THE FLORA OF PANCHGANl. 321 



species tluit grow in these localities ; I must, therefore, refer the 

 reader to the catalogue. 



Before conchuling this paper I should like to point out the advant- 

 ages of having an experimental station at Panchgani, not only for 

 arboriculture hut also for agricultural products. Wo are most of us 

 aware of the wise policy of the Bombay Government during recent 

 years in starting experimental agricultural and horticultural stations 

 in different parts of the Presidency, and scientific agriculture on this 

 side of India is still in advance of the rest of India ; but it is not ap- 

 parent why Panchgani with its particularly favourable climate has 

 been passed over. The average rainfall is only &G inches whilst the 

 altitude of 4,550 feet allows the place to enjoy a temperature similar 

 to that of Mahableshvvar, without any of its disadvantages. 



Everybody knows that, in general, experimental stations have almost 

 without an exception formed a part of the scheme, wherever the 

 work ot agricultural improvement has been taken in hand. The 

 only question is where such stations are needed. There is not suffici- 

 ent reason for establishing an experimental station in a certain district 

 simply because, in theory, it is a good thing to have a place for try- 

 ing experiments. The main consideration should be whether there is 

 anything definite to learn, any particular question to solve, and wheth- 

 er this has any relation to the agriculture and arboriculture of the 

 country around. If we can answer these questions in the affirmative, 

 an experimental station will be of practical value. When I speak of 

 an experimental station, I am not thinking of the more specially 

 scientific experimental inquiries, such as the finding out of new 

 scientific truths, or the testing of scientific theories by experiments on 

 the nutrition of plants, the assimilation of different soil constituents 

 or of atmospheric gases by plants, the exhaustion produced by continu- 

 ous cropping, or the effect of extreme application of stimulating- 

 salts, — I have in mind a more practical kind of experiment, such as 

 the testing of the value of different processes already in use, the 

 economical eft'ect of various manurial ingredients upon particular 

 crops, the collection of information regarding the outturn of crops, 

 and especially the introduction and growth of new crops and fruit 

 trees. Such inquiries will be for the benefit of the surrounding, 

 agriculture, supposing that the land chosen for the experimental 

 station be composed of soil which is fairly typical of that of the 



