CHAPTER I 



of technical men, the establishment of experimental stations 

 and schools, and the importation by the Department of Agri- 

 culture of improved strains of crops. 



The Scope of Agronomy. — While field husbandry in the 

 broadest sense may be held to include horticulture, with its 

 sub-divisions of pomology, olericulture, floriculture, and 

 forestry, nevertheless it is customary to limit the study to the 

 following crops : — 



(a) Grain crops — e.g.. Wheat, rye, oats, barley, buck- 



wheat and maize. 



(b) Forage and fodder crops — e.g.. Lucerne and the 



various grasses. 



(c) Eoot and allied crops — e.g.. Mangels, turnips and 



potatoes. 



(d) Fibre crops — e.g., Flax, sisal and cotton. 



(e) Sugar crops — e.g., Sugar cane and sugar beets. 



(f) Drug crops — e.g.. Tobacco and tea. 



The study of agronomy is too comprehensive to be fully 

 dealt with in 'a small treatise of this nature, and where more 

 detailed data are required the reader must consult the various 

 texts. It involves, broadly speaking, four main avenues for 

 investigation. 



(1) Edaphies. — This includes a study of the chemistry, 

 physics and biology of the soil in relation to plant culture. 



(2) Phenology. — Here the effect of climate in relation to 

 growth is studied, e.g., temperature, humidity and move- 

 ments of air, duration of light, etc. 



(3) Carpoies. — Which involves a knowledge of plants as' 

 crop plants, and embraces questions dealing with adaptation 

 (bionomics), plant breeding (genetics), cultural methods, and 

 the control of pests (plant pathology and economic ento- 

 mology). 



(4) Rural Econaonics. — A study of rural communities, 

 their organisations and problems. 



Faculties of agriculture and schools of agriculture are 

 now fully established in the Union, in which agricultural 

 subjects form part of the curricula. 



