Preface xix 



planters has been outlined by Professor 

 Wyndham Dunstan, of the Imperial Institute. 

 In the course of an interesting introduction to 

 Mr. Hamel Smith's recently published * Notes 

 on Soil and Plant Sanitation on Cacao and 

 Rubber Estates,' Professor Dunstan considers 

 4 it is high time that we recognized, as France 

 and Germany have already done, that it is not 

 safe to depend upon the chance acquisition 

 of knowledge during the kind of apprentice- 

 ship into which young men now usually enter 

 as a first step in the planter's life.' In his 

 opinion the young planter can find opportunities 

 in this country for his preliminary scientific 

 studies, either at the Agricultural Departments 

 of one of our Universities or at one or other of 

 the agricultural colleges, where many of our 

 most successful farmers at home and in the 

 Colonies acquired the rudiments of that know- 

 ledge which has stood them in excellent stead 

 in after life. 



" Professor Dunstan recognizes what the 

 most ardent advocate for an agricultural college 

 would be the first to admit namely, that such 

 an institution has its limitations. The practical 

 details connected with successful estate manage- 

 ment in the Tropics can be learned only on the 

 estate, but the youngster setting out to acquire 

 this knowledge would find himself face to face 

 with problems which cannot be solved by 

 -anyone lacking adequate scientific acquire- 

 ments. The question naturally arises as to 



