July. 1922 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



385 



ments can be made to allow them to 

 pursue their investigations, either at home 

 or in other universities, the status of the 

 institution will soon be adversely affected. 

 Unless such a policy is adopted there will 

 be, before many years, a predominance, 

 of- men past middle life, who, if they had 

 been given a reasonable opportunity, some 

 little encouragement and some well de- 

 served recognition, would have remained, 

 not in the ranks of men who have arrived, 

 but in the ranks of those who continue to 

 grow. 



Recognition of these facts, coupled with 

 a desire to encourage scholarship, has led 

 the Board of Governors to adopt a more 

 liberal policy with respect to members of 

 the staff who may wish to proceed to .a 

 higher degree or who may desire some 

 financial assistance to attend scientific or 

 departmental meetings. More recently the 

 policy of making some contribution to- 

 wards defraying the travelling expenses 

 of members of the staff who make a sys- 

 tematic study of conditions directly re- 

 lated to their subject, whether at home or 

 abroad, has been decided upon. In the 

 latter instances the amounts are relatively 

 small and should be regarded more in the 

 nature fo an evidence of friendly interest 

 and of good-will than as a factor of suffi- 

 cient monetary importance to determine 

 the instructor's course of action. 



These provisions are, I trust, but a be- 

 ginning. 3Iodest as they are, they are 

 sure to fluctuate; but the goal towards 

 which we should continue to strive is the 

 making of provision for a measure of re- 

 search in every department of the Univer- 

 sity. Such a policy, when made effective, 

 would encourage original investigation, 

 would give fitting recognition to the inves- 

 tigator, would create the necessary envi- 

 ronment and atmosphere, would prove an 

 admirable training ground for young men 

 and women in research, in a word, would 

 be of inestimable value to the students, to 

 the professors and to the University as a 

 whole. 



If any measure of success is to be at- 

 tained in promoting research, there must 

 be not only good laboratory facilities but 

 good library facilities as well. Moreover, 

 in agriculture, it is essential that the in- 

 vestigators have "outside laboratories" in 

 which to conduct their researches under 

 field conditions. 



It is not too early for the Unirersity of 

 British Columbia to consider the possibility 

 of establishing a number of Research Pro- 

 fessorships, the incumbent of such a posi- 

 tion should not be required to give more 

 than three or four lectures per week but 

 should be free to give practically his whole 

 time to his researches. 



In this connection the policy of the Fac- 

 ulty of Agriculture in the University of 

 Alberta is one which is worthy of careful 

 consideration, and we shall follow with 

 more than usual interest, the results of the 

 progressive policy adopted there. 



The need for the establishing of Research 

 Professorships in our Universities, with- 

 out regard to Faculties, is becoming more 

 generally recognized. In a recent publica- 

 tion of the Honorary Advisory Council 

 for Scientific and Industrial Research en- 

 titled "A Plan for the Development of 

 Industrial Research in Canada'', Dr. Rut- 

 tan says: "As a result of a careful survey 

 of the researches carried on in Canada and 

 of the scientific organization of the indus- 

 tries, we were reluctantly compelled to 

 recognize the fact that scientific research 

 in Canada is practically confined to the 

 laboratories of two or three of our Univer- 

 sities and one or two departments of the 

 Government ' '. 



In order to correct this condition and 

 to retain in Canada those of our graduates 

 who show capacity for research, the Hon- 

 orary Advisory Council for Scientific and 

 Industrial Research has, through its sys- 

 tem of Bursaries, Studentships and Fellow- 

 ships done much to encourage young men 

 and women who possess the necessary ap- 

 titude and training, combined with the 

 "requisite initiative and independence of 

 action in presenting original investiga- 

 tion", to remain in this country and de- 

 vote their talents to the building up of 

 the land of their birth. These grants are 

 sufficiently generous to enable the recip- 

 ients to continue their investigations with- 

 out interruption at the conclusion of their 

 post graduate courses. This farseeing pol- 

 icy cannot fail to strengthen the corps of 

 research workers in this country. 



In this connection a very important and 

 \'ital question arises, namely, where can 

 such special training be obtained? A lim- 

 ited number of research workers can be 

 accommodated in Canadian Universities; 

 a larger number may soon be given the 



