PEOGEESS IN AGEICULTUEAL EDUCATION". 287 



The need for additional resources for these purposes has long been 

 felt, and has been a frequent subject for discussion not only among 

 agricultural workers, but also by scientific men in general. Last 

 October the board of agriculture and fisheries made application to 

 the development commissioners for $200,000 annually for use in 

 research work in agi'iculture and for giving technical advice to 

 farmers. A number of agricultural colleges and similar institutions 

 have submitted independent applications for financial aid, and the 

 local county councils, which at present receive small grants from the 

 board of education for elementary instruction in agriculture, have 

 requested that $10,000 be set aside for the employment of county 

 agricultural advisers. 



There has also been presented to the prime minister for reference 

 to the commissioners a report from the British Science Guild, dealing 

 with the present position of agricultural research in the United 

 Kingdom, together with a memorial signed by members of Parlia- 

 ment, representatives of societies connected with agriculture, and 

 persons prominent in the scientific world. This memorial declares 

 that "only by a liberal allotment of the funds now available can 

 British farmers be placed in the positions enjoyed by their com- 

 petitors in other lands, where the endowment of agricultural research 

 has long been recognized to an extent to which there is no parallel 

 in Great Britain as among the most urgent and legitimate objects 

 for State aid." 



The immediate investigation of the large questions raised by these 

 applications has been intrusted to a subcommittee of the commis- 

 sioners, consisting of Prof. A. D. Hall, of the Rothamsted experi- 

 ment station, and Mr. Sydney Webb. This subcommittee is con- 

 ferring with an advisory committee of 15, appointed by the board 

 of agriculture and fisheries, of which Secretary T. H. Middleton, of 

 the board, is chairman, and it is expected that a comprehensive 

 policy will be evolved. 



The advisory committee of 15, above mentioned, has to do with 

 all scientific questions bearing directly on the improvement of agi'i- 

 culture, and especially as to methods to be adopted for promoting 

 agricultural research in universities and other scientific schools, aid- 

 ing scientific research workers, and insuring that new scientific dis- 

 coveries are utilized for the benefit of agriculture. A rural education 

 conference of 42 members has been recently constituted by the 

 presidents of the board of agriculture and fisheries and the board of 

 education for the discussion of all questions connected with educa- 

 tion in rural districts and those of interest to agriculturists and the 

 two boards. Hon. Henry Ilobhouse is chairman of this confer- 

 ence, which includes among other members Maj. P. G. Craigie, A. D. 

 Hall, William Somerville, and T. B. Wood. 



