THE NECESSITY OF ESTABLISHING A BRITISH 

 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE IN THE WESTERN 

 HEMISPHERE. 



By HAROLD HAMEL SMITH. 

 Editor of ''Tropical Life." 



As some apology or explanation, perhaps, is due from 

 me for introducing at this Congress what might, at first 

 sight, appear to be purely a national question relating 

 only to this country and its dependencies, I would urge 

 that nothing to do with the tropics, and especially with 

 the cultivation of crops within their area, can be regarded 

 as purely a national matter. Such reasons as the facility 

 with which pests are spread, rainfalls encouraged or 

 adversely affected, the distribution of seeds and plants, 

 and so on, render it absolutely necessary that everyone 

 going to the tropics to plant, or even to trade in the 

 produce, should be trained beforehand along right lines 

 within the Torrid Zone, so as to be able either to check 

 and put an end to trouble should it arise, or more im- 

 portant still, to learn how to avoid causing it. In order, 

 therefore, that those who wish to plant or trade within 

 the Torrid Zone should receive that training which is 

 necessary to enable them to do so with the greatest 

 chances of success, I have chosen, as the subject of my 

 paper, "The Necessity of Establishing a British Agri- 

 cultural College in the Western Hemisphere." 



Before I go on to say one word in support, not so 

 much of the claims of the West Indies for an Agricultural 

 College as to show the absolute necessity of this country, 

 if it means to enjoy that share to which it is entitled of 

 the ever-increasing commerce of Latin-America, to estab- 

 lish such a college in the Western Hemisphere, I want it 

 to be clearly understood that I am not urging the claim 



