THE O. A. C. REVIEW 'THE PROFESSION WHICH I HAVE EM I? RAC ED REQUIRES A KNOWLEDGE OF EVERYTHING” VOL XXXII JUNE 1920 No. 10 The Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Bv M. CumminG, B. A., B. S. A., L. L- D. THE Nova Scotia Agricultural main, the instruction given in the College at Truro was formally Science Building was confined to in¬ opened on February 5th, 1905, under struction to Normal School students. the Principalship of the writer. In 1893, a School of Horticulture Twenty years previously, in 1885, a was established in proximity to chair of Agriculture Acadia College in was established in Wolfville, being un¬ connection with the der the management Provincial N o r m a 1 of the Nova Scotia School at Truro, of Fruit Growers Asso¬ which Professor H. ciation. W. Smith, now Pro¬ Both of these fessor of Botany at schools did excel¬ the Agricultural Col¬ lent pioneer work. lege was the incum¬ Through their class bent. Three years rooms passed many later a farm, the men who have made nucleus of the pres¬ their influence felt ent College farm was on the farms of Nova purchased, and in Scotia, and a very 1892 there was add¬ considerable number ed to the farm build¬ who have distin¬ ings a building which guished themselves was then called the in professional Agri¬ School of Agricul¬ culture in various ture. This building parts of America. was destroyed by fire ,u: But the scope of each in 1898, and its place Principal N. S. A. C. school was limited was taken by a Sci¬ and it was therefore ence Building erected on the Normal decided to unite the two schools into School grounds in the centre of the a College of Agriculture at Truro. Town of Truro, about one mile dist¬ This was consummated in 1905 with ant from the Farm. During this the present writer as Principal, and period the farm was continued as a with Professor H. W. Smith, Prin¬ so called Model Farm, and hi the cipal of the School of Agriculture, 48-lr THE O. A. C. REVIEW and Professor F. C. Sears Principal Ontario, and other Agricultural Col¬ of the School of Horticulture, and leges as well. During the past four¬ their colleagues as members of the teen years those graduates who have staff of the newly founded Institu¬ continued their studies have in the tion. main gone to Macdonald and Guelph This College of Agriculture in¬ and it is with pardonable pride that augurated its work by a Short Course we have noted the high standing held during the first two weeks of which they have maintained at both February, 1905, in which were en¬ of these Institutions. In concluding rolled sixty-eight students. On our reference to this two year October 15th following, the first ses¬ course we may state that the time sion of the Regular Course was com¬ seems pretty nearly ripe for provid¬ menced with an enrollment of seven¬ ing a four year graduate Course. In teen students. Each succeeding year fact, if the adjoining Provinces of marked a steady growth in this new New Brunswick and Prince Edward College, until the year of 1913-14, Island, who now send a considerable immediately preceding the war, body of students to Truro, would when there was enrolled one hund¬ join in supporting the Institution red and fourteen students in the financially, we would be prepared to Regular Course, and three hundred immediately constitute a four year Course at Truro. and fifty students in the Short f Course. During the progress of the 2. Short Course for Men in Field war, the numbers * in attendance Husbandry, Animal Husbandry, were reduced more than half, but Horticulture, Dairying, Poultry, the present year, 1919-20, has seen Veterinary Science, etc. It is gen¬ the Institution fully restored to its erally agreed that no ocher work banner position of 1914. conducted at the College has so The following Courses are now largely influenced the agriculture of conducted at the Nova Scotia Agri¬ Eastern Canada as the instruction cultural College: given this Short Course, which is 1. The Regular Two Year Course, held annually during the early part equivalent in scope and character to of January. Commencing with an the two year course at such Cana¬ inaugural attendance of sixty-eight, dian Colleges as Guelph and Mac¬ the enrolment of this Course gradu¬ donald. A four year degree course ally grew to three hundred and fifty has not yet been provided, mainly and there have been intermittent for the reason that the primary aim attendances as high as five hundred. of the Nova Scotia College is to pre¬ 3. Short Course for Ladies in pare its students for life work on Domestic Science, Dairying, Horti¬ the farm, for which purpose it is culture and Poultry. A complete thought a two year course is best Domestic Science School for Women suited, but also for the reason that has not yet been established, al¬ the fifteen per cent, of its students though the necessary class rooms who desire to continue their agri¬ and equipment are available. How¬ cultural education find ample and ever, a Short Course of two weeks satisfactory opportunities at Mac¬ duration has been held annually donald College, Quebec, at Guelph, since the opening of the Institution, THE O. A. C. REVIEW 485 with an average attendance of from ly one hundred and twenty-five re¬ fifty to seventy-five. It is in mind turned soldiers, the majority of that this Short Course will shortly whom have taken an eight months be developed into a more preten¬ Course, have enrolled in this Spe¬ tious and extended Course. cial Course. 4. Three Dairy Short Courses The equipment of the College con¬ as follows: sists of five buildings used for in¬ Two weeks for Creamery Men; struction and investigation purpos¬ two weeks for Cheese Makers and es, described respectively as the two weeks for Milk Testers. These Main Building, The Science Build¬ special Dairy Courses are financial¬ ing, The Horticultural Building, The ly supported by the Departments of Dairy Building and the Live Stock Agriculture of the three Maritime Judging Pavillion. Plans are in mind Provinces and it is hoped that out for the addition of further buildings of these will shortly develop a as opportunity arises. The property “Maritime Dairy School.” owned by the Institution consists of 5. Rural Science School for some four hundred and twenty-five Teachers conducted in affiliation acres of land, of which three hund¬ with the Provincial Normal College. red and eighty are operated for This Rural Science School is held arable and pasture purposes by the during the months of July and Aug¬ Farm Department, thirty for gard¬ ust each year so organized that ening and fruit growing purposes by school teachers of the Province may the Horticultural Department, the in three vacation periods complete balance being occupied by the cam¬ the Course of instruction and obtain pus and the Poultry Department. a Rural Science diploma. As an al¬ In the earlier years of the history ternative, qualified students of the of the College, the greatest atten¬ Normal College may enter the Rural tion was paid to the development Science classes in May and obtain of a strong Live Stock Department the Rural Science diploma at the in which the College management completion of the school in August. takes great pride. Gradually, how¬ The Rural Science School is under ever, the Biology, Chemical, Horti¬ the Superintendence of L. A. De- cultural and Dairy together with the Wolfe, Director of Rural Education English and Mathematics Depart¬ for the Province of Nova Scotia. ments have been strengthened giv¬ Its aim is to teach nature study and ing the Institution a well balanced the sciences related to Agriculture character. to the teachers of the Province, so The College is maintained by ap¬ that they in turn may develop this propriations from the Provincial branch of education in the schools Government of Nova Scotia, supple¬ of the Province. The average attend¬ mented by funds provided by the ance at the school has been consid¬ Dominion Agricultural Instruction erably over one hundred. Act. The Dairy Short Courses are 6. Since October, 1918, a Special supported equally by the Govern¬ Course for returned soldiers has ments of Prince Edward Island, New been conducted and will be contin¬ Brunswick and Nova Scotia. No ued for another year. Approximate¬ tuition is charged to students except 486 THE O. A. C. REVIEW such as come from foreign countries, es. However, in a comparatively but the saving to students from this small Province we believe that the is fully offset by the fact that there advantages quite surpass the disad¬ are no College Dormitories and that vantages. Certainly the system they have to obtain board in private brings every member of the College homes in the Town of Truro at pre¬ staff in close contact with actual vailing boarding house rates. If the farm conditions and it is reasonable Provinces of New Brunswick and to suppose that the instruction given Prince Edward Island were to join by men who have to administer with Nova Scotia and support a Creameries and Model Orchards and Maritime Agricultural College at Demonstration Fields and Poultry Truro, consideration would have to Plants and Spraying Experiments, be given to the erection of Dormit¬ etc., under ordinary farm conditions ories as well as to the extending of should give a practical turn to their the Course to four years as discuss¬ lectures which might otherwise be ed in a foregoing part of this arti¬ missed.