30 



NATURE 



[September i, 1921 



and what is accomplished thereby. We have not space 

 to dwell on his review of the work of the various 

 Government Departments included in the classification 

 of "research^ education, and developmental work." 

 It embraces the activities of the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines, 

 the Bureaux of Standards and of Foreign and Domes- 

 tic Commerce, the Coast Survey and the Bureau of 

 Fisheries, the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the Woman 

 in Industry Service and the Children's Bureau, Educa- 

 tional Work, the Public Health Service, and co-opera- 

 tion by the Government in Industrial Research and 

 Standardisation. We may note, however, that nearly 

 two-thirds of all the expenditures made under this 

 group of services are for the work of the Agricultural 

 Department. 



To the scientific research designed to develop the 

 industries of the country' Prof. Rosa refers in more 

 detail. He has no difficulty in showing the necessity 

 and the value of an increased expenditure, wisely 

 applied, in this field. In the course of a summary of 

 his argument he well says : " It is stupid and blind 

 to think that because taxes are heavy we cannot afford 

 to do things intelligently. If a farmer's barn burns 

 down, he would not sell half his supply of seed and 

 fertiliser to buy lumber, and then plant only half a 

 crop. He would, if necessary, borrow money to buy 

 more seed and plant a larger crop thAn usual in order 

 to increase his income and pay for the new barn more 

 easity. Intelligent research by the Government, in 

 co-operation with the industries, is like seed and fer- 

 tiliser to a farmer. It stimulates production and in- 

 creases wealth, and pays for itself niany-fold. It is 

 as productive and profitable in peace as in war." 



If we put aside the temptation to ask why the barn 

 was not insured against fire, the illustration is apt 

 enough for a world painfully recovering from the 

 ravages of war. But America is not the only country 



where the superficial economists, appalled by the 

 weight of taxation, begin to economise by cutting 

 down expenditure in the productive services of "re- 

 search, education, and developmental work." It is 

 a pity that Prof. Rosa's paper will not be read by the 

 "anti-waste " apostles. It is easy to gain a reputa- 

 tion for economy by shouting loudly " We cannot 

 afford it," and difficult to realise that'there are some 

 things we cannot afford not to afford. 



In his second paper Prof. Rosa usefully supple- 

 ments his general argument in the first paper 

 by a careful inquiry into the actual expenses of 

 the various departments of bureaux of the Govern- 

 ment. He begins by admitting that there is in the 

 mind of the general public a feeling that the scientific 

 work of the Government is not carried on so success- 

 fully or so efficiently as it should be, and that it prob- 

 ably costs too much. In order to get an accurate 

 knowledge of Government expenditures and to ascer- 

 tain how they have increased in recent years, the 

 receipts and expenditures of all departments for the 

 last ten years were analysed. The analysis given by 

 Prof. Rosa is full of interest, and is illustrated by 

 several ingenious diagrams. We have not space to 

 review this analysis, but we may note one conclusion : 

 "The per capita cost of the civil side of the Federal 

 Government in 1920 was only a little more than half 

 of what it was in 19 10 if measured in commodities or 

 in money of equal purchasing power. During this 

 ten-year period the wealth of the country had greatly 

 expanded, the war had come and gone, the problems 

 of Government had enormously increased, and yet the 

 per capita cost of these civil activities measured in 

 commodities had fallen to a little more than one-half. 

 In face of these facts people are saying that the 

 Government is extravagant, inefficient, and over- 

 developed." That sort of criticism is not peculiar to 

 the people of Arnerica. 



Cotton Research in Egypt. 



THERE has been for many years a great deal of 

 talk about research work on cotton. The 

 Empire Cotton Growing Committee put research in 

 the forefront of its programme, and it was originally 

 suggested that a research institute should be estab- 

 lished in Egypt. About the same time the British 

 Cotton Industry Research Association was estab- 

 lished in Manchester, but so far it has not done any- 

 thing in the way of cotton-growing except to discuss 

 methods of co-operation with the Empire Cotton 

 Growing Committee. The latter has, of course, not 

 been able to do much yet, owing to the time neces- 

 sarilv involved in its reconstruction into the new 

 Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. 



In the meantime, the Egyptian Government took 

 its own steps by setting up in May, 1919, a Cotton 

 Research Board, consisting of representatives of all 

 the Departments of the Government which are in- 

 terested in cotton-growing. A very brief preliminary 

 report was published by the Research Board in 

 March, 1920, and the first annual report embodying 

 a review of the work done up to this date is now 

 before us.' 



The report proper deals in about fifty pages with 

 the experimental work which has been done on cotton 

 during the year 1020. This work has covered a very 

 wide field, including botanical work on cotton apd 

 cotton-breeding (in which selection has apparently 



1 First Annual Report (1920) of the C'^tton Research Roard. Ministry of 

 Agriculture, Egypt. (Government Publications Office, Cairo.) 10 piastres 

 (is. id.). 



played a very much larger part than hybridisation), 

 the selection and propagation of seed by the State 

 domains, and a number of variety tests. Experi- 

 ments on spacing and on the effect of water on the crop 

 are described, as well as the work done in connection 

 with insect pests, especially the pink boll-worm, and 

 some mycological research. The programme of ex- 

 perimental work for 192 1 is also outlined. Much of 

 the work is still unfinished, and certain parts of it 

 will be published by the Departments concerned in 

 other forms as soon as results are available. 



The Research Board has, however, very wisely not 

 confined this report to its own work, but has added 

 about 75 pages of reports on special questions con- 

 sidered bv the Board, many of these more of an 

 economic than of a purely scientific character, and a 

 number of useful summaries of various publications 

 of the Ministry of Agriculture made within the last 

 few years on subjects affecting cotton. There are 

 also reviews of publications from other sources affect- 

 ing cotton and some very useful appendices. This 

 supplementary matter deals with such questions of 

 direct economic importance as the development of 

 Pillion cotton in Egypt and its threatened supersession 

 of the superior variety known as Sakel. It also 

 covers the development of Pima cotton in Arizona, 

 U.S.A., which looked for a time as if it might prove 

 a serious rival to Egyptian. On the latter point, 

 however, Egvpt has probably derived considerable 

 reassurance from the very marked reduction of the 

 Pima crop this j-ear owing to the fall in prices. 



NO. 2705, VOL. 108] 



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