204 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



sons 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 enjoj^ed by their competitors 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 fifteen, appointed by the 

 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, of which Secretary T. H. Mid- 

 dleton of the board is chairman, and it is expected that a comprehen- 

 sive policy will be evolved. 



One important result of the new legislation has been to stimulate 

 widespread interest in the general subject of agricultural research. 

 The Science Guild, as mentioned above, has given active attention to 

 it and valuable discussions have been contributed from other sources 

 as to the scope and the problems involved in the proper organization 

 of the work. Many of these problems are analogous to those already 

 encountered by Department and experiment station workers in this 

 country, and have for them a peculiar significance, especially as the 

 American experience has been much cited in connection with the new 

 enterprise. 



For example, questions as to the exact definition and characteris- 

 tics of research, as distinguished from other forms of experiment and 

 from the application of known facts and practice, the kind of work 

 most needed under existing conditions, and the means of securing 

 an adequately trained personnel, have been prominent topics of dis- 

 cussion. Another question upon which opinion has been expressed is 

 as to the relative merits of a single centralized experiment or research 

 station, as compared with a series of smaller local institutions with 

 separate grants; and along with this, the amount and character of 

 supervision of the various enterprises which is desirable. The plan 

 of subsidizing existing colleges and other institutions to enable the 

 carrying out of agricultural investigations appears not to meet with 

 entire favor, and the regulation of such grants so as to secure their 

 use in a productive way without commercializing research is pointed 

 to as a difficulty. This difficult}^ is illustrated in a recent report of 

 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries of Great Britain, on Grants 

 for Agricultural Education and Research. The report says : 



"A public department when authorizing the expenditure of money 

 on research is bound to take into consideration the probable value of 

 the work to the state. It can not rest satisfied with the assurance 

 that sooner or later all accessions to knowledge will benefit the coun- 



