 
 only a physically exhilarating pursuit, but an unfailingly profit- 
 able one also. Emerson advised those who had wrecked their 
 capital in town occupations to go back to the land and recruit. 
 However excellent this counsel may have been when given, 
 there are few, if any, who would act upon it to-day. Farming is 
 now chiefly remarkable as being an insatiable drain upon one's 
 exchequer. To enter into all the real or fancied causes which 
 have given rise to, what has unfortunately become an everyday 
 expression, " the agricultural depression," would not be germane 
 to the present subject ; still less would it be pertinent to discuss 
 the immense variety of so-called remedies which have from time 
 to time been put forward as being calculated to alleviate it. 
 There is, however, among the latter, one, viz., protection, about 
 which a word en passant may not be out of place. Amid the 
 many quack specifics none have had a more baneful effect than 
 this, because the idea, which too many of the agricultural 
 interest appear still to entertain, that a return to protection is 
 possible, has rendered them blind to helps which are within 
 their reach ; thus losing the substance while running after a 
 shadow, and in this way retarding more than hastening the 
 realisation of the end that they have in view. 
 
 Probably one of the most potent causes of failure in Want of 
 connection with agriculture is, that the rank and file of this professional 
 
 interest take up their profession with scarcely any previous teaming, one 
 , • J J r qj ^2^g causes 
 
 preparation. , , . , of failure to 
 
 In some cases the sons of farmers, after leavmg, at the age make farm- 
 of 15 or 16, an ordinary middle-class school where " home ing pay. 
 comforts" are the most prominent feature in the prospectus, are 
 put to farm labour. If they are kept steadily at it and are made 
 proficient in every kind of work performed on a farm, it is a 
 good professional training as far as it goes. The more common 
 
way, however, in which these youths spend this period of life, 
 consists in loitering about without any stated occupation, , 
 attending fairs and markets, the race course and the hunting 
 field, which is about the most absurd and pernicious that can be 
 imagined. Such young men are truly to be pitied, for they are 
 neither inured to physical labour, nor aiforded the inestimable 
 benefit of being practically, still less scientifically, educated for 
 their calling in life. It need not surprise any one that such 
 hapless lads should be incompetent for making farming pay. 
 The idea of special education being of any practical value to the 
 farmer has been treated by many as a palpable absurdity ; yet of 
 all the professions none can gain more benefit from it than 
 agriculture. It is certain that in the future the farmer who has 
 been technically educated will take the lead. The merely 
 practical man whose mind can only hold a few ideas, will give 
 place to one who, while thoroughly well versed in every practical 
 detail of work and management, is at the same time a man of 
 education and scientific skill. All farming operations are 
 capable of being explained on scientific principles ; and no one 
 can be said to understand farm-work who is unacquainted with 
 the teachings of modern scientific research. What is really 
 required is a knowledge of both the practice and theory of the 
 art of agriculture, to enable a man to cope with the many 
 difficult, but not insurmountable, questions, and circumstances 
 which are incidental to this industry at the present time. To 
 impart this, in a thoroughly efiicient manner, is the object of 
 technical education. By itself practical knowledge is largely of 
 an empirical character. 
 
 Experience may have shewn the farmers of a particular 
 locality in a course of years what style of work will enable them 
 to " get along somehow" without knowing the why and the 
 wherefore of a single operation. But immediately they move to 
 a new locality, or state of markets and trade arise which 
 necessitates a change in practice, they are quite at a loss how 
 to proceed and often commit ruinous blunders. Experience has 
 taught them what to do under a given set of circumstances, 
 directly those circumstances are altered they are thrown " out of 
 harmony with their environment," and it is a chance whether 
 they fail or succeed. Even those who are comparatively 
 successful, practical men, would be still more successful, if on to 
 their practice there were grafted a knowledge of science. The 
 late Mr. J. C. Morton, in a lecture delivered before the Royal 
 Agricultural Society of England in 1865, said :" Agriculture, 
 though not as a whole a science, has at length become a 
 museum, as it were, of facts and specimens, in the classification 
 of which students of all the sciences have been successfully at 
 work, so that every part has now the light upon it of well- 
 defined relationship with scientific truth." 
 
 During many centuries it has been imagined that agriculture, 
 existing everywhere, might be exercised without any special 
 instruction ; everyone, even the most dull in capacity, has been 
 considered suitable for agricultural pursuits. Still, at the same 
 
time, there have not been wanting men with minds of advanced 
 thought, who caught glimpses of the progress to be realised, 
 although their field of action was limited, to point out the fact 
 that the farmer requires something more than mere rule of 
 thumb knowledge. 
 
 The art of agriculture has been studied by the greatest men 
 among the ancients, and had been treated by the most learned 
 and celebrated of their authors. Mago, a famous Carthaginian 
 general, wrote twenty-eight books upon the subject ; then we 
 have Virgil's Georgics, followed by the writings of Xenophon, 
 Aristotle, Theophrastus, and others. The first Latin writer on 
 agriculture was Cato who was succeeded in this branch of 
 literature by Varro, Columella, &c. Then we come to the 
 Mussi dominici of Charlemagne. Later on Bernard de Palissy 
 wrote : " There is no art in the world which requires greater 
 philosophy than agriculture." In our own country we had, 
 amongst others, Fitzherbert and Jethro Tull. All these were, 
 however, only isolated efforts, the benefits of which could not 
 spread far. At the same time they are worthy of note, as 
 shewing, in the most eminent degree, that the greatest thinkers 
 of the different periods, men of the strongest calibre of mind, 
 were fully persuaded that the best educated man would make 
 the most successful husbandman. Of course none of these 
 writers had much comprehension of agricultural science as we 
 understand it to-day; this was reserved for more modern times. 
 
 The first step towards placing agriculture on a more satis- 
 factory footing was made by Sir H. Davy when in 1813 he 
 published his ''■Elements of Agricultural Chemistry T 
 
 This good work was advanced by the researches of Johnston, 
 Boussingault, and Leibig. The latter, in a book published in 
 1859, says : — 
 
 "Agriculture, of all industrial pursuits, is the richest in facts, 
 and the poorest in their comprehension. Perfect agriculture is 
 the true foundation of all trade and industry. But a rational 
 System of agriculture cannot be formed without the application 
 of scientific principles." These pioneers, who laid the founda- 
 tion of agricultural science, accomplished that which will benefit 
 humanity to an extent which even to-day can hardly be realised. 
 Unfortunately, however, agriculture has not, up to the present, 
 made all the use she might of the labours of these and other 
 scientific men. In this, farmers should perhaps be pitied rather 
 than blamed ; they have had in the past few opportunities of 
 obtaining (except at a great cost) technical education. Even 
 had the chance been given them, it is doubtful whether much 
 good would have been accomplished, owing to the prejudice 
 existing against science in the minds of the majority of 
 agriculturists. But there are signs that this feeling is gradually 
 wearing away ; and in the future this period of depression will 
 be pointed to as being not an unmixed evil, as it had the effect 
 of causing the light of science to be allowed to shed its rays to 
 the fullest extent on agricultural practice ; thereby placing this 
 profession on a firmer and surer basis than it ever before 
 
8 
 
 occupied, and elevating it, in the truest sense of the term, to the 
 position of an art. 
 
 Probably at no period were the majority of farmers more 
 ready to give attention to anything which promises to help them 
 farm with better results, than they are to-day. It is, therefore, 
 a very opportune moment at which to bring this question of a 
 agricultural technical education before the country. 
 
 In discussing this subject, it will be convenient to first point 
 out what have been the facilities for acquiring an education, in 
 the highest sense of the term, to thoroughly fit the embryo 
 farmer for successfully carrying on his profession, together with 
 a brief description of the existing institutions, etc., which have 
 been founded for the avowed purpose of providing this kind of 
 instruction ; and then to proceed to bring forward suggestions 
 for extending and improving the present system so that it may 
 become available to the whole body of those who depend upon 
 the cultivation of the soil for a livelihood, including the agri- 
 cultural labourer. 
 The Past In giving a short statement regarding the principal agri- 
 
 and Present, cultural colleges, schools, lectureships, etc., which are either in 
 existence or which have become defunct, the dates of their 
 foundation will be stated ; so that the opportunities, in the past 
 as well as at the present time, which have been within the reach 
 of those requiring the most advanced agricultural knowledge, 
 will be made apparent. The description of these institutions is 
 an easy task ; but an estimate of their value is more difficult. 
 Opinions differ very greatly on nearly all educational questions, 
 but when technical education is involved, and when its 
 consideration is mixed up with general instruction, the diver- 
 sities of ideas met with appear almost hopelessly irreconcilable. 
 The difficulties in the case of an ordinary industry are increased 
 enormously in the case of agriculture, for a reason which is 
 peculiar to the cultivation of the soil. A bootmaker, weaver, 
 ironworker, and, in fact, any other artisan can pursue every 
 department of his calling at any time, and can teach an 
 apprentice how to perform all the necessary operations every 
 day in every week of the year. The teaching of agriculture 
 means instruction how to perform a long series of operations, 
 each of which can only be accomplished during a limited period 
 once or twice in the course of the year. If, therefore, an 
 agricultural student fails to grasp how, for instance, to prepare a 
 stubble for the succeeding crop, he and his teacher must be 
 content to wait nearly twelve months before the lesson can be 
 resumed. This peculiar difficulty pertaining to the more 
 practical part of agricultural technical instruction, is too often 
 lost sight of by those who argue solely from first principles ; as 
 well as by those who do not distinguish sufficiently between the 
 kind and amount of technical education necessary for the land- 
 owner, the tenant-farmer or occupying owner, the farm-bailiif, 
 and labourer respectively. 
 
 In a review of what has been attempted and acccomplished 
 to promote agricultural technical education in the United 
 
Kingdom, it will be better perhaps to take England and Scotland 
 first, treating Ireland separately, because the circumstances 
 connected with this subject in the latter differ essentially from 
 those relating to the other parts of the British Isles. 
 
 In England no institution of this kind existed until 1845, in England. 
 which year the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester was 
 established. This college owes its origin to an address given 
 by the late Mr, R. J. Brown to the Cirencester and Fairford 
 Farmers' Club at a meeting held in November, 1842, on the 
 "Advantages of a Specific Education for Agricultural Pursuits." 
 The discussion resulted in a resolution in favour of founding an 
 institution where this kind of education could be obtained, 
 being carried. A public meeting followed, resulting in the 
 formation of a committee. By the persevering efforts of this 
 committee and Mr. Brown a subscription of ;^i 2,000 was raised, 
 principally among the landowners in various parts of the king- 
 dom. For the first twenty years the college was not a financial 
 success, continued calls having to be made for subscriptions and 
 donations. This was, no doubt, owing to the low fees charged, 
 in-students only paying ;^3o per annum. Since 1865 alterations 
 in the mode of management have been made, which, together 
 with an increase in the fees, has made the college financially 
 and, for those who can afford the fees, educationally a success. 
 
 The college buildings include a museum, lecture theatre, 
 class rooms, laboratories, dormitories, and apartments for the 
 resident professors. As part of the establishment, mention 
 should be made of the botanic gardens, veterinary hospital, 
 forges and workshops. There is no entrance examination, but, 
 unless under special circumstances, pupils must be at least 18 
 years of age, and they are expected to have received a good 
 general education. In-students, about 85 of whom can be 
 accommodated in the college-buildings, pay ;^i 35 per annum, 
 or ;^45 per term, each having a separate " cubicle " and sharing 
 a "study" with one companion, by an extra payment of ten 
 guineas per annum a student may have a private room as sitting 
 and bed-room combined, entirely to himself. Out-students pay 
 ;^75 per annum, or ^25 per term ; they must be at least 21 years 
 of age, and, except in special cases, must live in the town or 
 neighbourhood in a house approved of by the principal. The 
 ordinary college course extends over two years or six terms. 
 Instruction is given both theoretically and practically; the 
 former by lectures and laboratory practice, and the latter by 
 demonstrations on the college-farm. The following is a synopsis 
 of the order of studies : — Terms i and 2, Class I. : Agriculture 
 (soils, manures, implements, labour, etc.), book-keeping, survey- 
 ing, physics, geology or botany or zoology, mensuration, veteri- 
 nary anatomy and physiology, drawing (plan). 
 
 Terms 3 and 4, Class II. : Agriculture (tillage, crops, etc.), 
 chemistry (organic), book-keeping, surveying, physics, geology 
 or botany or zoology, veterinary pathology, drawing (machinery). 
 
 Terms 5 and 6, Class III.: Agriculture (stock, dairy-farming, 
 economics, etc.), chemistry (agricultural), book-keeping, levelling 
 
and engineering, physics, mechanics, geology or botany or 
 zoology, veterinary therapeutics, obsetrics, etc., drawing (design). 
 Agricultural law in the winter session ; building materials 
 and construction in the spring session : and estate management 
 in the summer session in each year. The college farm is about 
 500 acres in extent, one-tenth only being in permanent grass. 
 The students who desire it have opportunities of taking part in 
 all kinds of work upon the farm, and, if qualified, can have 
 special work allotted them, excellence in executing such work 
 being rewarded. By arrangement with a prize dairy-farm at 
 Bath, students of the college, upon their paying a fee of ten 
 guineas, receive a fortnight's thorough instruction in cheese- 
 making on the " Cheddar system." Six scholarships, three of 
 ;^2S and three of £10, are awarded annually. There is very 
 little doubt that a young man can, if he likes, obtain at this 
 college a thorough technical agricultural training, at the same 
 time it must be noted that the fees it is necessary to charge, 
 render its benefits unattainable to any but the wealthy. 
 
 The next in point of its period of formation is the 
 Agricultural School at Aspatria, Cumberland, which was estab- 
 lished in 1874, "for the purpose of affording pupils as much 
 insight into agricultural practice as possible before they left 
 school." The pupils first receive a good general education up 
 to the age of 15, and then they proceed to the study of the 
 various sciences bearing on farming. The elder youths work a 
 portion of each day on one or other of the nine distinct farms 
 connected with the school, under the personal supervision of 
 the principal and practical farmers. The instruction qualifies 
 for the Junior examination of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
 England, the Bursary examination of the Highland and Agri- 
 cultural Society of Scotland and for the certificate of the Science 
 and Art Department. This institution has been largely assisted 
 by the landowners and farmers of Cumberland and district. 
 There are three terms in a year. In-pupils pay from 15 to 17 
 guineas per term, and out-pupils £^ to £^ per term. 
 
 The College of Agriculture, Downton, Wiltshire, was opened 
 in 1880. Being a purely private undertaking, it has no public 
 history ; but there is ample to shew that it is, in a limited degree, 
 an institution capable of giving useful agricultural education. 
 Connected with it is a farm of 600 acres, which owing to the 
 varied character of its soils and produce, is well adapted for 
 educational purposes. Each in-student must have entered his 
 1 8th year, and find references as to his previous good conduct. 
 Out-students must be over 21 years of age, and are required to 
 be as regular in their attendance at lectures, classes, and 
 examinations as in-students. The charge for the entire year is 
 £izq for in-students, and £60 for out-students. Books, 
 apparatus, instruments, and breakages being extra, in addition a 
 feeof;^! is charged for the chemical laboratory. The course 
 of instruction is as follows : Lectures, field classes, and practical 
 work. The results of the teaching are tested by weekly 
 examinations conducted on the farm, in the laboratory, and by 
 
means of printed papers. Each student is expected to keep a 
 farm-journal. The subjects of instruction include agriculture, 
 dairy and pastoral farming; estate management, land agency, 
 and forestry ; mensuration and land surveying ; architectural 
 drawing; book-keeping and commercial knowledge; physics 
 and mechanics; chemistry; geology and mineraology; botany 
 and vegetable physiology ; zoology ; veterinary surgery. The 
 lectures and classes are so arranged that in a complete two- 
 years' course a student has everything laid before him, to enable 
 him to pass the senior examinations of the Royal Agricultural 
 Society of England, of the Highland and Agricultural Society of 
 Scotland, and of the Institute of Surveyors. The College and 
 Training Farm at Hollesley Bay, Suffolk, is principally devoted 
 to training youths for colonial life. An agricultural college has 
 been established at Tamworth, and has in connection with it a 
 I, coo-acre farm, corn mill, dairy, and workshops. This is a 
 private speculation. These are the only really technical institu- 
 tions for teaching agriculture to be found in England, that at 
 Aspatria being the only one suitable for the rank and file of 
 agriculturists. The words of Professor Wrightson, spoken in 
 reference to Downton College, of which he is principal, are 
 equally applicable to Cirencester : " The instruction is expensive 
 to provide ; the class of men who come must be housed and fed 
 as gentlemen ; hence the cost and the fees. It would answer no 
 good purpose to lower the fees, as farmers, as a rule, would want 
 them at least halving, and the college would thus suffer, and the 
 landowners would not use it. I look upon this college as a 
 school for landowners, land-agents, and colonists. I consider 
 that, unless in the case of wealthy farmers, the agricultural 
 education of farmers and farm-bailiffs falls outside our province." 
 
 There are, however, in existence other modes of imparting 
 a certain amount of technical education on the scientific side, 
 useful to those who can obtain practical knowledge on an 
 ordinary farm. 
 
 The University of Oxford has long had an endowment for a 
 chair of Rural Economy, but up till quite recently it was united 
 with the chair of Botany. Since 1884, however, the two have 
 been separate ; and now the students have the privilege of 
 attending a class on agriculture. The lectures are given in 
 Magdalen College, and twelve is the minimum per annum, four 
 in each term. As the course is so short, the subjects connected 
 with agriculture must be taken very generally, or else only a very 
 small department taken up. There is also a lectureship in 
 agricultural science attached to Balliol College, intended 
 especially for the Indian Civil Service probationers. Both these 
 are open to students who take an interest in farming, and as 
 these are mostly of the landlord class they can gain a certain 
 amount of information which will be useful to them in after-life, 
 though, of course, not by any means a thorough or exhaustive 
 knowledge of the subject. 
 
 The Normal School of Science and the Royal School of 
 Mines (amalgamated), London, some years ago established a 
 
lectureship of agriculture, which later on was made a professor- 
 ship, where students could attend a course of about 40 lectures. 
 Three years are required to complete attendance at the 
 prescribed classes, and at the end of the time students can 
 graduate with the degree of "Associate in Agriculture." The 
 subjects taught are, drawing, biology, geology, mineralogy, 
 mechanics, and the principles of agricultural chemistry. The 
 fees for the first two years amount to about ;^75, and for the 
 remainder of the course they vary from £^0 to £i^o. 
 
 The Institute of Agriculture, South Kensington, has been 
 established " for the purpose of advancing technical instruction 
 upon the various sections of agricultural practice as a prepara- 
 tion for learning the profession of farming, and especially for 
 bringing these advantages within the reach of any and every 
 person desiring to avoid much expense." Short courses of 
 lectures are instituted on specific subjects from time to time, and 
 gentlemen noted as authorities are asked to conduct a course on 
 their own special department. The full series amounts to about 
 280 lectures, at the rate of two daily by about 20 of the most 
 eminent authorities. The fees for the whole amount to only 
 £\\: Also in connection with the Science and Art Department, 
 South Kensington, instruction in the principles of agriculture is 
 encouraged by the payment of fees to teachers in elementary 
 schools and science claases. The inducements offered to 
 scholars by this department are confined to prizes of books, 
 medals, and certificates, in addition to a certain number of 
 scholarships on condition that the scholar goes to some 
 recognised science school. Only three or four of these scholar- 
 ships have hitherto been gained. In connection with this 
 department, evening classes are in many districts doing useful 
 work. Wherever a sufficient number of students can be got 
 together, a committee formed of men of local standing are at 
 liberty to appoint a certificated teacher to deliver one lecture a 
 week during the winter half of the year. The students are 
 expected to attend the examination in May, and the teacher is 
 paid by grant according to the success of the students. There 
 are some 400 of these classes in the United Kingdom, attended 
 by over 12,000 students. These classes are very suitable for 
 those who have left school without gaining any agricultural 
 knowledge. 
 
 In 1882 King's College, London, and the City of London 
 College each arranged for the delivery of a course of evening 
 lectures on the principles of agriculture. These have not up to 
 the present been very well attended. In both cases the lecturers 
 are agricultural chemists. In 1861 the Society of Arts included 
 agriculture in its scheme of annual examinations, and oifered 
 two prizes of ;^5 and £1, in addition to certificates of pro- 
 ficiency. In each of the first three years only one candidate 
 entered for examination; in 1864 there were four; in 1865 there 
 was none, and so the attempt was abandoned. Although, as 
 regards agriculture, this society was not successful, credit is 
 nevertheless due to the council for having as long ago as 1861 
 
13 
 
 attempted to encourage proficiency in agricultural knowledge. 
 
 The Royal Agricultural Society of England obtained its 
 Royal charter of incorporation in 1840, in which, among the 
 other objects for which this society was founded, the following 
 is stated : " To take measures for the improvement of the 
 education of those who depend upon the cultivation of the soil 
 for their support." The early attempts of the council of this 
 society to encourage agricultural education were neither parti- 
 cularly happy in their conception, nor fruitful in their results. 
 In fact, the society has hitherto acted more in the capacity of 
 an examining body than as a teaching institution. This 
 statement must not be taken as implying want of appreciation 
 for the good this society, no doubt, accomplishes by its yearly 
 examinations and prizes ; still at the same time many of its 
 members, including the writer, consider that more of its funds 
 and influence could beneficially be used in advancing agricultural 
 technical education. The Yorkshire College, Leeds, has 
 appointed two lecturers, one for practice and the other for 
 scientific agriculture. Agricultural lecturers are also being 
 appointed in a few counties in connection with the County 
 Council grant. 
 
 Schools specially for imparting a thorough technical training 
 in dairying, have been lately established in Cheshire and Derby- 
 shire ; and the British Dairy Farmers' Association are carrying 
 out a scheme for founding a college of this kind near Aylesbury. 
 There should be less difficulty in carrying on this branch of 
 technical instruction, even without State aid, as about six or 
 eight weeks is ample time to enable any young man or woman 
 of ordinary intelligence to master all the details connected with 
 the manufacture of dairy products, consequently the expense for 
 each student need not be great. 
 
 Considering that dairy-farming has of late years been the 
 most profitable part of agriculture, and also with regard to the 
 fact that the foreigner has beaten the home producer, owing to 
 the superior quality of his produce ; the failure of Mr. G. 
 Allender in 1881 to found a British Dairy School cannot be 
 understood. It was proposed to establish this school by a 
 Limited Liability Company with a capital of ^100,000 in /^lo 
 shares. Mr. Allender offered to subscribe for a thousand shares 
 and to organise and manage the institution as managing 
 director. Neither he nor the directors were to receive any 
 remuneration for their services until after a dividend of 6 per 
 cent, per annum should have been earned, and i per cent, 
 placed to the reserve fund. No promotion money whatever was 
 to be paid, and no unnecessary expenses were to be incurred, 
 the object being to achieve, if possible, a public good. Attention 
 was drawn in the prospectus to the fact that the value of our 
 imports of dairy produce amounts to fifteen millions sterling per 
 annum, to a large extent in consequence of the deficient 
 technical education of our dairy farmers. However, the total 
 amount of shares subscribed for (in addition to Mr. Allender's 
 1,000) was 1,695, of which only 765 are credited to landed 
 
H 
 
 proprietors, although nearly every landowner in the country was 
 written to. The attempt was, therefore, abandoned. Mr. 
 Allender's idea was to purchase an estate of between one and 
 two thousand acres, and to furnish it with every well-tested 
 appliance and improvement as to machinery and buildings ; and 
 to engage the services of the most efficient teachers obtainable 
 here or on the continent, so as to ensure to the pupils the best 
 technical information possible. The pupils were to be of two 
 classes, as stated in the prospectus, thus : — " In the first and 
 most important it is intended to give thorough practical 
 information to sons of farmers and others, for a fee only to 
 cover the cost of board and lodging — say/'zs for the course of 
 instruction — such course to extend over six months from the 
 date of entry, and the pupils to be limited to such number as 
 can be actually employed. The fee to be paid in advance, and 
 the pupil to undertake to conform to necessary regulations and 
 to perform all reasonable duties imposed upon him ; in fact to 
 be exactly in the position of an apprentice. The other class to 
 consist of such young men as prefer to remain for a longer 
 period, and who will not be obliged to perform any actual work. 
 These students will pay a fee of — say 50 guineas per annum — in 
 return for the information afforded them, and make their own 
 arrangements as to board, residence, etc." 
 
 It is, of course, impossible to say what measure of success 
 this dairy school might have achieved if it had been founded. 
 Possibly the scheme would have had greater chance of being 
 successfully started had it been on a smaller scale. A moderate 
 sized farm could easily have been turned into an institution for 
 this purpose ; which could be extended without difficulty if it 
 became necessary. There is no doubt that a number of small- 
 sized school-farms scattered about the country would produce 
 better results than one or two large ones on the scale proposed 
 by Mr. Allender. 
 
 The University College of North Wales at Bangor has 
 recently established an agricultural department, by means of a 
 special fund. This fund for the session 1 889-1 890 amounted 
 to / 968, derived from two sources — the Board of Agriculture, 
 which granted /"400, and private subscriptions, amounting to 
 /^568. This fund is kept entirely distinct from the general 
 college fund, which is increased by an annual Parliamentary 
 grant of /"4,ooo. The agricultural fund is administrated by a 
 special committee, composed chiefly of gentleman directly 
 interested in agriculture, and nearly every agricultural district in 
 North Wales is represented on it. This committee has full 
 control of this fund, and directs in what manner it shall be 
 expended. From the prospectus we learn that two things are 
 aimed at in connection with this scheme of agricultural tech- 
 nical education. "First : to provide at the college as complete 
 a training in agriculture and the sciences related to it, as can be 
 obtained at any of the recognised agricultural colleges, and 
 especially to provide such a training as would be suitable for 
 bailiffs, land-agents, farmers, and young men who intend 
 
IS 
 
 emigrating with a view to farming in the colonies. Secondly : 
 to make the college a centre of agricultural education for North 
 Wales, and to organise throughout the six Northern Counties of 
 the Principality a system of instruction in connection with the 
 college, to meet the special wants of each agricultural district, 
 and supply a graduated system whereby pupils may pass from 
 the school to the college." The Parliamentary Report on the 
 Distribution of Grants to Agricultural Schools in Great Britain 
 for the financial year 1889-90, contains the following reference 
 to the agricultural work of this college : — 
 
 "The College possesses exceptional advantages for carrying 
 on the work it has undertaken in this connection, for it is 
 situated in one of the most thickly-populated districts in North 
 Wales. Facilities are also claimed on its behalf for dealing 
 with the bi-lingual difficulty, which is one of the great obstacles 
 to the spread of agricultural education in the Principality ; while 
 the governing body of the college is thoroughly representative 
 of every district in North Wales." 
 
 Arrangements have been made with local landowners and 
 farmers by which farms in the neighbourhood of the college 
 can be used by the lecturer in agriculture and the members of 
 his class for the purpose of practical instruction. The out- 
 college instruction in agriculture is being rapidly extended by 
 the systematic establishment of fixed local schools or centres. 
 There have already been three dairy schools started in connec- 
 tion with the college — at Sylfean, near Welshpool ; at Lleweni 
 Hall, near Denbigh ; and at Bangor. Also local classes for the 
 instruction of elementary schoolmasters in agriculture, chemistry, 
 botany, etc., conducted by the college lecturers, extension 
 lectures by members of the college staff ; and field experiments 
 supervised by college lecturers. Altogether there is no part of 
 the United Kingdom where technical agricultural education is 
 being carried on in a better manner than in North Wales. 
 
 The first attempt in connection with agricultural education Scotland. 
 in the United Kingdom was made in Scotland by the founding 
 in the year 1790 of a Chair of Agriculture in the University of 
 Edinburgh. At first this chair had a stipend of /^5o per annum 
 attached to it, given by the late Sir William Pultenay. In 1868 
 the endowment of this chair was increased to/^300 per annum, 
 of which one-half is paid by the Government, and the other by 
 the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. The total 
 emolument of the professor is now/'37o, and the fees payable 
 by the students are four guineas per course of 100 lectures. 
 The Highland Society endeavour to stimulate young farmers to 
 attend the lectures by offering annually ten bursaries of ^20 
 each. The number of students ranges between thirty and forty 
 who are occasionally landowners and the sons of landowners ; 
 but the majority are sons of tenant-farmers. Generally the 
 previous education of the students enables them to take full ■ 
 advantage of the instruction given ; but there is no entrance 
 examination, and no certificate of previous education is required. 
 The course of lectures extends over one year, and is divided 
 
i6 
 
 Glasgow 
 
 Technical 
 
 College. 
 
 Ireland. 
 
 into two parts : one treating mainly of the principles of 
 agriculture, the other of practice. Students passing the neces- 
 sary examinations obtain a certificate which is recognised under 
 the Privy Council regulations as qualifying the holder to teach 
 agriculture and receive payment by results. In 1886 a degree 
 of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture was established in connec- 
 tion with this college, on the same standing as the B.Sc. degree 
 in other departments, and open to all those who have attended 
 certain qualifying classes. The subjects prescribed are eight in 
 number, which can be taken in two periods of four each. These 
 are : agriculture (elementary), chemistry, botany, engineering, 
 for the first part, with zoology as an alternative for botany ; and 
 agriculture (the whole subject), agricultural chemistry, geology, 
 and veterinary science, for the final. 
 
 It is notable that this is the only degree in agriculture which 
 is granted at an University in the United Kingdom, perhaps we 
 may say in the world. And it is very appropriate that the 
 University of the capital city of that portion of Britain, so long 
 famous for good farming, should be the first to recognise in this 
 way the importance of the subject, and accept it as of equal 
 standing with every other profession taught within its walls. 
 The cost of taking this degree will vary with the individual 
 student, but may be kept down within a very moderate limit. 
 In Scottish Universities all the students reside in their own 
 private lodgings, and consequently the outlay for each winter 
 session of six months will depend on the style of living adopted. 
 The class fees for the degree are generally about three or four 
 guineas each, with extra fees for matriculation examinations, 
 etc., but altogether the cost of education need not exceed /^40 
 per session, unless the student is personally extravagant. The 
 whole course for the degree might be gone through by a 
 farmer's son for less than ^100. 
 
 In the University of Aberdeen there is the Fardyne lecture- 
 ship on agriculture ; the chemical, botanical, and geological 
 aspects of the matter being most largely dealt with. The 
 lectures are not less than twelve in number, and are free and 
 open to any one whether regular students or not. 
 
 At the Glasgow Technical College there is a course of one 
 hundred lectures on agriculture delivered during the winter six 
 months. Agricultural students can attend the ordinary classes 
 in botany, geology, engineering, etc., in common with those 
 studying for other professions. The full course occupies three 
 winters, and is intended to cover the ground taken up by the 
 diploma of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, 
 and qualifies students for the same, while the fees charged are 
 very moderate, varying with the number of classes attended. 
 
 Thus far the position of agricultural technical education in 
 Great Britain only has been dealt with. On turning to Ireland, 
 we find this portion of the United Kingdom for a long time 
 enjoyed exceptional advantages in this respect. In Ireland 
 almost everything that has been attempted for the advancement 
 of agricultural education has been done under Government super- 
 
I? 
 
 vision. This is a marked contrast to what has taken place in 
 England ; at the same time it must in fairness be stated that the 
 initiative in this direction was due to private enterprise. 
 
 The utility of affording useful instruction in agriculture to 
 the small farmers and peasantry of Ireland has been urged for a 
 very long period. Thoughtful Irishmen who knew the backward 
 state of the Irish agriculture could not fail to perceive the great 
 importance of instructing the people in this branch of industry. 
 A select committee of the House of Commons in 1823 reported 
 in favour of it, and again in 1830. However, as it has already 
 been stated, the efforts of private individuals first gave effect to 
 the recommendation of the committee. In 1826 some Ulster 
 landowners formed themselves into a company, obtained land, 
 erected house and buildings, and brought the Templemoyle 
 Seminary into existence. The funds were raised by the issue of 
 shares of /^25 each, of which one hundred and sixteen were 
 subscribed for, making a capital of ^2,900. Unfortunately the 
 shareholders made the mistake of attempting to found at the 
 same time a school for youths intended for commercial and 
 mercantile pursuits. This part of the scheme was soon 
 abandoned, and after various negotiations the Grocers' Company 
 made what appears to be a very generous agreement with the 
 School Company, letting them 169 imperial acres of land for 
 ^^30 a year. The Grocers' Company had previously subscribed 
 ^1,200 towards the expense of the school buildings, to which 
 the shareholders, out of the subscribed capital, contributed a 
 similar sum. The number of pupils provided for was one 
 hundred. The maximum number, however, never appears to 
 have exceeded seventy, the normal number being fifty. The 
 deficiencies in the receipts necessitated appeals for subscriptions 
 from time to time, and up to the middle of the year 1835 the 
 total amount of money contributed to the institution, irrespective 
 of pupils' fees, reached a total of /'5,8oo. Orginally pupils 
 could only be received on the nomination of a ^25 shareholder, 
 one pupil for each share ; but this rule was soon relaxed on 
 account of the difficulty in obtaining pupils. In ihe report for 
 1835 it is remarked : — " The committee are aware that there are 
 very few farmers who can afford to part with the work of one of 
 their sons and pay a sum of /^lo a year for his education; but 
 they would call on the landlords to assist them, with the 
 confident hope that if this institution were released from debt, 
 and the house full, they would soon be able to decrease the 
 expense of education." For this fee of /^lo the pupils received 
 theoretical and practical instruction on the half-time principle, 
 that is to say, one half their time was devolved to the actual 
 work on the farm. For this work the pupils received board and 
 lodging free. There is every evidence to show the valuable 
 nature of the instruction given. In the course of the first 
 23 years of its existence this school educated as many as 8qo 
 pupils, and it must be regarded as being eminently successful in 
 accomplishing the objects for which it was founded. That it 
 was a financial failure is to be regretted, but cannot be a matter 
 
i8 
 
 of surprise. The same result is an inevitable sequence to the 
 establishment of an agricultural technical school suitable for 
 ordinary farmers without a sufficient annual subsidy, because to 
 attract pupils the fees charged must be almost nominal. These 
 financial difficulties caused this school to be transferred to the 
 Commissioners of Irish National Education in 1850, and in 1866 
 it ceased to exist. 
 
 In the year 1830 a commencement was made with the system 
 of National Education in Ireland. The Education Commis- 
 sioners, while acknowledging the utility of diffusing correct 
 information on the subject of agriculture, at first confined their 
 efforts to the establishment in 1838 of a school of agriculture at 
 Glasnevin, near Dublin, where they took a moderate-sized farm 
 and erected on it suitable house, buildings and offices. Two 
 classes of persons received instruction, the object being to 
 qualify them to teach agriculture in their several districts when 
 they returned to their own schools. Second, a number of young 
 men were received as agricultural boarders and trained as 
 professional agriculturists, in the hope that they would after- 
 wards be employed by the landlords of the country in instructing 
 their tenants. The commissioners were engaged in pursuing 
 their system of agricultural instruction, when at the end of 1843 
 the Royal Commission, known as the " Devon Commission,"' 
 was appointed, and proceeded to make a searching enquiry into 
 all matters relating to the agricultural interests of Ireland. 
 Landed proprietors, land-agents, practical farmers, and others 
 acquainted with the state of Ireland, were examined ; and it is 
 worthy of note in connection with this subject, that in the report 
 made by the commission there appears the statement that " no 
 difference of opinion was found to exist amongst the witnesses 
 as to the advantages to be derived from an extended establish-' 
 ment of agricultural schools." The original idea of the Educa- 
 tion Commissioners was to combine agricultural with literary 
 instruction in as many of the rural national schools as possible. 
 They were, however, induced to enlarge their plans. Applica- 
 tions were made from all parts of the country for aid towards 
 establishing agricultural schools of a more comprehensive class 
 than they at first contemplated. In their report for 1849 they 
 say: "We have during the past year received a considerable 
 number of new applications for grants towards the establishment 
 of model agricultural schools. We have found it necessary to 
 postpone our decision upon twenty of these applications." 
 These were all ultimately granted. Altogether a large number 
 of these agricultural schools were founded in various parts of 
 the country. It was at this period that an adverse criticism 
 from a select committee of the House of Commons on Miscel- 
 laneous Expenditure was communicated to the commissioners. 
 The committee expressed grave doubts as to the policy (not 
 wisdom, be it noted) of engrafting an agricultural department 
 upon a national system of primary education. In reply, the 
 commissioners took pains to assure the Government that they 
 contemplated great advantages from the system of agricultural 
 
19 
 
 education which they had conceived for the country. The 
 acclamation of Irish opinion in its favour caused the commis- 
 sioners to extend it by means of provincial model farms, " for 
 the instruction of young men as farmers, stewards, etc." From 
 time to time they toolc leases of farms, twenty in all, in various 
 parts of the country, and spent about /^i 15,000 in erecting 
 residences, farm-buildings, etc. Four of these farms were in 
 operation in 1849, and in 1856 they were all in complete 
 working order. Besides these model farms, which were the 
 property of the commissioners, and entirely supported by them, 
 numerous farm-schools were opened from year to year under 
 private influence, which obtained aid from the commissioners 
 towards their organisation and support. In the year 1850 the 
 commissioners determined to oifer substantial attractions to the 
 guardians of poor-law unions throughout the country, to en- 
 courage agricultural education in workhouse schools. Wherever 
 there was a farm of sufficient dimensions attached to a work- 
 house, the commissioners offered a gratuity to the teacher of the 
 school for success in the management of the farm, and for 
 giving efficient instruction in agricultural science to his pupils. 
 
 In 1857 ^^ agitation, unfortunate for Ireland in its results, 
 was commenced against State aid to agricultural technical 
 education. The opponents of this system disputed the right of 
 the state to train up farmers and stewards at the public cost ; 
 and they had many influential, but short-sighted, supporters in 
 the House of Commons. The Government from time to time 
 was harassed in its defence of the system ; and in deference to 
 the views of Parliament, successive Chief Secretaries were 
 absolutely hostile to it. Mr. Cardwell especially directed his 
 opposition to the countenance given by the commissioners to 
 agricultural instruction in workhouse schools at the expense of 
 the Imperial exchequer, as apart from the rates, and in 1862 
 successfully urged the commissioners to abandon it. Thus the 
 workhouse experiment lasted only twelve years. 
 
 In 1870 the Royal Commission on Primary Education re- 
 commended " that the position of provincial and district 
 agricultural schools in Ireland should be revised by the 
 Commissioners of National Education, and that their number 
 be reduced." In 1873 there were eighteen model farms in 
 operation under the control of the commissioners. The number 
 of national schools in which literary and agricultural education 
 were combined, was at this date one hundred and fifteen, costing 
 the state for the agricultural part of the education only ^5 
 per annum. 
 
 Looking backwards, we at the present time can scarcely 
 understand that any intelligent person should object to such an 
 insignificant outlay for so useful an object as the diffusion 
 among the Irish people of sound agricultural knowledge. But 
 objections were made, and with such success that in 1880 only 
 two institutions for affording technical instruction in agriculture 
 remained, viz., the Albert Institution at Glasnevin and the 
 Munster Farm at Cork. Both these still survive. 
 
Some idea of the scope of the former may be gathered from 
 the following extracts from its prospectus : — ■ 
 
 " This institution is designed to supply instruction in the 
 science and practice of agriculture to the sons of farmers, 
 agricultural teachers, and others. An area of 6a. or. 7 p. 
 (statute) is cultivated as a small spade-labour farm, with a view 
 of exhibiting a proper system of cultivating the vast number of 
 small farms in Ireland. 
 
 " An area of 22 a. 3 r. 7 p. has been set apart with a view of 
 illustrating a system of farm management adapted to the 
 circumstances of farmers whose holdings are large enough to 
 give employment to one or two horses. 
 
 " The remaining portion of the farm, 162 acres, is cultivated 
 as a large holding. The arrangements for affording the students 
 as large an amount of information as possible upon every branch 
 of the business of farming, including dairy-husbandry, the 
 fattening of cattle, the breeding and rearing of different kinds 
 of live stock, the various operations of field culture, and the 
 permanent improvement of the soil, are such as to place within 
 their reach an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the 
 details of practical agriculture. 
 
 " In order that the students should have an opportunity of 
 acquiring a knowledge of horticultural pursuits, about three 
 statute acres are set apart and cultivated as a kitchen garden. 
 There are also a small conservatory, peach-house, vinery, and 
 fruit and flower gardens. 
 
 " The course of instruction includes a sound English educa- 
 tion as well as agricultural science. 
 
 " Each of the lecturers of the institution delivers a course 
 of lectures every session. 
 
 " In order that the students may become fully acquainted 
 with improved practical husbandry, they are called upon to take 
 part, for a limited time, in the performance of every farm 
 operation, the feeding and management of stock, etc. They are 
 also made practically acquainted with the uses of a large collec- 
 tion of improved farm implements and machines. 
 
 " There are two terms, of four months each, in the year. 
 
 " Three classes of students are admitted into the institution. 
 
 " I. Free resident students, who are boarded, lodged, and 
 educated at the public expense, and who are admitted twice a 
 year by competitive examination. 
 
 " Some respectable person must certify that the candidate's 
 age is not under 17, that he possesses the necessary health and 
 physical capacity for farming, and that he is of good moral 
 character, and possesses industrial habits and tastes. 
 
 " II. Paying resident students, a limited number of whom 
 are admitted on the following conditions : they must possess 
 sufficient literary acquirements to profit by the lectures of the 
 various professors. They must not be under 16 years of age. 
 
 " The fee for each session is £'] los., which includes cost of 
 instruction, board, lodging, etc. Paying students must take 
 part in all farm operations with the free students. They take 
 
21 
 
 their meals at the same taole with the free students, and receive 
 the same treatment in all respects. 
 
 " The paying students whose conduct is satisfactory will be 
 allowed to compete each half-year among themselves for a 
 limited number of free places — one free place being reserved for 
 every five paying students. 
 
 " III. Non-resident students. Young men who board and 
 lodge at their own expense in the neighbourhood are permitted 
 to partake of the advantage of the institution on the following 
 terms : — 
 
 "i. That while at the institution they shall be treated in 
 every way like the resident class. 
 
 " 2. That they attend punctually all the lectures delivered at 
 the institution. 
 
 '• 3. That they be amenable to the rules and regulations. 
 
 " 4. That they pay in advance a fee oi £2 a session." 
 
 The Munster Farm, near Cork, was turned into an agricultural Munster 
 and dairy school in 1880. According to the prospectus, there ^^^°^- 
 are two main departments of the institution, one the instruction 
 and training of the sons of farmers and others in the best modes 
 of developing the resources of the land, and the other the 
 instruction of the daughters of farmers and of others in im- 
 proved modes of dairy management. That the latter department 
 has already produced practical results, is shewn by a marked 
 improvement in the quality of the butter produced in the district. 
 
 This institution receives a Government subsidy of ^1,000 
 per annum. 
 
 In connection with this special branch of agriculture, a Canon 
 notice of Canon Bagot's " Travelling Educational Dairy" cannot Bagot's 
 be omitted. This, when closed for a journey, looks like a large t'^^J^"™^ 
 furniture van. When required for work the wheels are taken 
 off; the upper halves of the sides are expanded upwards so as to 
 form eaves to the roof, while the lower halves are let down to 
 form a continuation of the floor ; the result being a covered 
 shed with a boarded floor, measuring twelve feet by ten feet, and 
 furnished with all the appliances necessary for dealing with the 
 milk from a dairy of six cows, with hot and cold water, the 
 latter laid on from an arrangement at the back. This educa- 
 tional dairy is the property of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
 Ireland, and part of their scheme in adopting Canon Bagot's 
 proposals was to let out the dairy and its staff, consisting of a 
 labourer, a first-class dairymaid, and an assistant, to landowners 
 or other persons willing to hire it, as well as to local agricultural 
 societies and local committees constituted for the purpose. The 
 charge for the use of the dairy is £1 per week, which includes 
 the board and lodging of the staff". It is a great proof of the 
 value of technical education, that wherever this travelling dairy 
 has been located there has always followed a marked increase in 
 the quality of the dairy products made in the neighbourhood. 
 The cost of the dairy (exclusive of furniture), including hot and 
 cold-water fittings, cistern, and boiler, was ^115. 
 
 We may now consider that we have reached the terminus of 
 
our journey through the past and present of technical agricul- 
 tural education, during which three prominent facts have been 
 brought to our notice. 
 
 First : That facilities exist in Great Britain for acquiring a 
 thorough technical knowledge of agriculture within the reach of 
 those to whom expense is no object, while in Ireland this can 
 be obtained free or at a merely nominal cost, but by a limited 
 number only. 
 
 Second : That there is a comparative large amount of 
 machinery for the delivery of lectures, which, however, does not 
 appear to have produced much benefit, a result owing to the 
 fact that farmers do not appreciate their advantages. 
 
 Third : That no system of agricultural technical education 
 can be brought within the reach of the bulk of our agricultural 
 population without either private subscriptions or state subsidy, 
 or the two combined. 
 
 *In connection with State aid to agricultural education, it is 
 interesting to note that on the continent this is the order of the 
 day in most countries. For instance, in Germany the students 
 in the higher agricultural schools (similar to our Cirencester 
 and Downton) cost the state £ioo per head per annum. The 
 state subsidy to the intermediate agricultural schools amounts to 
 /'i 55,000 per annum, and in the lower to £i'],ooo per annum. 
 In France, too, state aid for this purpose is on a similar scale. 
 It is beyond the scope of this essay to give any detailed 
 information as to the various ways in which continental 
 countries give encouragement and help to technical agricultural 
 education ; but the writer would recommend any one interested 
 in this part of the question to make themselves acquainted with 
 the facts under this head contained in the second report of the 
 Royal Commission on Technical Instruction. 
 
 We are glad to see that Mr. Chaplin, in his capacity of 
 President of the Board of Agriculture, realises the importance 
 of more attention being given to this question in the future than 
 has been the case in the past. In a letter addressed last year to 
 the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Mr. Chaplin 
 appears to think that this University might do something towards 
 promoting the spread of scientific instruction among our 
 agricultural population. Mr. Chaplin does not say whether he is 
 referring to schools or colleges, or to any organised system of 
 lectures ; but he points out that " an agricultural teacher, to be 
 successful, must be master not only of the ordinary methods of 
 agricultural practice, but must, in addition, have intimate 
 acquaintance with those sciences, such as chemistry, botany, 
 geology, biology, etc., on the principles of which a correct and 
 intelligent practice of agriculture mainly rests." The answer to 
 the question as to what extent it may be possible for the 
 University of Cambridge to contribute to the diffusion of 
 agricultural knowledge among the rising generation of farmers 
 depends a great deal on the manner in which it is proposed that 
 
 * See Appendix G. 
 
23 
 
 this instruction shall be given. But there is this that is certain 
 that some of the funds at the command of our Universities 
 might well be spent in assisting some general scheme of agri- 
 cultural technical instruction. On November 3rd, 1891, the 
 Agricultural Education Syndicate of the University of Cambridge 
 recommended the appointment of a lecturer in agricultural 
 science, who shall also be director of agricultural studies, at an 
 annual stipend of ;^5oo, and a lecturer in agricultural science at 
 an annual stipend of ;^3oo, to continue so long as the payment 
 of ;^40o annually by the Cambridgeshire County Council is 
 continued. The syndicate hopes for contributions from other 
 neighbouring counties, and that the Government may be induced 
 to make a grant in aid. 
 
 It has already been pointed out that in the term agriculturist 
 is included the landowner, the tenant-farmer or occupying 
 owner, and the labourer. Although the main interests of these 
 three classes are identical, yet the character of the technical 
 education which should be given to each, must obviously be 
 very dissimilar. 
 
 Landlords may be said to be already provided for (at least 
 such of them who care that their sons shall receive some agri- 
 cultural knowledge) at Cirencester, Downton, Aspatria, etc.; 
 institutions which, if the demand arose, could be easily increased. 
 Apparently, however, very few of this class care a great deal about 
 technical instruction, yet there is very little doubt that the scions 
 of the landed proprietors would be all the better for a few years 
 spent at colleges of this kind, rather than wasting the earlier 
 parts of their lives, as is too often the case, in loafing about 
 at clubs, racecourses, and other ways which the aristocratic 
 unemployed have of killing time. Were landowners, as a whole, 
 better educated in agricultural matters, we should not find them 
 compelling their tenants to farm under such antiquated, 
 restrictive covenants ; they would be alive to the necessity of 
 providing better homesteads where the manufacture of meat 
 could be carried on at minimum of expense ; covered yards 
 would be the rule, not, as they are at present, the exception, 
 and they would be more likely to take greater personal interest 
 in their estates. 
 
 In any scheme for increasing, in the immediate future, the 
 quantity and improving the quality of technical instruction 
 suitable for the farmer, be he large or small holder, the wants of 
 two sets of individuals must be considered. One, farmers' sons 
 or other lads intended to be brought up as farmers ; the other, 
 those who are actually engaged in trying to gain a livelihood by 
 cultivating the soil, but who have not received any special 
 education for their profession. For the latter, lectures and 
 evening classes appear to be the only means of supplying their 
 need. The University extension system could well be utilised 
 for this purpose. Hitherto agriculture has been conspicuous by 
 its absence in the courses of lectures delivered under this 
 scheme. Where University extension centres have been estab- 
 lished, the cost lo the students averages about one shilling per 
 
24 
 
 head for each lecture, generally, however, it has been necessary 
 to obtain private subscriptions to assist in defraying expenses. 
 This, coupled with the Science and Art Department,*' furnish all 
 the machinery required for a complete system of agricultural 
 lectures throughout the country, in sufficiently numerous locali- 
 ties to be within the reach of every farmer. In connection with 
 the expenses attendant on a complete scheme of this kind, the 
 powers lately conferred on County Councils are very important. 
 
 The general effect of the " Technical Instruction Act " is to 
 empower any County Council to apply the proceeds of a penny 
 rate, and also the sum falling to its share from the ;^743,ooo 
 provided by the new beer and spirit dealers (after the Police 
 Superannuation Fund has been deducted), to supply such 
 technical instruction, whether industrial, commercial, or agri- 
 cultural, as is most required for the district. On mixed councils 
 of large counties, which contain at the same time large manu- 
 facturing towns and extensive agricultural districts, "technical 
 education" means to the majority of the members instruction 
 for future artisans ; there is, therefore, a danger that the 
 advantages which are within the grasp of the agricultural 
 community being allowed to pass by. It must be remembered 
 that this act is purely permissive, so that without pressure being 
 put upon their members by agricultural constituents, it is very 
 likely that the need and necessity for such instruction in rural 
 districts will be overlooked altogether.! 
 
 The portion which agriculture can justly claim of the sum 
 raised under this Technical Instruction Act will doubtless be 
 found insufficient for providing agricultural lectures in every 
 village ; at the same time if the fund is properly managed, it will 
 go a considerable way in this direction. 
 
 For lads, schools similar to that at Aspatria would be 
 excellent. Students from this college have been more successful 
 than those from any similar institution. Although the technical 
 education at this institution commences at the age of 15, which 
 is two or three years earlier than it is at any other agricultural 
 school in the country, still the writer is of the opinion that this 
 instruction could well begin at the age of 13. A boy of this 
 latter age could easily commence to learn something about the 
 profession he is intended to occupy, and there are many light 
 occupations on a farm or garden which he could easily perform. 
 But apart from any considerations of his future occupation, a few 
 hours daily spent in some physical employment would increase 
 his mental capabilities, so that he would be able to accomplish 
 more of the ordinary school work with greater ease. Although 
 this school at Aspatria is successfully carried on without State 
 aid, it must be repeated that this is only achieved by means of 
 private subscriptions. 
 
 JThere is no doubt that it would be an immense boon to 
 agriculture if one school of this kind were established in every 
 county, and there is certainly no reason why this should not be 
 
 * See Appendix D. t See Appendix A. % See Appendix B. 
 
25 
 
 the case. Agriculture itself with a moderate amount of State 
 aid could easily establish and carry on technical schools suffi- 
 cient for its requirements. 
 
 The farm, which should be about 300 . acres in extent, 
 attached to the school should, of course, pay its way. This 
 should be the first principle of the whole matter that farming 
 should be taught on a faun that pays. The expenses of the 
 school, over those of an ordinary farm, would be the cost of the 
 teaching staff, accommodation for pupils, a prize fund and 
 books, etc. In connection with finding the money necessary for 
 this, it may be asked whether a portion of that now spent in 
 agricultural shows could not be diverted to technical education } 
 Agricultural shows may have some beneficial eff'ect on agriculture, 
 but it is questionable if the good results are in any degree 
 proportionate to the cost. Take for instance, the Royal • 
 Agricultural Society of England which spends about /'20,ooo 
 per annum in connection with its annual show, couple to this 
 the amount expended by all the other agricultural societies, and 
 we have a sum of money which if only half of it were spent in 
 the cause of technical education, the results would be ten times 
 greater. 
 
 It may, however, be argued that if you wish farmers' sons to 
 learn how to farm, they can do so at home. The question is, 
 can they learn how to make farming pay at home .? Is it not a 
 fact that, in the majority of cases, farmers themselves know very 
 little of the principles of agriculture ; therefore they cannot 
 teach their sons the how, the why, arid the when, of even a 
 portion of the operations performed on a farm. The necessity 
 for school-farms is, therefore, apparent, so that the theory and 
 practice of agriculture, in its most advanced state, can be taught 
 simultaneously. 
 
 It may be mentioned, in passing, that in France school-farms 
 known as Ecoles praticqiie d' Agriculture, exist very largely. The 
 pupils enter at the age of 15, and pay a fee of £\t> per annum 
 which includes board, lodging, and washing. The pupils have 
 to assist in the farming operations. The cost to the state being 
 about /'3 1 per pupil per annum. 
 
 To the agricultural labourer the question of technical xhe 
 education is important from a very matter-of-fact standpoint. Agricultural 
 A lad taught, as he might be, a thousand things that would be Labourer, 
 of help on a farm, could not fail to be worth more money to his 
 employer than the uninformed rustic, who through ignorance 
 may possibly spoil the work of a year in the course of a day. 
 
 The statement that education is spoiling all classes of 
 servants is true only in the sense that the education given at the 
 elementary schools, more especially in the rural districts, is not 
 of the most useful kind ; but no one can argue that intelligent 
 labour is inferior to unintelligent. 
 
 The agriculture of a country must ever be largely affected by 
 the condition and character of its peasantry by whom its labours 
 are performed. 
 
 An acute observer has pointed out that a poor style of 
 
26 
 
 farming and low wages — that good farming and comparatively 
 high wages, usually go together. The eminence of the agri- 
 culture of Scotland is due, in a large measure, to the moral 
 worth and intelligence of her peasantry. 
 
 Our elementary education system is not doing anything like 
 the good that was expected of it. 
 
 The children of the agricultural labourers are entering life 
 without that technical knowledge which is fast becoming an 
 absolute necessity for success in any calling. The need for this 
 is the more urgent now that labourers can obtain allotments. 
 There is no doubt that in the Reformatory schools conducted 
 on the " farm system " we have precisely that control over a 
 child's education at a critical period of his life, viz., from 12 to 
 14 years of age, which is lost in elementary schools conducted 
 as at present. No doubt the education given at our Primary 
 schools fits a boy to be a clerk, but is the country in need of 
 clerks ? Do we not require more productive labour ? The old 
 notion that it is gentlemanly to be a clerk, and degrading to be 
 a workman, is dying slowly. Mr. James Scotson, headmaster of 
 one of the largest schools in the north of England, the other 
 day remarked : " I have had considerable experience both of 
 parents and scholars, and I find a great many parents are 
 beginning to see that competition among clerks is much keener 
 than in any other field of work. If ever the dignity of hand 
 labour is to be thoroughly recognised, we must begin at our 
 elementary schools, by showing that it is as honourable and as 
 useful to use a tool as a pen, in connection with our elementary 
 education." The country greatly needs a better class of work- 
 men, who will strive to turn out the best possible quality of 
 work. A comparison was made at a public meeting at Man- 
 chester between the two characters by Mr. F. Smith, an 
 architect. " If," said Mr. Smith, " I met two young men in the 
 street, one with a tremendous thick stick and a cigarette, and 
 the other with a bag of tools in his hand ; if I were to take off 
 my hat to either of them, it would be to the man with the tools 
 in his hand." 
 
 On all sides educationalists are calling attention to the value 
 of physical training as a means of increasing the mental 
 capacity. Agricultural work is specially adapted for the lads of 
 our schools ; carried out judiciously, it should result in the 
 combination of a sound mind in a sound body. Physical 
 exercise in the open air will develop the one ; while the endless 
 variety of occupation and the subjects of interest connected 
 with it, wisely handled as a means of educating, will seldom fail 
 in producing the other. For a boy who will have to earn his 
 living by manual labour, the lessons to be learned on a farm or 
 garden will be always useful ; to such as emigrate they are 
 invaluable. A well-managed piece of land is one of the best 
 means of afi"ording technical instruction, and, when properly 
 utilised with that end in view, would certainly place the boys 
 trained on it in a position far in advance of labourers who had 
 had no similar advantages. Practical work by no means 
 
*7 
 
 interrupts or even retards elementary education. Where this has 
 been tried in industrial schools, masters have reported that no 
 difificulty is found in moving boys of ordinary capacity one 
 standard a year, even while devoting a large proportion of their 
 time to specific subjects directly bearing on their practical 
 training. In dull boys this practical training is the most useful 
 part of their education ; they do, under this system, learn to use 
 the faculties they are endowed with, instead of spending their 
 time in a vain endeavour to develop powers they do not possess. 
 There is no question as to the adaptability of farm labour as a 
 means of influencing the mind in the right direction. Among 
 those who have given any of their time to impartially studying 
 the question, there is a great preponderance of opinion in 
 favour of combining agricultural training with elementary 
 education. The experience gained in the reformatories and the 
 results attained should help much to guide us in formulating 
 and adopting any system of technical education for the children 
 of the working classes. In these industrial schools the least 
 promising portion of the community are dealt with, but the 
 results are extraordinary. 
 
 Of course it does not necessarily follow that book-work in 
 rural elementary schools should be restricted to three hours a 
 day, as it is in reformatories, but at the same time there is no 
 doubt that the principle of the half-time system, which has been 
 advocated by many for more than a quarter of a century, is the 
 right one, and its success with comparatively young children in 
 the industrial schools is very striking. By the adoption of such 
 a system in rural elementary schools, boys would learn to use 
 their heads and hands in combination, and thus discharge their 
 duties intelligently, instead of mechanically. 
 
 There is no reason why the system of general instruction 
 pursued should not, from the earliest period of a child's 
 education, lead up to technical knowledge. For this purpose 
 the reading books used in primary schools, more especially 
 those in rural districts, should contain pieces on subjects likely 
 to be of use to the scholar in after-life. At present these books 
 contain, for the most part, mythical, fabulous, and poetical 
 matter, anything calculated to increase the child's power of, in 
 after-years, successfully meeting the competition of foreign 
 labour, is conspicuous by its absence. Surely it is a fact that 
 from the agricultural labourer upwards to the largest farmer, all 
 must either turn out the articles they produce at a cost enabling 
 them to sell as cheaply as the foreigner, or they must cease to 
 be producers ; it is not to be expected that the general body of 
 consumers will pay more for English produce than for the same 
 quality of foreign. There is also this other fact which is 
 equally true, that this country could produce a far greater 
 amount of food than it is now doing, and many times the 
 present number of people could find profitable employment on 
 the land. But to this end, more especially if small holdings are 
 to increase, the cultivators of the soil must start with some 
 knowledge of the art of husbandry. To commence the 
 
28 
 
 inculcation of this technical knowledge as early as possible, why 
 should not reading books in elementary schools contain pieces 
 in simple language on such subjects as animal and insect life on 
 the farm ; vegetation, distinguishing between weeds and cul- 
 tivated plants ; the cause of the seasons, etc. These and others 
 could well be found in reading books for Standards II. and III. 
 For Standard IV. the books should contain information on 
 these subjects of a more advanced kind and, in addition, 
 elementary botany ; the action of the different classes of soils 
 on vegetation ; how soils are formed, etc. At this period 
 (Standard IV.) should also be commenced the imparting of the 
 practical knowledge of cultivating the soil. For this purpose 
 every elementary school in rural districts should have a piece of 
 land attached to it, varying in size according to the number of 
 boys attending. A certain number of hours per week should be 
 spent in this school garden under the supervision of a properly- 
 qualified instructor. There is no reason why all elementary 
 school masters should not be possessed of the necessary 
 knowledge to instruct in the principles of cultivating the soil 
 and the use of tools. It is obvious that a greater portion of 
 time should be spent in this way in summer than in winter. 
 During the latter period or at any other time when it is not 
 possible to work in the open, instruction should be given in 
 some other useful branch, such as carpentry, a knowledge of 
 which is required as much on a farm as anywhere. 
 
 It may be mentioned that in France there are thirty thousand 
 primary schools with pieces of land attached to them for 
 educational purposes, and in these, practical instruction in 
 cultivating the soil commences at nine years of age ; also all 
 teachers have to pass in agriculture previous to appointment. 
 
 After a boy has passed the fourth standard, or has received 
 instruction in the school garden for twelve months, he should 
 be allowed to obtain employment on the half-time system. As 
 a matter of convenience, it would be better for one portion of 
 the " half-timers " to attend school in the morning, and the 
 other in the afternoon. There is very little doubt that if this 
 system were carried out and parents found that their boys were 
 gaining useful, instead of useless, knowledge, they would not 
 take them from school at the earliest possible moment, as is 
 now generally the case. There are those who argue that the 
 age and standard at which children should be allowed to leave 
 school should be raised, but this is decidedly impracticable and 
 also unfair, as it would deprive parents of the six and more 
 shillings a week, which an intelligent lad can earn in rural 
 districts directly he leaves school at the age of 14. Lads over 
 this age could obtain further technical education at evening 
 classes. There is no doubt that in connection with the latter 
 the magic-lantern will come more and more into use to illustrate 
 lectures. The attendance at these evening classes, properly 
 organised and under the direction of a duly-qualified instructor, 
 should be made compulsory, say up to the age of 16 years, after 
 which those who wish should be allowed to continue their 
 
29 
 
 attendance. The question of fees will, of course, have to be 
 considered. As elementary education is now free, and the 
 evening classes would come at a time when the lad would be 
 earning wages, a small fee could be paid easily, and could be 
 demanded with justice. Further financial help might be 
 obtained by diverting some of the money squandered by school- 
 boards in the present useless system of cramming. 
 
 All evidence points to the fact that a complete system of 
 technical instruction should provide a fitting preparatory training 
 to the diff"erent classes of persons engaged in productive 
 industry. The programme of elementary, as well as of 
 secondary and higher education must be organised with refer- 
 ence to their different special requirements. If the demand for 
 technical instruction is to be fully satisfied, a great part of our 
 existing system of education must be reconstructed, and the 
 training in the schools be made a more fitting preparation for 
 the work of life than it is at present. 
 
30 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 The following will show how the 
 Taxation Act, 1890, has been appropri 
 
 new fund under the Local 
 ated : — 
 
 County Council. 
 
 Apportionment 
 of the £743,200. 
 
 Amount granted for one year 
 
 to Agricultural Technical 
 
 Education. 
 
 
 £ 
 
 £ 
 
 Bedford - - - - 
 
 4.343 
 
 1,650 
 
 Berks 
 
 6,478 
 
 1.730 
 
 Buckingham - - - 
 
 5,372 
 
 ml. 
 
 Cambridge - - - 
 
 3.379 
 
 2,240 
 
 Cheshire - - - - 
 
 17.576 
 
 4.050 
 
 Cornwall - - - - 
 
 6,282 
 
 750 
 
 Cumberland - - - 
 
 5.786 
 
 900 
 
 Derby ----- 
 
 10,924 
 
 no return. 
 
 Devon ----- 
 
 14. 547 
 
 nil. 
 
 Dorset ----- 
 
 6.195 
 
 5.300 
 
 Durham - - - - 
 
 16,399 
 
 no return. 
 
 Essex ----- 
 
 21,225 
 
 (about) 2,000 
 
 Gloucester (County) 
 
 17,456 
 
 700 
 
 Hereford - - - - 
 
 4.877 
 
 375 
 
 Hertford - - - - 
 
 6,492 
 
 340 
 
 Huntingdon - - - 
 
 1,942 
 
 nil. 
 
 Kent ----- 
 
 22,962 
 
 (about) 5,000 
 
 Lancashire - - - 
 
 87.977 
 
 9.250 
 
 Leicester - - - - 
 
 7,612 
 
 300 
 
 Lincoln - - - - 
 
 12,403 
 
 nil. 
 
 London - - - - 
 
 163,192 
 
 nil. (aU to rates) 
 
 Middlesex- - - - 
 
 20,889 
 
 nil. (all to rates) 
 
 Norfolk - - - - 
 
 10,759 
 
 1,500 
 
 Northampton (Co.) - 
 
 6,641 
 
 No fixed sum, a few lectures 
 on dairying only having been 
 
 Northumberland- - 
 
 10,972 
 
 no return, [given. 
 
 Nottingham (Co.) - 
 
 9.356 
 
 435 
 
 Oxford (Co.) - - - 
 
 5,710 
 
 1.314 
 
 Rutland - - - - 
 
 706 
 
 400 
 
 Salop ----- 
 
 6,543 
 
 1,300 
 
 Somerset - - - - 
 
 13.994 
 
 1,000 
 
 Stafford - - - - 
 
 20,196 
 
 Two lecturers appointed, but 
 no special sum set apart. 
 
 Suffolk (East) - - 
 
 4,772 
 
 250 
 
 (West) - - 
 
 2,142 
 
 890 
 
 Surrey ----- 
 
 18,304 
 
 3.150 
 
 Sussex (East) - - 
 
 10,949 
 
 Under consideration. 
 
 „ (West) - - 
 
 3.455 
 
 >. .» 
 
 Warwick - - - - 
 
 19,142 
 
 nil. 
 
 Westmoreland - - 
 
 1,638 
 
 750 
 
 Wilts 
 
 9.253 
 
 3.000 
 
 Worcester- - - - 
 
 9,696 
 
 1,000 
 
 York (East) - - - 
 
 7.306 
 
 1,300 
 
 „ (North)- - - 
 
 7.326 
 
 nil. 
 
 ., (West)- - - 
 
 47.04s 
 
 1,500 
 
31 
 
 In addition to the foregoing information in the third column, 
 which is the result of direct inquiries made to the various clerks 
 of County Councils, the writer has also been favoured with the 
 following further details of the manner in which it is intended 
 to spend the sum granted in aid of agricultural education. 
 
 In Cumberland the amount is divided as follows: ;!^3oo for 
 salary and expenses of a peripatetic lecturer in agriculture ; 
 ;^40o, salaries and expenses of migratory dairy school ; ;^2oo, 
 expenses of two classes in agricultural science for elementary 
 school teachers. 
 
 In Dorsetshire the County Council has a very elaborate 
 scheme before them, which reflects great credit on the com- 
 mittee and organising secretary who are responsible for it. 
 This was presented to the County Council early last November. 
 The proposed annual grants in aid of agricultural technical 
 education are : University extension lectures, ;^i,ooo ; dairy 
 instruction, ;^Soo ; plant for dairy school, ;^32o ; scholarships 
 at cheese schools, ^378 ; to secondary schools for providing 
 plant and apparatus, establishing or perfecting agricultural sides 
 to such schools, ;^i,soo; scholarships to enable boys from 
 elementary schools to proceed to secondary schools as above, 
 £^S^f si^d ;^8oo for manual instruction which includes agricul- 
 tural engineering, sheep-shearing, hedging and ditching, working 
 of allotments and cottage gardens, budding and pruning, etc. 
 In this scheme the grant for manual instruction is too small ; 
 it would be an improvement if ;^5oo were taken from the 
 extension lectures and the amount added to the manual 
 instruction fund. 
 
 The Essex County Council have a scheme under considera- 
 tion, the principal points of which are that ;i^5oo be given for 
 instruction in manual work and domestic economy; ;!^i,ooo for 
 lectures on farriery and mechanics and towards establishing a 
 dairy school ; and ;!^50 for lectures on bee-keeping. 
 
 In Hertfordshire the small sum has been chiefly expended 
 in holding dairy classes for about ten days at the chief towns, 
 but this county not being a dairy one they were only sparsely 
 attended. The question of further grants for agriculture is now 
 being considered. 
 
 The Lancashire County Council has granted the sum of 
 ^1,250 for migratory dairy schools ; ^2,000 for lectures and 
 scholarships; and /'6, 000 has been allotted to the rural districts, 
 the greater portion of which will be expended in carrying on 
 classes in subjects relating to agriculture. 
 
 In Leicestershire the grant has been devoted to giving 
 lectures on dairying. 
 
 In Nottinghamshire the County Council has granted £']s for 
 expenses connected with lectures on practical agriculture; / 160 
 for lectures on agricultural chemistry; _^2oo, elementary school- 
 masters' scholarships in agriculture. 
 
 The County Council of Rutland has devoted /'no for 
 combined lessons in butter-making and cookery, and has set 
 apart /^zyo more for purposes in this direction. 
 
32 
 
 In Somersetshire _^ 1, 000 has been given for dairy instruction, 
 and the additional sum to be given to general agricultural 
 education depends upon the reports of various local sub- 
 committees. 
 
 The East Suffolk authorities have done nothing at present, 
 but give ploughing prizes. 
 
 Surrey has granted ^^500 for dairy- work ; ^2,500 for agri- 
 cultural sciences; /'iSo, agricultural manual work; it is also 
 intended to give certain scholarships, but these are at present 
 undetermined. 
 
 The County Council of Worcestershire has given their grant 
 entirely to the Worcestershire Chamber of Agriculture, pre- 
 sumably to spend in aid of agricultural education in what 
 manner they think fit. 
 
 The Wiltshire Council has granted /'700 for dairy schools, 
 the remainder to lectures on various agricultural subjects. 
 
 In Yorkshire (W.R.) the grant is divided into /^i56 for dairy 
 schools; /'844, extension lectures; £<^o, scholarships; £1^0 
 railway fares of teachers; £100, experimental plots. 
 
 Also several County Councils have granted sums for cookery, 
 laundry work, and domestic economy in rural districts, notably, 
 Dorsetshire ;^9oo, Wiltshire £100, Lancashire ;^iooo, Rutland 
 £i'io, combined with butter-making. This is, of course, for the 
 female portion of the rural population, and although not strictly 
 agricultural education, is worthy of consideration in connection 
 with it. especially cookery, as there is very little doubt that in 
 many agricultural labourers' homes there is as much food wasted 
 by bad cooking as the majority of the peasants on the continent 
 of Europe have to live upon. 
 
 Those County Councils which have adopted the most com- 
 plete schemes, appear to have appointed organising secretaries 
 with a special committee composed of C.C.'s, who have again 
 appointed local sub-committees, the latter being composed of 
 others besides the C.C.'s for the different districts. 
 
 The great fault of nearly all County Councils is that sufficient 
 attention is not given to the importance of creating better work- 
 men by means of manual instruction, so as to make it worth the 
 while of occupiers of land to pay a sufficiently high wage to 
 counteract the attractions of town life. 
 
 The necessity of founding agricultural school-farms appears 
 to have been entirely overlooked. The want of these is one of 
 the great drawbacks to rural life. 
 
 However, upon the whole, we are progressing in the right 
 direction ; perfection will not, of course, be attained to at once, 
 mistakes and a more or less waste of money have already taken 
 place, but so long as county councillors keep the idea of 
 securing the maximum amount of technical instruction, in its 
 truest sense, to the rural population, with a minimum of 
 unnecessary expense, before them, they will, no doubt, in time 
 arrive at a satisfactory solution of the problem ; bearing in mind 
 that no one is entitled to give technical instruction in agriculture 
 unless he combines scientific knowledge and a thoroughly 
 
33 
 
 practical acquaintance with the mechanical — whether performed 
 by man or machine — work on a farm. 
 
 It will be noted that several County Councils have given 
 nothing for the purpose of agricultural education, it is to be 
 hoped that a different state of things will exist after next March. 
 
 In those counties which have "no return" against them, the 
 various clerks have refused to grant the information asked for 
 by means of reply postcards. 
 
 APPENDIX B. 
 
 Approximate cost of establishing and carrying on a school- 
 farm suitable for supplying technical instruction in agriculture 
 to farmers' sons and others — 
 
 Capital Account. £ 
 
 (i) Cost of purchasing a 200-acre farm, with house and 
 
 buildings on it, at £20 per acre ------- 4,000 
 
 Cost of providing acccommodation for masters and, say, 
 
 40 resident pupils, also lecture room, workshops, etc. 2,000 
 
 Furniture, fittings, etc. -- 700 
 
 Cost of stocking the farm, implements, live stock, and 
 
 working capital, at £10 per acre - 2,000 
 
 (say ;^9.ooo) 8,700 
 
 (1) A great many farms have been sold during the past few years for half 
 this sum per acre. 
 
 Yearly expenses, over and above those necessary for working 
 the land as an ordinary farm — 
 
 Salaries of teaching staff: £ - -- 
 
 Principal - - - - 200, with house and board. 
 Assistant - - - - 70, „ board and lodging. 
 
 i> _ _ _ - ^o, ,, ,, ,, ,, 
 
 Dairy instructress - 40, ,, ,, „ ,, 
 
 Assistant ,, - 25, ,, ,, ,, >) 
 
 Workshop instructor 80, find own board, etc. 
 
 £ 
 
 465 46s 
 
 Board and washing for, say, 40 persons at 15s. per 
 
 week each ------------ 1,560 
 
 Interest on extra capital, ;^3,ooo, at 5 per cent. - - 150 
 
 Prizes and incidentals ---------- 100 
 
 2,27s 
 Deduct for saving in board, etc., during holidays - - 150 
 
 Yearly expenses £%y\xi 
 
34 
 
 Probable yearly income — £i 
 
 There should be no difficulty in obtaining lo per cent, 
 on the capital cost of purchasing and stocking the 
 farm, which on £b,ooo would give ----- 600 
 Fees from pupils : £ 
 
 30 residents, at an average of £ 25 each 750 
 10 out-pupils, at ^10 ------ 100 850 
 
 £ ^^1.450 
 
 Expenditure - - 2,125 
 Income - - - 1,450 
 
 /'675 — deficit to be supplied by State aid 
 and subscriptions. 
 
 Perhaps State aid would be best given by finding the capital 
 in the first instance, leaving any deficiency in income to be 
 supplied by agriculture itself. This latter could easily be 
 accomplished by diverting some of the money spent in agricul- 
 tural shows. The establishment should be under the control of 
 a board consisting of two persons appointed by the Board of 
 Agriculture, two by the Royal Agricultural Society of England* 
 (provided this society assists financially), and two to be elected 
 by the votes of owners or occupiers of agricultural land 
 exceeding half-an-acre in extent, owned or occupied in the 
 county or district where the school-farm is established. 
 
 The principal should be over 35 years of age, have spent 
 three years at an approved agricultural college, hold the diploma 
 of Royal Agricultural Society of England or of the Highland 
 and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and the B.Sc. in Agriculture, 
 Edinburgh. He should also have been actually engaged for at 
 least five years in practical farming, since leaving college. He 
 will have entire control of the management of the farm, buying 
 and selling live stock, etc., in addition to the school. Of course 
 under him there will be a good bailiff. 
 
 The first assistant-master should be fully qualified to instruct 
 in botany, geology, general and agricultural chemistry, and 
 animal physiology. The second should be capable of giving 
 instruction in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, land-surveying, 
 levelling, mensuration, agricultural mechanics, steam-engine 
 management, etc. 
 
 The dairy instructress should hold a first-class certificate, and 
 should have been engaged in the management of a dairy for at 
 least three years. 
 
 The workshop instructor should be capable of performing all 
 kinds of forge-work, including tempering, taking to pieces, and 
 refitting machinery, etc. An efficient carpenter and wheeler 
 should be employed to give instruction in his department. 
 Both these persons could fill up their time by repairing 
 machinery, etc., for neighbouring farmers, and would thereby 
 add to the revenue of the establishment. 
 
 * Or Scotland or Ireland, as the case may be. 
 
35 
 
 Regulations in connection with resident pupils — 
 
 No pupil to be admitted under the age of 14. 
 
 Pupils under 16 years of age to pay a fee of ^^25 per annum. 
 Over 16 years of age, to be divided into two classes, as regards 
 fees only. 
 
 I. Those willing to occupy the position of apprentices taking 
 part in all the work of the farm, to pay a fee of £10 per annum. 
 
 II. Those who will not be compelled to perform any actual 
 work, but who will be under the same regulations in other 
 respects, to pay a fee of ^^50 per annum. 
 
 Out-pupils — 
 
 Over 14 and under 16 years of age, ^^5 per annum. Over 16 
 years, £"1$ per annum. 
 
 Credit has not been taken in the above figures for the value 
 of work performed by apprentices. 
 
 Evening classes could be arranged for persons over 25 years 
 of age. 
 
 There are many other minor details necessary to be taken 
 into account in connection with a scheme of this kind, these, 
 however, need not be set forth here. 
 
 APPENDIX C, 
 
 State aid to agricultural technical education, and fees paid 
 by pupils in Continental schools — 
 
 Fees, Cost to State per 
 
 Germany : per annum. pupil per annum. 
 
 High School of Agriculture, jf £ 
 
 Berlin ------ 7 100 
 
 Other higher agricultural 
 
 schools, 12 in all - - - 7 to 9 65 to 75 
 
 Intermediate and lower - - 5 10 to 15 
 
 Dairy schools -----7 to 18 10 
 
 France : 
 u / Institut Agronomique - 12 105 
 
 %. J Grignon ----- 48 (including board, etc.) 80 
 
 ^ \ Grand Jouan - - - - 40 „ „ 92 
 
 ^ V Montpellier - - - - 40 ,, ,, 72 
 
 Intermediate schools - - 2 to 15 30 
 
 Lower - - Fees nominal, pupils work on farm 10 and 
 
 salaries of staff 
 Special schools, forestry, etc. 20 to 30 (includ- Total cost to 
 
 ing board) State, ;^i 5,000 
 Denmark : per annum 
 
 Agricultural and Veterinary 
 
 College ----- Free 30 
 
 Farm-schools 35s. to 40s. per week, 
 
 including board, etc., 
 
 pupils working on farm i to 2 
 
36 
 
 Belgium : £ 
 
 Institut Agricole - - - - 28 (including board) 60 
 
 Horticultural School- - - 4 to 8 55 
 State aid is also given to experimental stations. 
 
 Netherlands : 
 
 Rykslandbonw School - - 6 50 
 
 State Agricultural School - 40 (includ- State supplies 
 
 ing board) entire defficiency 
 
 Lower schools - - - - 20 95 
 
 APPENDIX D. 
 
 Districts where agricultural 
 number of students, for the year 
 the Science and Art Department 
 
 No. of 
 
 Bedfordshire. Students 
 
 Bedford 6 
 
 Potton 8 
 
 Berkshire. 
 Reading 6 
 
 Buckinghamshire. 
 Nil. 
 
 Cambridgeshire. 
 
 Cambridge 10 
 
 Willingham 15 
 
 Cheshire. 
 
 Crewe 20 
 
 Cornwall. 
 
 Camborne 12 
 
 Helston 10 
 
 Liskeard 20 
 
 Cumberland. 
 
 Carlisle 12 
 
 Derbyshire. 
 
 Bradwell 20 
 
 Chesterfield 12 
 
 Clay Cross 20 
 
 Lea 12 
 
 New Mills 20 
 
 Devonshire. 
 
 Barnstaple 8 
 
 Crediton 10 
 
 Exeter 6 
 
 Plymouth 17 
 
 Dorsetshire. 
 
 Bridport 22 
 
 Charminster 14 
 
 Giliingham 4 
 
 Sturminster 8 
 
 science classes were held, with 
 ending 1890, in connection with 
 , South Kensington — 
 
 No. of 
 Durh am . Students. 
 
 Blaydon-on-Tyne . . . . 15 
 
 Crook 10 
 
 South Shields 27 
 
 Stockton-on-Tees . . . . 30 
 
 Sunderland 40 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Canning Town .. .. 25 
 
 Chelmsford 70 
 
 Stratford 16 
 
 Gloucestershire. 
 
 Cheltenham 20 
 
 Gloucester 30 
 
 Sydney 20 
 
 Hampshire. 
 
 Purbrook 12 
 
 Herefordshire. 
 Nil. 
 
 Hertfordshire. 
 
 Barnet 25 
 
 Huntingdonshire. 
 Nil. 
 
 Kent. 
 
 Canterbury 10 
 
 Chatham 10 
 
 Deptford 50 
 
 Rochester 6 
 
 Swanley 40 
 
 Sydenham 20 
 
 Tunbridge Wells . . . . 10 
 
 Woolwich 20 
 
 Yalding 20 
 
37 
 
 No. of 
 
 Lancashire. Students. 
 
 Cranshawbooth . . . . 30 
 
 Faringdon 10 
 
 Heaton Chapel . . . . 50 
 
 Lytham . , . . . . . . 10 
 
 Middleton 25 
 
 New Hay 8 
 
 Preston zo 
 
 Rochdale 8 
 
 Ulverston 12 
 
 Walsden 12 
 
 Leicestershire. 
 
 Lullerworth 20 
 
 Lincolnshire. 
 
 Grantham 15 
 
 Lincoln 12 
 
 Moulton 6 
 
 Stamford 8 
 
 Middlesex. 
 
 Chancery Lane . . . . 50 
 
 Hackney 40 
 
 Hammersmith .. .. 12 
 
 London Wall 50 
 
 Mile End 10 
 
 Moorfields 25 
 
 Notting Hill 6 
 
 Paddington 8 
 
 Regent Street 12 
 
 Strand 60 
 
 Tottenham 15 
 
 Waltham Green . . : 36 
 
 Monmouthshire. 
 
 Abertilly 10 
 
 Tredegar 15 
 
 Norfolk. 
 
 Necton 12 
 
 Norwich 32 
 
 Northamptonshire . 
 
 Brackley 18 
 
 Kettering 10 
 
 Oundle 24 
 
 Northumberland. 
 
 Newcastle-on-Tyne . . 5 
 
 No. of 
 Nottinghamshire. Students. 
 
 Eastwood 40 
 
 Oxfordshire. 
 
 Witney 10 
 
 Salop. 
 
 Cleobury Mortimer . . 20 
 
 Madeley iz 
 
 Somersetshire. 
 
 Radstock 6 
 
 Staffordshire. 
 
 Wolverhampton . . . . 8 
 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Gorleston 12 
 
 Surrey. 
 
 Croydon 20 
 
 Newington 30 
 
 Peckham 30 
 
 Sussex. 
 
 Brighton . , . . . . . ,. 32 
 
 Warwickshire. 
 Nil. 
 
 Westmoreland. 
 Nil. 
 
 Wiltshire. 
 
 Salisbury 2 
 
 Worcestershire. 
 
 Dudley 6 
 
 Yorkshire. 
 
 Bradford 30 
 
 Calverley 6 
 
 Easingwold 7 
 
 Elland 6 
 
 Great Ayton . . " . . . . 35 
 
 Hebden Bridge . . . . 8 
 
 Hull 78 
 
 Ilkley 20 
 
 Middlesborough . . . . 24 
 
 North Cowton . . . . 20 
 
 Sheffield 60 
 
 Skelton 7 
 
 Skipton 15 
 
 North Wales — 8 classes, with 92 students. 
 South Wales — 11 „ ,, 178 ,, 
 
 Scotland — 84 ,, „ 1733 ,, 
 Ireland —73 „ „ 5669 
 
 Total number of students of agriculture in the United King- 
 dom in connection with the Science and Art Department — 9750. 
 
38 
 APPENDIX E, 
 
 Speech by the Right Hon. W, E. Gladstone, M.P. 
 
 The following is a portion of a speech made by Mr. 
 Gladstone at Chester on the occasion of the show of the Royal 
 Agricultural Society of England in the year 1858, which is 
 worthy of notice in connection with the necessity for education 
 if the best results are to be obtained from farming ; and also 
 with regard to the importance of agriculture as an industry. 
 It is taken from the Mark Lane Express, of November 24th, 
 1890, the Editor of which, before republishing, sent a proof to 
 Mr. Gladstone, who, in returning it. sent this in reply : — 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " It cannot be otherwise than a pleasure to me if you 
 deem a speech of mine touching upon agriculture, and now 
 thirty-two years old, worthy of reproduction m your columns. 
 
 " I had then and have now a high sense both of the 
 difficulty and the dignity of the agricultural calling. I rejoice 
 that the severe pressure of late years has neither destroyed, nor, 
 as far as I can see, impaired the union between occupiers and 
 landlords ; and I rejoice to think that the cultivators of the soil 
 are improving their position as compared with that of a short 
 time back. We have all, in all callings, much to learn from 
 misfortune, which teaches us to husband, not to waste, our 
 resources, and to be ever on the watch for suggestions and 
 opportunities of improvement. 
 
 I have the honour to be. Sir, 
 
 Your faithful servant, 
 Hawarden, W. E. Gladstone. 
 
 November 17th, 1890." 
 
 The Speech. 
 
 " I have the honour to propose to you as a toast, a society 
 
 founded under the highest auspices This society is so 
 
 founded, and so combines the universal suffrages of the country, 
 because it is directed to such a purpose as that of promoting 
 the most essential and the most venerable among all the arts 
 that furnish material for the industry of man. Whatever else 
 may come, and whatever else may go, this at least we know that 
 no vicissitude of time or change can move agriculture from the 
 position it has ever held, and ever must hold until the last day 
 in the crack of doom itself. .... We must not suppose that 
 because it is an ancient art, and one that has been prosecuted 
 in its simplest forms, it is, therefore, otherwise than an art 
 which, of all others, perhaps, affords the most varied scope and 
 the largest sphere of development to the powers of the human 
 mind. And it is most essential, if indeed it be true, as true it 
 is, that a large part of the national welfare hangs upon its 
 
39 
 
 prosperity, — it is most essential that you should have the best 
 and the most efficacious means of comparing its state in one 
 year with its state in another, of recording for future encourage- 
 ment the progress that has been achieved in the past ; and if 
 perchance a time should come when in any one of its branches 
 some partial failure should be perceived, that that failure should 
 be noted at the first moment when it becomes visible, in order 
 that the sense of the defeat may lead to its being at once 
 
 repaired Well, again, my lord, I will venture to give 
 
 another reason why I myself, an uninstructed person, may 
 venture to feel a sentiment of gratitude to those who, in this 
 matter, give us the benefit of their instruction. If we look to 
 the trade of the farmer, it seems to me to stand distinguished 
 from all other trades, — not in the less, but in the greater amount 
 of the demand that it makes on his mental powers. In point 
 of fact, if we are to regard the farmer as an isolated man, he 
 has got to struggle with everything. He ought to understand 
 something of the universe in which he lives, and more or less 
 of many sciences that fall within the range of human intellect. 
 He ought to be profound in meteorology ; he ought to be a 
 consummate chemist ; he ought to have a knowledge of birds 
 and animals, as scarcely a lifetime could acquire. He ought to 
 be a mechanist of the first order ; and, in point of fact, there is 
 no end to the accomplishments which the individual farmer, to 
 be a good farmer, if he stand alone, ought to possess. And if 
 I take the case of two men setting out in life with a moderate 
 capital at command — say, two men who have ;^S,ooo each to 
 dispose of, and the question being whether they are to enter 
 into an ordinary trade, or whether they are to enter into the 
 business of farming, I say that the man who takes ;^5,ooo to 
 stock a farm, which is let to him as a tenant farmer, will require 
 far more intelligence in order to enable him to properly 
 transact his business than if he opeu a shop in some street in a 
 great city." 
 

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