AGRICULTURAL PROGRESS IN THE TROPICS 231 



which has shown itself well suited to Ceylon, and with the 

 new Manihot rubbers, lately discovered in South America. 



This must serve as an indication of the class of work 

 that is carried on upon such a station and the way in which 

 it forms a continuation to the work of the botanic gardens. 

 Extension of such work is being carried on in many countries 

 by co-operative experiment among the planters, who are 

 persuaded to try simple experiments upon systems of manuring 

 and other matters and report results to headquarters, where 

 control experiments are carried on. The great thing is to 

 encourage in every possible way the experimental habit of 

 mind among the agricultural community, for if this is once 

 established and properly guided, the experiments at head- 

 quarters need not be so rough, and detailed scientific experiments 

 — which must in any case go on if the place is to have any 

 permanent value, but which do not appeal to the agricultural 

 community in general — may obtain a larger part of the time and 

 energy of the staflf. 



Plant-breeding work, which of course will be largely 

 responsible for improvement of crops, may go on either at 

 the experiment station or in the botanic gardens, according 

 as space allows. In these various ways the botanic gardens 

 and the experiment station between them will attend to the 

 improvement of crops and methods of cultivation and prepara- 

 tion, whilst the improvement of tools and cattle calls for further 

 aid. 



To improve the cattle of a country is a more complex affair 

 than might at first sight appear, for unless the food supply 

 is improved at the same time the new cattle cannot be kept 

 in good condition, and unless the tools they are to use are 

 also improved the increased size and power of the cattle will be 

 valueless. All must go together and it is obvious that the 

 improvement of the crops, i.e. of the food supply, must lead 

 the way by a trifle. But this, as usual, means greater demands 

 upon capital, and unless this has been first seen to, it is useless 

 to go in for the improvement of other things. 



Apart then from the fact that crosses with greatly better 

 races are in general weedy and unsatisfactory, it is obvious 

 that the improvement of the cattle must be a very slow and 

 gradual process, just like the improvement of the related 

 matters. The same remark applies to tools. To introduce 



