THE ORGANIZATION OF 



AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENTS IN 



RELATION TO RESEARCH. 



THE ORGANIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL 

 DEPARTMENTS IN RELATION TO RESEARCH WORK. 



By BERNARD COVENTRY, C.I.E. 



Agricultural Adviser to the Government of India and 

 Director of the Agricultural Research Institute, 

 Pusa, India. 



THE organization of agricultural research is a matter 

 of the utmost importance, for on the proper ordination 

 of the various units employed depends the success of the 

 undertaking. It will be futile to engage the services of 

 highly qualified and highly paid scientific experts unless 

 their work is conducted on the basis of a carefully devised 

 system of co-ordination. In the establishment of such a 

 system, the guiding principle should be to grant to each 

 department of science the fullest scope and freedom 

 compatible with due recognition of the governing 

 authority, the limitations of its own sphere of work, and 

 the possibilities of a carefully prepared budget. It should 

 further be recognized that the business of carrying on 

 the work in the various branches, such as agriculture 

 proper, agricultural chemistry, economic botany, plant 

 pathology, and the like is in each case a profession 

 requiring a high education, unusual qualifications, and 

 specialized training on the part of the persons employed. 

 The expert officer of one branch is, therefore, not 

 qualified to undertake the work in another. It must, 

 therefore, be realized that the personal equation is an 

 important factor in the scheme of organization, and that 

 the Department stands or falls in the person of the 



