58 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



of numerous crops new to the countries concerned. But it is 

 important to recognise that the scientific factors, properly so 

 called, cannot operate fully till the preliminary factors have 

 all come into full operation ; and it is because in many countries 

 attempts are now being made to perform this impossible feat, 

 that this question is of such paramount importance at the 

 present time. Until the preliminary factors have been started, 

 the only result of such proceedings can be the following out 

 of the second ideal mentioned, and the further accentuation of 

 the already large gap between the capitalist agriculture of the 

 immigrants and a few of the natives, and the non-capitalist 

 agriculture of the bulk of the peasantry. Capital is the weak 

 point in most tropical agriculture at the present time ; the vast 

 bulk of the population has no capital, and is in debt to the 

 money-lender. Only a very few have capital available ; of 

 these many do not embark it directly in agriculture but prefer 

 to lend it to needy agriculturists at rates of interests higher than 

 they could earn if they themselves engaged in agricultural 

 practice. 



Adopting the classification of the factors elsewhere laid 

 down, we may divide them into two groups— the preliminary 

 and the later. Under the former we may consider (i) land 

 and its availability, including systems of land tenure, crops 

 suitable to the climate, drainage, irrigation and kindred topics ; 

 (2) capital (using the word in the very broadest sense, as will 

 be explained) ; (3) transport facilities ; (4) labour and (5) educa- 

 tion. Under the latter we must deal with improvements of 

 crops, cattle, tools and methods, i.e. with the applications of 

 science, strictly so called, to agricultural practice. We shall 

 proceed with these subjects in the second part of the paper and 

 consider the advances that are being made under all these 

 heads ; in this first paper we have endeavoured to make clear 

 the complexity of the subject and to show that until the pre- 

 liminary factors are satisfied, it is useless to go on to the 

 secondary, except for the capitalist agriculturist. Without 

 capital more available than it is at present, the poorer peasantry 

 cannot afford to try any improvement, but must stick to the 

 well-tried crops, methods, and cattle. If cattle, for example, 

 are to be improved, it is useless to attempt this without at the 

 same time improving their food supply, and this means changes 

 in many other departments ; further, the improvement of the 



