98 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 29, 1913. 



desirable, and would, it is believed, be welcomed by 

 that institution. The usefulness of such a course is 

 obvious, both in matters of training and research, 

 whilst it is felt that the work of the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture has largely paved the way for 

 a Tropical Agricultural University and afifords 

 a nucleus around which it will be convenient to build. 

 The Imperial Department of Agriculture has for some 

 years been carrying on work of a kind that will find 

 expression in the University, and has .acquired stores 

 of knowledge and experience that will enable work to 

 be carried forward efficiently in the early stages and 

 will minimize many of the difficulties incidental to 

 pioneer work. By its association with much of the 

 agricultural work of the West Indies, the Imperial 

 Department of Agi'iculture is in touch with many 

 problems of immediate interest which present valua- 

 ble material for purposes of study and instruction and, 

 from the fact that its range of interests embraces many 

 islands havintr most diverse conditions, it will enable 

 a wide range of subjects to be brought under the 

 notice of students. 



In a small degree the Imperial Dej)artment of 

 Agriculture has already been fulfilling some of the 

 functions of teaching and training which it is now 

 desired toe.xtend and place on a more adequate footing, 

 and it would require but a moderate amount ot assist- 

 ance in order to enable this Department to co operate 

 in carrying on the early work of the University of 

 Tropical Agriculture whereby the foundations of an 

 adequate institution might be laid from which vigor- 

 ous and far-reaching developments would be looked for. 



There would appear to be ample scope for the 

 work of an Agricultural University in the tropics of 

 the Western World. The interests of the West Indies, 

 of C3ntral and South America and of West Africa 

 could be served by it, and as regards a location, no 

 other place offers better advantage than the West 

 Indies whether regarded from the point of view of 

 accessibility or of wealth of material for purposes of 

 teaching and study: thus we have ready to hand the 

 nucleus and the right environment: it only remains to 

 provide the required stimulus to start growth and 

 development. 



In supporting the suggestion appearing in Nature* 

 that the West Indies affords a suitable site for the effort 

 contemplated, stress may be laid upon the great 

 interest and diversity of the industries of the 

 region and of the conditions in which they are carried 



* January 30, l'J13. 

 + Feliruaiy 14, 1913. 



on. Most tropical industries are exemplified, including 

 sugar, cacao, coco-nuts, rubber, cotton, fruit, spices and 

 many other crops, whilst the surroundings in which 

 these industries are carried on are of an extremely diver- 

 sified character promoting valuable features for purposes 

 of instruction. Owing to the extremely diverse nature of 

 the local plant (tests and diseases, around which so much 

 attention centres in tropical agriculture, most interest- 

 ing material is provided for study and training. Hence 

 without doubt it may be said that a well equipped 

 University of Tropical Agriculture situated in the West 

 Indies would be capable of doing an immense amount 

 of work in the training of agriculturists in many phases, 

 whether they were actually employed on the land or as 

 experts dealing with special features of agriculture, and 

 at the same time it would be capable of undertaking 

 research for which at present few facilities exist. 



All the Wesjti Indian colonies now pos.'sess local 

 Departments of Agriculture with their E periment 

 ■Stations; there is little prospect, however, of these 

 becoming so equipped as to warrant their undertak- 

 ing abstract investigations in agricultural subjects; 

 their functions are likely to be limited more or less to 

 problems of a concrete and more immediatnly practical 

 character. A University of Tropical Agriculture would 

 tend to strengthen and develop the work of the local 

 Agricultural Departments, and could in no sense be 

 regarded as displacing them or reducing thvir work 

 and activities, for it could undertake useful investiga- 

 tions of a more abstract character than arc appropriate 

 to Experiment Stations — so that there would arise 

 a useful distribution of work of investigaion and 

 co-operation between existing institutions and the one 

 now contemplated. 



As an outcome of its centralizing influence a 

 Tropical University would play an inipi)rtani part in 

 acting as a means for accumulating ai^i sioring 

 knowledge relating to tropical agriculture r. ad y to be 

 drawn upon by workers in its neighbourhood a id even 

 over a wider range; itwoiUd also serve as acen're where 

 knowledge and ideas would be grouped and i;.>i>rdin- 

 ated so as to permit of the production <>' whU con- 

 sidered views relating to various industri- s— an idea 

 which found expression in the letter addre>M' i to The 

 Thneiif by Mr. .h>hn W. JlcConnel in which h<- pointed 

 out how such an institution might materially H"fvance 

 the interests of cotton-growing by assisting tn formulate 

 knowledge for the guidance of those who an ■ .i- Hvour. 

 ing to push cotton-growing into new distri if: and we 

 may add it would serve to train men wii.. wmid be 

 qualified to carry these ideas into practice afiir having 



