192 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



February, 1922. 



Better Co-operation in Agricultural Research Between the 

 United States and Canada* 



By Dr. J. H. Grisdale, 



Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Canada. 



It has fallen to my lot to prepare this 

 paper throuorh force of circumstances rath- 

 er than on account of any special fitness 

 on my part to deal with the question. 

 I hapjien to be the administrative head of 

 an organization, the Canadian Federal 

 Department of Agriculture, that inclu- 

 des among its personnel more research 

 workers in Agriculture than are to be 

 found in any other organization in the 

 Dominion. I reluctantly, therefore, agreed 

 to do the best I could to deal with 

 the subject and as a first step to that 

 end, wrote to a great many of the men 

 interested in a practical or administra- 

 tive way in such work, as many of the 

 members here know. 



In reply to tliese letters asking for sug- 

 gestions as to how co-operation might 

 best be secured between the workers in 

 the two eountri'ss, I have received many 

 answers, some replete with suggestions 

 and most interesting, others of lesser 

 value, but all bearing evidence that the. 

 problem of co-operation in research in 

 Agriculture is receiving more or less at- 

 tention from practically everyone who is 

 interested in research at all. 



It is not my intention to attempt to 

 give credit, item by item, to the differ- 

 ent gentlemen whose suggestions I may 

 incorporate in this brief paper, for the 

 reasons that in practically no case did 

 any one correspondent seem to have a 

 monopolv of an idea and in no ease do 

 I think I have accepted any idea exact- 

 ly as pre.sented; hence, any attempt to 

 giv^ credit would lead to interminable 

 explanations and references. 



In the first place let us consider what 

 is meant by co-operation. The diction- 

 ary defines co-operation {is "joint action 



* Paper read before Section (Agri- 

 culture) of the American Association, for 

 tirie Advancement of Science, Toronto, 

 December 28, 1921. 



or a working together." It should not 

 necessarily mean, however, a working to- 

 gether on the same phase of the same 

 problem, for, as we all know, there is 

 scarcely a problem now receiving any at- 

 tention from investigators that may not 

 b? Avorked at from various angles and 

 of whicli there are not various phases, 

 any one of which might well receive the 

 attention of several investigators. 



Now accepting this as the true m^ean- 

 ing of co-operation, the great majority 

 of investigators from whom replies were 

 received, were strongly in favour of more 

 and closier co-operation and seemed to 

 think that many advantages were likely 

 to accrue therefrom to both Canada and 

 the United States as countries, and to 

 science generally. It must be stated 

 however, that two or three haye expres- 

 sed the view that co-operation Avas not 

 practicable for various reasons, of which 

 probably the most common was jealousy 

 or the fear, on the part of workers, that 

 full credit would not be theirs, even when 

 undoubtedly due them. 



It is not many years since research in 

 agriculture was begun on this continent. 

 Nevertbeless the number of men now en- 

 gaged in a close study of the various 

 problems, directly or indirectly affect- 

 ing farmers in America, is quite start- 

 ling. Progress has, however, seeimed 

 sloAv, not because there has not been ranch 

 done but because each step forward has 

 opened up a vista of problems apparent- 

 ly interminable and many of them 

 of Avhat Avere considered as the great 

 basic problems of the industry a feAv 

 years ago. It is this ever increasing ar- 

 ray of problems, many of them of a most 

 complex and difficult character, demand- 

 ing iuA^estigation from various angles and 

 of their A'arious phases at one and the 

 sami? time, that Avould seem to make co- 

 operation among and betAveen the Avork- 

 ers in these tAvo great agricultural coun- 

 tries more and more adA^isable, if in fact 



