388 



clearly that I am sure it must have appealed to you all. After 

 a very prolonged residence in the tropical colonies I cannot 

 help feeling and it has been brought home to me very closely 

 in connection with my last governorship of Ceylon how 

 important it is that young men on estates, and the Govern- 

 ment officials who are to give general instruction in tropical 

 agricultural matters, should not be allowed to, if I may use 

 the word, " drift " for their education as much as they have in 

 the past. Young fellows have been put in as managers of 

 -estates without being able to get first practical know- 

 ledge of tropical agriculture, which is more important than I 

 can possibly explain on this platform. Practical knowledge in 

 tropical agriculture is one of those things by means of which 

 we may probably be able so to improve and cheapen agricultural 

 production as to be able to make a stand against the synthetic 

 products which threaten us in many directions. The great 

 point nowadays is that tropical crops should be produced as 

 cheaply as possible, and this cannot be done unless there is 

 perfect knowledge brought into play upon the estates. Greater 

 cheapness would be, I believe, the means of a great extension 

 of the use of these tropical products, and I feel, therefore, that 

 the resolution which has been proposed for your acceptance 

 to-day is a most important one, and I cannot but repeat after 

 Sir Henry Blake that I hope, after all that has been written and 

 said on ihe subject, it will receive the unanimous support of 

 those present at this meeting. 



The resolution was then put to the meeting by the President 

 and carried unanimously. 



The PRESIDENT : The next subject on the agenda is a 

 motion with reference to the prevention of the introduction 

 of plant diseases and pests into tropical countries. It was 

 discussed at a meeting last week, but no resolution was 

 arrived at. I understand that some of those who can speak 

 with authority on this particular subject desire now to make 

 some remarks with the view of putting a proposal before the 

 meeting. The main point which was discussed the other 

 afternoon, I may say, was as to whether the provisions of 

 the Phytopathological Convention proposed at Rome were 

 applicable or not to tropical countries. 



Mr. E. E. GREEN (late Government Entomologist, Ceylon) : 

 Mr. President and Gentlemen The resolution which stands in 

 my name reads as follows : - 



' That in view of the Convention proposed at the 

 International Phytopathological Conference, held in 

 Rome in February, 1914, this Congress is of opinion 



