That, I think, was the commencement, but it did not proceed
entirely upon right lines, for in those days the grants were
made solely as the result of a written examination held in
May of each year. The syllabus was absurdly easy ; it
could be " got up " by any teacher who wished to increase
his grant thereby. The climax was reached when flourishing
classes were held and large grants earned in the principles of
agriculture in such places as the City Road, London. After
about twenty years the absurdity of the situation was
realised ; the subject was dropped, and a change was made
in the syllabus. The next stage in agricultural education
was the Committee, presided over by Sir Richard Paget,
whose name is well-known throughout the West country ;
and the result was the grants which are administered by my
Department, and as to which I shall have a word or two to
say presently. Concurrently with this were started evening
classes in the principles of agriculture ; and there was also a
great development in the number and efficiency of the
classes dealing with chemistry and other sciences upon which
agricultural practice largely depends. This shows how



10

there are indirect ways in which a sound, general education
may tend to improve the standard of technical knowledge in
such an industry as agriculture. But what really gave the
greatest stimulus of all to agricultural education was the
passing of the Local Taxation (Customs and Excise) Act,
and the handing over of what is vulgarly known as " the
whisky money " to the local authorities of England. It was,
I think, somewhat unfortunate that the local authorities had
not time to prepare themselves for this sudden accretion
to their funds. You will recollect that it was the intention
of the Government of the day to apply the money to the
purchase of licences of public-houses, but during the passage
of the Bill through the House of Commons it was altered,
and a very large sum of money — which amounts, I think,
now to something like £90,000 a year — has been devoted
from that fund to the agricultural education of the country.
