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tenant as a new holder. No action towards this end was taken by the landlord, and the Board therefore declared the let null and void under the provisions of Section 17 of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act, 1911, as amended by Section 12 of the Land Settlement (Scotland) Act, 1919. It was ascertained that the tenant was prepared to occupy the holding as a new holder, and the Board thereupon applied to the Scottish Land Court for an Order granting his registration accordingly. The Court appointed the application to be heard in November, but the diet was discharged owing to the death of the landlord.

In all the remaining cases the Board received assurances that the holdings would be relet under landholder's tenure to new holders or to existing landholders for the enlargement of their holdings.

As regards holdings occupied or formerly occupied by statutory small tenants, the Board were notified of three vacancies. In each case the holding was relet on lease.

The Board are aware that there is a tendency in certain areas to let on ordinary tenancy holdings which before becoming vacant were in the occupation of landholders. The main reason for this is, perhaps, that the landlords are faced with a difficulty in finding tenants who are in a position to relieve them of claims by outgoing holders for compensation in respect of permanent improvements. They are reluctant or unable to meet these claims themselves and thereafter to let the holdings at fair rents which cover both land and buildings. In spite of constant vigilance it is impossible for the Board to exercise completely and effectively the control vested in them by Sections 17 and 32 (3) of the Act of 1911, as they have no statutory means of obtaining information with regard to cases in which a landlord has neglected, whether deliberately or accidentally, to give the notice required by the Act. It is evident that the necessity for giving such notice is not appreciated in many cases. Moreover, when intimation of a vacancy has been received in a case in which the notice of renunciation accepted by the landlord is considerably less than the statutory period of one year, it is difficult for the Board, when faced with a request by the landlord for authority to let the holding outwith the Acts, to take effective steps in the limited time available with a view to securing a suitable tenant who would be prepared to take the holding on landholder's tenure. Notwithstanding these difficulties the Board are endeavouring to exercise their controlling function with regard to the reletting of statutory small holdings.

VI. AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

ENQUIRY INTO AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND. In view of the growing expenditure from public funds on agricultural education in recent years, it is particularly desirable that all possible steps should be taken to ensure that those engaged in the industry of agriculture are deriving the maximum

benefit from such expenditure. While the Departmental Committee which reported in 1925, and of which Lord Constable was Chairman, issued a most valuable and authoritative report, in which the whole system of Scottish agricultural education and research was reviewed, it has been felt that the report might with advantage be supplemented in one particular respect, viz., as to how far agricultural education reaches those actually engaged in farming or farm work, and is immediately effective in the improvement of farming practice. This subject appears to be one for detailed and personal enquiry throughout the College areas by an independent investigator who has had no responsibility with regard to the present system, and accordingly, acting with the approval of the Secretary of State, the Board approached Mr J. R. Campbell, late Assistant Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, with a view to securing his services for the purposes of the enquiry.

The Board are glad to be able to report that Mr Campbell has agreed to conduct an enquiry on the lines indicated above, and to report to them his conclusions together with any suggestions for improvements which he may formulate as a result of his investigations.

WORK OF THE COLLEGES.
GENERAL.

Reference was made in the Board's last Report to proposals for the revision of the scales of salaries of the staffs of the three Agricultural Colleges in Scotland. The cost of these proposals, if approved, would, in the absence of increased contributions towards the maintenance of the Colleges from other sources, have fallen on public funds, which already bear a very large proportion of the cost of the Colleges. The Treasury have pressed for increases in local contributions towards this service, with a view to State grants being progressively reduced until they represent two-thirds of the net cost of maintenance. Their Lordships agreed, however, that the salaries of the staffs of the Colleges might be revised during the financial year 1926-27 if increased contributions from local sources equivalent to the increased cost involved were obtained. The position was explained to the Governors of the Colleges by the Secretary of State in January 1926. During the year the Governors devoted a considerable amount of attention to this question, but at the end of the year the Treasury condition had not been satisfied.

Negotations have been continued with the Scottish Education Department regarding the admission to the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme of the county staffs and advisory staffs of the Agricultural Colleges. The Department have now acceded to the principle of the admission of members of these staffs, but have not agreed to record their past service for the purpose of the scheme, as was done in the case of members of the central staffs of the Colleges. The question of making financial provision

to permit of this past service being taken into account in connection with superannuation benefits was under consideration at the close of the year.

CENTRAL CLASSES.

The following table shows the attendance at the Central Classes of the three Agricultural Colleges during the academic year 1925-26, and the enrolments for 1926-27 :

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*The short course for farmers at the Edinburgh College extends over about five weeks in January and February of each year. The 1926 course was attended by 16 students.

Included 64 students in attendance at a Special Course for Creamery Managers.

In addition to the courses of instruction covered by the above table, the undernoted courses were also provided by the Colleges.

Courses in School Gardening, etc., for Certificated Teachers or for Students in Training.-At Aberdeen 16 students attended the class held during the Winter and Summer Sessions, while 40 certificated teachers attended the vacation class held in July. At Edinburgh 23 teachers attended a Saturday class, 13 a Rural Schools Vacation Course, and 19 a Vacation Course in Outdoor Occupations.

Dairy School, Kilmarnock.-The total number of students attending was 216. Of these, 91 attended the Junior or Senior Courses in Dairying, 69 the Special Four Weeks' Courses in Dairying in January and February, 16 the course for milk recorders, while 40 took other short courses.

Poultry School, Kilmarnock.-The total number of students was 71. Of these, 19 took the Junior Course, 16 the Senior Course, and 15 the Advanced Course, while 21 took shorter

courses.

Bee-Keeping and Horticultural Departments, Kilmarnock.Twelve students attended courses of instruction in bee-keeping, and eight attended courses of practical instruction in horticulture.

Total.

Craibstone School of Rural Domestic Economy.-The course which was held from January to June 1926 was attended by 17 students, while the course from July to December 1926 was attended by 23 students.

EXTENSION WORK.

In the following table statistics are given of the work done by members of the County Staffs of the Colleges during the year

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Under this scheme certain officers have been appointed at each College to investigate and give advice on problems of local importance.

Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture. Bacteriology.-A considerable amount of work was carried out during the year in connection with schemes for the improvement of the milk supply. Lectures were delivered at various centres, and a bulletin on the subject of clean milk production was published. A clean milk competition was carried out in Midlothian with the assistance of officials of the County Council.

The investigations in regard to the cultivation of lucerne, mentioned in previous Reports, were continued, particularly with reference to methods of inoculation, date of sowing, rate of seeding and varieties.

An investigation of the life cycle of Bacteria Amylobacter was begun.

Soils Advisory Work.-A considerable number of enquiries, especially in regard to lime requirement, were dealt with during the year. The experiments on liming and potash manuring which are being carried out in co-operation with the County Organisers were continued, and a joint sugar beet experiment on the same

lines was begun. The soil studies in connection with the hill pasture experiment on the College farm of Boghall were continued, as also was the study of the exchangeable bases of various types of soils from the College area. The phosphate relationships of the same types are being investigated and the potash problem and mineralogical composition will also be investigated. The department co-operated with the bacteriological officer in connection with the lucerne experiments.

The soil survey in East Lothian has been continued and a detailed map of part of the area has been prepared. A comparison has been made with the results obtained in the areas of the other two Colleges. The laboratory examination of the soil types mapped is being continued. The advisory officer attended a conference and field excursion in Hungary in August, and he visited some of the leading soil experiment stations in Germany, Holland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria.

West of Scotland Agricultural College.

Milk Utilisation.-An increasing amount of direct advisory work was done during the year. As a result of requests for advice special investigations were carried out into problems of oiliness in milk, deficient coagulating properties in milk for cheese-making, and deficiency in solids other than fat in the milk of certain farms. The bacteriological work in connection with three clean milk competitions conducted in the College area was undertaken by the department.

The inter-relation of temperature and acidity in the technique of cheddar cheese-making, and the effects of these on the yield and quality of the cured cheese, were investigated. Definite and conclusive results have been obtained which should prove of importance to the practical cheese-maker. Discoloration in cheddar cheese formed the subject of prolonged investigations, which are being continued. As was indicated in the Board's last Report, black discoloration in cheese has been shown to be due to contamination with lead.

Milk Production.-The investigations mentioned in the last Report were continued during 1926. Feeding trials were carried out in connection with the following problems :—the relative values of home-grown and various kinds of foreign beans, the relative values of silage and roots, the influence of methods of storage on the feeding value of roots, the influence of turning out cows to pasture on the yield and composition of milk, the salt requirements of the cow, and the effect on the milk yield of adding steamed bone flour to the ration. Several papers were published during the year.

Plant Husbandry.-Advice was given during the year in response to a considerable number of enquiries. Particular mention may be made of enquiries in connection with the occurrence of dry rot and bacterial rots of turnips in the southwest of Scotland.

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