February, 1922. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE. 



197 



Scientific Research in Agriculture* 



By CHAS. E. SAUNDERS, Ph.D., LL.D., Dominion Cerealist. 



It Avas a very keen disappointment in- 

 deed to me to find that I shoiikl be un- 

 able to be present at the Agricultural So- 

 cieties' Convention in "Winnipeg. Sure of a 

 cordial welcome, such as you have always 

 given me, I was most anxious to present 

 for your consideration certain important 

 facts in regard to the condition of Scienti- 

 fic Research in Agriculture and to explain 

 what must be done in order to put it on a 

 proper basis and to give it reasonable en- 

 couragement. So unwilling am I to lose 

 entirely tliis opportunity that I venture to 

 send in written form some of the principal 

 thouglits which I wish you to consider. I 

 feel that I can express myself frankly to 

 you not only because of your friendliness 

 but also because of the happy combination 

 which exists in you of vrestern energy with 

 eastern thoughtfulness. You will listen 

 patiently I am sure and if my statements 

 convince you some good results will fol- 

 low. 



There is also a special reason why I ask 

 foi- your kind attention on this occasion 

 to what I have to say. My remarks may be 

 considered as a valedictory message ; for I 

 have decided to give up Agricultural Re- 

 search work altogether on account of the 

 profound discouragements of recent years, 

 which have at last exhausted my buoyancy 

 and enthusiasm and have begun to affect 

 my health also. The conditions under 

 which I have worked have been growing 

 steadily less and less favourable for a long 

 time. My best efforts to bring about im- 

 provements have been fruitless, so that at 

 last I find myself with no choice but to 

 retire from my position. 



I ask your pardon for introducing so 

 much personal matter. I feel however, 

 that without some reference to my own 

 case I cannot make you realise the actual 

 position of Scientific Research in Agri- 

 culture in Canada to-day. To say that re- 

 search work is being sadly neglected is 

 putting it very mildly. It is quite true 

 that some brilliant results have been pro- 



*Read, in Dr. Saunders' absence, at the 

 Convention of Manitoba Agricultural 

 Societies, Winnipeg, January 25, 1922. 



duced in the past quarter of a century, and 

 yet it seems tliat the more these results 

 are talked about the less is actually done 

 to encourage further work. Not oialy so, 

 but new handicaps are constantly being 

 imposed, so that the rate of progress has 

 become sloM-er and slower, the outlook more 

 and more gloomy, until at last conditions 

 have been produced which, in some cases 

 at least, are almost heart-breaking. 



The purpose of my message to you, how- 

 ever, is not primarily to emphasise the 

 gloominess of the present situation but 

 rather to explain clearly the steps that 

 must be taken in order that, at some time 

 in the future. Agricultural Research may 

 be established en a proper basis. 



Who is to blame for the present state of 

 affairs? It is due chiefly to ignorance on 

 the part of the people and on the part of 

 their rulers. Scientific research is not 

 understood, naturally therefore the con- 

 ditions under which alone it can be carried 

 on successfully are not provided. Prac- 

 tically no attention is paid to the voice of 

 tlie scientists, the only men competent to 

 speak, and so the same old blunders are re- 

 peated again and again and matters go 

 from bad to worse. In a democracy the 

 people govern. Waters cannot rise higher 

 than their source; governments dare not. 

 One may not altogether agree with the 

 writer who recently said "Democracy has 

 achieved its perfect work and has now 

 reduced all mankind to a dead level of in- 

 capacity" but there is a distressing amount 

 of truth in the statement. Even when 

 those at the head of affairs have more than 

 average capacity and are men of education 

 and intelligence, they dare not always do 

 what they know to be best for fear of being 

 misunderstood and losing the support of 

 the public. The situation (in regard to 

 Scientific Research) is rendered particu- 

 larly difficult because of the fatal demands 

 which Democracy makes. It must have re- 

 sults (such as it can understand), it must 

 have efficiency (as it interprets the term) 

 it must have co-operation and co-ordination 

 of effort. Everything mast be systematised 

 and everyone must account satisfactorily 

 to the government, and thus to the people, 



