399 



the same at Rome; unless tropical agriculturists were present 

 and could advise the institute as to what tropical conditions 

 are, I am afraid the assistance which the institute at Rome 

 would render to the tropics would not be of that value which 

 the Governments would expect. In the next place tropical 

 agriculture when taken collectively is a very small matter. 

 The whole field of agriculture is, of course, represented 

 at Rome, and there are very much bigger interests there, 

 and it will be some little time yet, I fear, before tropical 

 agriculture assumes sufficient importance to hold its own 

 against these other interests. I was glad to hear from Sir 

 James Wilson that statistics were coming out in the bulletins 

 on coma, sugar, maize, and so on, but I had not seen them. 

 We have all been waiting for the time to come when our 

 tropical productions would receive due attention, and I am 

 very glad they are beginning to do so, but we have had a long- 

 time to wait. We have had statistics for wheat and other 

 temperate productions published very exhaustively, and, of 

 course, that has been of great benefit to those interested in 

 those cultivations. But naturally it takes a long time for this 

 information to filter through. Well, Sir, I see such 

 very great difficulties in connection with this proposal, 

 especially the second part of it, that I would not like to 

 commit myself to vote for it. I am in sympathy with the 

 direction in which Sir James Wilson wishes us to go, and I 

 believe in some few years we shall go in that direction. 

 Probably by that time the International Agricultural Institute 

 at Rome may have a section devoted to tropical agriculture, 

 dealing with it separately by experts in tropical agriculture; 

 but at the present time it seems to me I could not support the 

 resolution, and I would suggest, if it were acceptable to the 

 meeting, that it should be submitted to our committee .for 

 consideration. At the present moment, Sir, I do not feel 

 myself prepared to vote for or against it, and I propose that 

 it should be submitted to a committee of our Association for 

 consideration. 



Mr. J. S. J. McCALL (Director of Agriculture, Nyasaland) : 

 I have listened to Professor Carmody's remarks, and I must 

 say I am in total agreement with him. As far as I have seen 

 the publications from Rome, they have mostly dealt with 

 temperate agriculture. The present statistics, I may say, with 

 regard to tropical agriculture in many of our possessions are 

 extremely vague, and even the protectorates themselves are 

 unable to contribute statistics, so that I really think it is 

 perhaps a little premature to attempt to publish statistics of 

 tropical agricultural production. 



The PRESIDENT: Perhaps it may satisfy Sir James Wilson 



