132 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



Great Britain in general, doing alike for England, Wales and 

 Scotland what the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society 

 was doing for Ireland. In this way some early attempts 

 were made to foster propagandist efforts and promote the 

 establishment of societies in Scotland. Owing, however, 

 both to the labour and expense involved in carrying on such 

 efforts from London and to the limited extent of the funds 

 then controlled by the central body, the actual progress was 

 so slight that down to the end of 1904 only a single co- 

 operative Agricultural Society — one, namely, at Tarff Valley, 

 Kirkcudbrightshire — had been formed. 



By this time, however, there had been brought about 

 in Scotland a great awakening of interest in agricultural 

 organisation. Captain John Sinclair, M.P. for Forfarshire, had 

 visited Denmark and been so impressed by what he saw and 

 heard that on his return he sought to induce some of his 

 constituents to make up a party to go to Denmark in order 

 to study the position there for themselves and apply, as far 

 as practicable, to their own farming any lessons they might 

 learn from Danish methods. 



The reception given to his proposal can best be described 

 in the words of an official report subsequently issued : — 



The idea grew. What was a Forfarshire project developed 

 into a project based upon a larger area of interest. The Secretary 

 for Scotland was good enough to agree that a member of the 

 Congested Districts Board and Crofters' Commission should be 

 invited to join the party. Members of Parliament of both 

 political connexions contributed suggestion and aid in the 

 composition of the Commission. Landlords of extensive acres 

 in some cases became members ; in others nominated their 

 estate agents ; in others, gave the names of tenants. The 

 Highland and Agricultural Society and the Scottish Chamber 

 of Agriculture appointed representatives. From the Agricul- 

 tural Colleges, east and west, were drawn several members of the 

 teaching staffs. Apart from these, the larger number of the 

 Commission were well-known farmers hailing from all parts of 

 Scotland, many of them with specialised interests, such as 

 dairying, poultry-keeping and cattle-breeding. 



Following on the attention which had already been so 

 widely attracted in Scotland, *asln other parts of the United 



