250 



NA TURK 



[January i i, 1906 



AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND 

 COLON1 II. /)/•. VELOPMENT. 



T X a paper on " The Teaching of Agriculture " 



■* read by Mr. F. B. Smith, director of agricul- 

 ture in the Transvaal, before the British Association, 

 there occurs a statement which is of special interest 

 to educationists and to the public of this country. 

 The paper was read with the object of directing atten- 

 tion to the keen desire for agricultural education 

 that now exists in South Africa, and to the improve- 

 ments in the condition of the colonies which might 

 be looked for if a satisfactory system of education 

 and research were established. But though colonial 

 Governments are willing, and the enlightened 

 member-- ol I lie agricultural community are anxious 

 1.. gel on, progress i-- slow, and chiefly because suit- 

 able teachers fur agricultural colleges and other 

 officers lor colonial departments of agriculture are 

 hard to find. The words used by Mr. Smith are : — 

 " The difficulty of obtaining men qualified to fill 

 such positions is great, and frequently one of two 

 things happens : either an unsuitable man from the 

 Homeland (the italics are ours) is appointed, wiih the 

 resull that a department is seriously hampered or 

 discredited, or a selection lias to be made from abroad. 

 I am not speaking without experience, for I could 

 give many examples in support of my argumenl that 

 1 great deal of harm has been caused toagricultural 

 administration and education in the colonies l>v th«' 

 sending out of inexperienced and unsuitable men 

 from Great Britain." Again, after stating that the 

 demand will continue, and is likely to increase, Mr. 

 Smith asks, " Cannot some steps be taken to improve 

 matters, and to supply the want? " 



Unfortunately it is not only in South Africa that 

 the Mother Country's insufficiency is being felt, for 

 within tli!' past Un years there has been quite an 

 extraordinary awakening to the value of agricultural 

 education in the British possessions, and the Home- 

 land has not been able to afford the guidance and 



assistance which her colonies expect. That il 



an awakening we have ample evidence; thus a recent 

 number of the West India Bulletin informs us that 

 the president of the West Indian Agricultural Con- 

 ference of 1905 remarked : " Agricultural education 

 is at the root of the successful development of these 

 colonies," and another speaker referred with surprise 

 to the rapid rise in importance of t hi- subject. Again, 

 From the Indian Financial Statement for 1905 we learn 

 that the Government of India, which in iqc>2-} spent 

 about 60,000/. on improving agriculture, has now 

 sanctioned an expenditure of 250,000?. for the pro- 

 vision of agricultural institutions, experimental farms. 

 &c. But although this forward policy has the approval 

 of all sections of the Indian public," it must wait, for 

 in India, as in South Africa, the problem is to find 

 men competent to give effect to the policy. 



The director of agriculture for the Transvaal is 

 perhaps too severe on the " unsuitable man from the 

 Homeland." The good work accomplished by this 

 same "unsuitable man" in the past ten years In- 

 been one of the chief causes of the rise in popularity 

 of agricultural education. But it must be admitted 

 not only that men are hard to find, but that when 

 found the) seldom have the training which is desir- 

 able. The fact is that Britain still looks upon agri- 

 cultural education purely from the national standpoint, 

 and gives no thought to her colonies. Through the 

 Board ot Agriculture, agricultural institutions in 

 England and Wales receive about io.oooZ. per 

 annum; lull these grants are made to provide for 

 the education of the English farmer, and without 

 reference to our foreign possessions. 

 NO. 18S9, VOL. 73] 



A few weeks ago a deputation waited upon the 

 Board ol Agriculture to ask that increased grants 

 might he given for teaching and research in connec- 

 tion with English agriculture, and it was admitted 

 by the Board that further aid in this direction was 

 desirable. If the present grants are insufficient for 

 the spei ial needs of this country, it is clear that they 

 are quite inadequate for the requirements of Greater 

 Britain. It may be argued that India and the colonies 

 should provide for themselves; but we hope that Mr. 

 Smith's question may not receive this answer. 

 Greater Britain makes the reasonable request, " II 

 you send us men, send us trained men," and if we 

 neglect this request our colonies must find men else- 

 where. They cannot mark lime indefinitely, nor can 

 they risk their prosperity by engaging the services of 

 incompetent men. 



England is herself content with her small outlay on 

 agricultural education and research, but we must not 

 conclude that what is good enough for the Mother 

 Country is good enough for her colonics. English 

 agriculture is highly developed, is conservative in its 

 methods, and there is no agricultural partv to be 

 reckoned with bv the English statesman. We do not 

 ask for, and we do not get, the assistance claimed bv 

 the farmers of countries like Denmark and the United 

 States. In India and the colonies it is different; 

 agriculture is undeveloped, applied science may do 

 much for the farmer, and the prosperity and content- 

 ment of the agriculturist are of great political import- 

 ance Though, therefore, the English agriculturist 

 does not complain of the meagre endowments of 

 agricultural science, we must nol assume that those 

 responsible for the development of Greater Britain 

 will remain satisfied with what this country is now 

 doing. The colonics have hitherto taken our men, 

 because men trained in British schools and universi- 

 ties have been their traditional leaders; but it is clear 

 I hat if we wish them to continue to do so we must 

 make greater efforts to meet the new demand. 



Nothing could possibly be more damaging to the 

 reputation, not only of English teachers of agricul- 

 ture, but of England, than such an experience as the 

 director of agriculture for the Transvaal recorded 

 before the British Association. If our men are in- 

 competent, il they are unfit to lead, the sooner, not 

 only our teachers, but our statesmen, take the matter 

 up tin better. The colonies must know, and without 

 delay, that the universities and colleges of this 

 country can supply trained agriculturists. We are 

 indebted to the director of agriculture for his plain 

 if unpalatable warning. There appears to fie a danger 

 that while- the means of securing a preference for our 

 merchandise are being discussed, we may lose the pre- 

 Ference now accorded to our men. 



MAGNETIC WORK IN INDIA.' 

 "PIUS relates to the temperature coefficients of 

 * horizontal force magnetographs of the Watson 

 pattern belonging to the Indian Survey. The magnet 

 system consists of magnetised iron wires, fixed 

 parallel to one another, in a framework which is 

 attached to a quartz fibre. The upper end of the 

 fibre is attached to a torsion head, by turning which 

 the- magnet system is brought nearly perpendicular 

 to the magnetic meridian. With increase of H 

 (horizontal force) the magnet turns until the 

 increased torsion balances the increased magnetic 

 couple, and the position of the magnet is recorded 



1 Survey of India. Professional Papers, 1005. Serial No. S. Kxperi- 

 mencs made to determine the Temperature Coefficients oT Watson's 

 Magnetographs. Bv Captain H. A. Denholm Fraser, R.E. Pp. 45; 

 with 6 plates and 5 sheets of curves. (Calcutta : Office or the Super- 

 intendent of Government Printing, India, 190s.) 



