38 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



agricultural science. In effect, however, the clubs concern 

 themselves with the whole range of women's interests and 

 duties both on the farm and in the home. The clubs have 

 their libraries of books relating to agriculture, dairy work, 

 poultry farming, domestic economy, health, etc. ; they 

 hold meetings at which addresses on a wide variety of sub- 

 jects are given, the aggregate attendance at these gatherings 

 in 1909 being over 12,000 ; they train women lecturers ; 

 they arrange visits to model farms, and they also organise 

 shows, with a view to extending knowledge of the best 

 methods of cultivation of stock, poultry breeding, or dairy 

 management ; while their various aims and objects are 

 further fostered by the publication of periodicals dealing 

 with women and country life in general. 



In 1909 a regional congress, attended by representatives of 

 60 clubs, was held at Namur, and in 191 1 the whole of the 

 clubs established by women relatives of members of local 

 societies affiliated to the Boerenbond grouped themselves 

 into a federation which now constitutes one of the depart- 

 ments of that great organisation. 



British India. 



Co-operative credit is the form of agricultural co-operation 

 which has hitherto mainly been developed in British India, 

 and even in this respect the progress made has been 

 primarily due to State action. 



India, with its bureaucratic Government, and with its 

 many races of people of varying types of civilisation, differs 

 materially from countries possessing representative Govern- 

 ments and having populations more likely to resort on their 

 own account to organised effort for the obtaining of common 

 economic advantages. Yet though the said bureaucratic 

 Government has taken the initiative, it does not propose to 

 adopt more " spoon-feeding " than may be absolutely 

 necessary. According to Bulletin No. 3 of the Bureau of 

 Economic and Social Intelligence, the Government has set 

 itself the task of teaching the population of India the prin- 

 ciples of co-operative credit, and also — while exercising no 



