EDITOKIAL. 103 



fore anything is spent. But they are not prepared ... to recom- 

 mend the expenditure of public money till the lines of a scheme and 

 estimates of its cost have been prepared and approved in some detail." 



By far the larger proportion of the funds allotted are assigned to 

 agiicultural research and instruction. In the opinion of a reviewer 

 of the report in Nature^ the commissioners have " set scientific matters 

 in the forefront of their program. Indeed, they indicate that until 

 they have dealt with research and education they intend to postpone 

 the consideration of projects aiming at the direct creation of employ- 

 ment, such as the reclamation of land, canals, and light railways, and 

 afforestation of land." Nature heartily commends this attitude, as- 

 serting with reference to the undertaking of research that " there can 

 be little doubt but that the expenditure will be recouped a thousand- 

 fold, because it will take effect upon the mind of the men who have 

 to live by the industry." 



The formulation of a comprehensive polic}'' covering the whole field 

 of agricultural research and the needs of the entire kingdom was an 

 early subject of consideration by the commissioners, who have now 

 declared definitely for the adoption of such a policy as compared with 

 one of " piecemeal gi*ants." As they state, " numerous applications 

 for advances from the Development Fund for different branches of 

 research and pieces of research work were expected, and have, in fact, 

 been made by bodies, institutions, and associations all over the king- 

 dom. It seemed to the commissioners that there would inevitably be 

 waste of energy and money if these applications were simply taken 

 one by one as they arrived, and advances recommended to those in- 

 stitutions which made out a good case for themselves, irrespective of 

 other institutions and the work done by them. It is probably neither 

 desirable nor possible to prevent all overlapping and duplication of 

 work, and the commissioners realize that individual investigators and 

 institutions can not and ought not to be dragooned into uncongenial 

 tasks. But looking to the vast amount of work still to be done, they 

 think that any advances from the fund for this purpose should be 

 made on a coherent and comprehensive scheme, covering as wide an 

 area as possible." 



An application for an advance of $250,000 per annum was sub- 

 mitted to the commissioners by the Board of Agriculture and Fish- 

 eries for the organization of a sj^stem of scientific research and 

 experiments in the science, methods, and practice of agriculture and 

 the promotion of technical advice to farmers. In response to this the 

 expenditure of- $165,000 per annum for research alone has already 

 been authorized, and a tentative plan for the initiation of the work 

 has been agreed upon. 



The scheme approved by the commissioners provides for research 

 in eleven groups of subjects, covering more or less completely the 



