I 20 



XATURE 



[July 



191 1 



advances only bj an far schemes wh 1 



d to be directly remunerative sooner or later. 

 Fourthly, the commissioners take note of the 



rects that in approving, 

 or making advances in respect of the exei 



the emploj ment of 

 labour on a considerable scale, regard shall bi 

 as is reasonably practicable, to the general state and 

 prospects of employment. 



Last, and by no means least important, the com- 

 missioners feel it incumbent on them to ensure, so far as 

 it lies in their power, that the fund shall not go into the 

 pockets oi private individuals, and they propose to recom 

 mend no applications or schemes likely to have thai 



Policy 'n regard to Agricultural Development and Forestry. 



lb 1 main lines of the policy by which they propose to 

 be governed in con hemes for two of the most 



important purposes mentioned in the Act, viz., first, the 

 development ol agriculture and rural industries, and 

 secondly, d afforestation. 



Having regard to the amount of the Development Fund, 

 they propose to deal with the first of these problems by 

 devoting their attention principally to three lines of action. 

 '1 hey aim first at increasing the amount and quality of 

 the product of agriculture by assisting the extension of a 

 system oi scientific investigation and research, and with it 

 of a system of education which will, so far as p 

 ensure that tl of investigation and researcl 



known and utili ed in practici : and, secondly, the} aim at 

 increasing the varii action by placing the culti- 



vator in a position to know whether he can add certain 

 new crops and industries to the existing number with a 

 reasonable probability of profit. Finally, looking at the 

 problem from a rather different and more strictly com- 

 mercial point of view, they propose to encourage, in par- 

 ticular, the organisation of cooperation — a subject which is 

 expressly named in the Ai t. 



Nothing has impressed the commissioners more than the 

 clearness with which the fact lias appeared that the first 

 condition of any considerable progress in these ways is 

 the creation of a trained staff, ft is useless to expect that 

 immediate results of real value can be obtained on a large 

 scale merely by expenditure. One example is sufficient : 

 the number of men really qualified to conduct agricultural 

 research in this country is at present exceedingly small, 

 and it obviously cannot be increased at a moment's notice. 



The problem of increasing the variety of production is 

 likely to raise difficult questions both of principle and 

 practice. It is enough at this early stage to name flax, 

 hemp, tobacco, and beet as particular crops to which the 

 commissioners propose to give attention with the view of 

 ascertaining whether they can be grown in this country on 

 a commercial basis, and' to possible schemes for advances 

 from the Development Fund for that purpose. They have 

 ted two gentlemen of scientific training to investi- 

 home and abroad, and to systematise 

 for their use the information available in regard to the 

 first three of In regard to beet, they propose 



to consider in consultation with the Government depart- 

 ments concerned the question whether it is possible to 

 make an expi riment on a fairly large scale designed to 

 show, nol wl litv can be grown in 



thi counti think imay be regard 



be grown at a profit. 



development, the com- 

 missioi nulated for their guidance in consider- 



the following prin- 

 ciples : — 



That the first requirement for such development is 

 effectivi le centres, 



monstration. 



(b) That no scheme of State afforestation on a large 



idered until investigation has shown 

 when 1 onomically ai d 



tiv.lv providi ' 



rural indu tries), and until a trained body of foresters has 

 ilable. 



(c) Thai for thi 1 for the 

 above purposes should incl I atioi 

 nn <' ,: staff as may be necessary to 



NO. 2178, VOL. 87] 



practical ach to those who desire to 



undertake at! to telop existing afforested 



areas. 



It will I" onsidering their action in 



-. the commissioners hav' 



with the difficulty that the number of 



trained men in this country capable of din-cling forestry 



tions on any small. 



Before all else they think it necessary that this difficulty 



should be overcome. 



The twenty-four applications which reached the 



missioi mplated an expenditure of 210,829!. 



annually and 208,030!. capital sums. applica- 



tions, which have been grouped by subjects, may be 

 mentioned : — 



Agricultural Research and Education. 

 I. — England and Wales. 

 The Treasury forwarded to the Development Com- 

 missioners on Si ptember 2, 1910, an application by the 

 Board of Agriculture and fisheries for an advance of 

 50,000/. per annum for the organisation of a system to 

 aid and develop agriculture by the provision of technical 

 for farmers and by promoting scientific research and 

 exp.-riments in the science, methods, and 1 agri- 



culture. 



The commissioners decided to recomrm nd that the 

 following giants, or such proportion as might be required 

 for the financial year, should be paid to the Board for the 

 benefit of the institutions named below, and for the pur- 

 poses indicated : — 



£ 

 Cambridge University. — Research work ... ... 4000 



Bristol University. — (1) Bio-chemical investigations 



on cheese; (2) Investigations on teart land... ... 500 



Yorkshire Council for Agricultural Education (Leeds 

 University). — Investigations of atmospheric im- 

 purities 210 



University College, Reading. — General work on 11) 



Microflora of cheese; (2) Cereal selection ... ... 250 



South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye. — (1) In- 

 vestigations on tobacco; (2) Mycological Depart- 

 ment; (3) Entomological Department; 1 -4 ) Investi- 

 gations on hop resins ... ... ... ... ... 350 



University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. — Botanical 



survey of Aberystwyth, and subsidiary inquiries ... 156 

 Harper Adams Agricultural College.— Research on 



war! disease, and finger and toe ... ... ... 190 



Royal Veterinary College. — Investigations in respect 

 of vaccination ... ... ... ... ... ... 1390 



The Incorporated Society for Extending the Rotham- 



stead Experiments ... ... ... ... ... 2000 



The British Dairy Institute, Reading 60 



Woburn Experimental Station 



The commissioners further intimated to the Board that 

 they would be prepared to recommend 



grants, ng in the aggregate a sum of 3000/.. to 



such other of the institutions as had applied for grants, but 



had not at that time been dealt with by the Bo 



also informed the Board that they would he ready to 



mend a grant of 1000?. to make provision for schol 

 ships during the financial year so soon as 

 favoured with a scheme embodying th( under 



which the Board proposed the scholarships should be given. 

 Ill- commissioners further contemplated recommending a 

 grant of 1000!. for expenses of administration when the 

 iture, and the amounts required 

 supplied to them. 

 It may be added that the commissioner- have stated 10 

 die- Board thai they are willing to contemplate an expendi- 

 ture of 40,000!. per annum for research alone, apart from 

 and other work. 



II. — Scotland. 



'fhe Scotch Education Department forwarded to the 



ber 14. ioio, applications from 



otland for 



grants amounting in all to 137.425/., made up as 



follows : — 



