20 



crops, how to enhance the yield, how to 

 manure this peculiar soil and effect the permanent 

 improvement of others ? Is it not their obvious 

 duty, before all other considerations, to apply the 

 recognised Principles of Modern Agriculture to the 

 staple products of the country, and adapting them, 

 after close observation, to the peculiarities of the 

 climate ? Should they not, first of all, exercise 

 their practical and scientific knowledge in effecting 

 an improvement in the soil of the surrounding 

 country, as well as of the different crops grown, 

 and try to diffuse agricultural knowledge among 

 the native cultivators ? Instead of doing all this, 

 however, they only keep experimenting upon the 

 introduction of all sorts of exotic plants experi- 

 ments which occupy much valuable time, and are 

 very seldom attended with satisfactory results or 

 any benefit to the country. It should be observed, 

 however, that I fully recognise the usefulness of 

 such experiments ; but they should be treated 

 as of secondary importance, the improvement of 

 indigenous products being of primary consequence. 

 That is to say, we should first endeavour to improve 

 the indigenous staple products, and only turn our 

 attention to experimentalizing on exotic plants 

 when everything necessary is accomplished for the 

 former, and no further improvement is possible. 



It may not be out of place here to draw atten- 

 tion to the fallacy of the system of 4 self-support 7 



