472 



NATURE 



[December 26, 1912 



The experiments were carried out with cherry laurel, 

 Phascohis lunatus, and germinating almond, and in- 

 stead of using boiling dilute alkali to kill the plants, as 

 in former experiments, concentrated salt solutions 

 boiling at iio° were employed; in this way the plant 

 enzymes were more rapidly destroyed, with the result 

 that the amount of hydrogen cyanide indicated was 

 thereby considerably diminished. It is thus considered 

 probable that free hydrogen cyanide does not occur as 

 such in the plant. 



REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT COM- 

 MISSIONERS. 

 'pHE second report of the Development Commis- 

 -'• sioners, for the year ended March 31, 1912 

 (Wyman and Sons, price Sd.), was issued recently. It 

 will prove convenient to review the report briefly under 

 the chief headings contained therein. 



General Position oj Commissioners and Principles 

 of Action. — As previously announced, the Commis- 

 sioners cannot themselves make grants or loans, 

 do not possess executive powers, and must 

 receive applications through Government depart- 

 ments before reporting to the Treasury. It is gratify- 

 ing to learn that the recommendations of the Commis- 

 sioners have been adopted in all cases of import- 

 ance. Owing to the fact that money must be en- 

 trusted to some suitable body, difficulties have arisen 

 with regard to canals, roads, and some other matters 

 coming within the scope of the fund, but it is ex- 

 pected that such difficulties will ultimately be over- 

 come. The system of block grants has been adopted, 

 which, though entailing some delay, is held to secure 

 greater efficiency. 



.Mthough existing expenditure is not to be relieved, 

 and local contributions are required, it is felt that 

 authorities which have spent freely in the past should 

 not be expected to find so large a proportion of the 

 total sum to be expended in their areas as authorities 

 which have been less enterprising. 



The principle of loans is adopted for schemes 

 expected to give a direct return ultimately. In some 

 cases, such as afforestation, advances will be made on 

 condition that the extent of the operations be varied 

 according to the state of the labour market, so that 

 some refief of unemployment may result. This does 

 not apply to such part of the 325,000/. allotted to 

 farm institutes as may be required for erecting 

 buildings, these being urgently necessary. 



The principle that the fund must not be used to 

 benefit private individuals directly creates difficulties in 

 the case of canals, estate afforestation, and light rail- 

 wavs ; for grants are here debarred, although private 

 profits are associated with public benefits of an im- 

 portant kind. A different view must be taken of 

 applications from public authorities for money to be 

 applied in loans or grants to individuals, e.g. to 

 fishermen. Such loans or grants would appear to be 

 legitimate if they place individuals in a better position 

 to help themselves, as in the case of advances enabling 

 fishermen to acquire motor-boats. 



The Commissioners consider it their duty to recom- 

 mend expenditure when and wliere most likely to be 

 remunerative with reference to the economic develop- 

 ment of the United Kingdom as a whole, even though 

 this may appear unfair to certain localities. The 

 provision of harbours for steam-drifters, for example, 

 is regarded as more important than the develop- 

 ment of small centres employing more antiquated 

 methods of catching fish. 



NO. 2252, VOL. 90] 



I. Agriculture and Rural Industries. — Three chief 

 lines ot action are reaffirmed as those of greatest im- 

 portance, i.e. scientific investigation, research, and 

 education as means of improving the quality and 

 increasing the amount of agricultural products ; 

 supply of information regarding new crops and indus- 

 tries to cultivators for enabling extended practice ; 

 improvement of commercial methods by promotion of 

 cooperation. 



It is considered that pure research is not a local 

 matter, and that it must be continuous and concen- 

 trated. Hence the selection of a comparatively small 

 number of centres for research in the eleven main 

 branches of agricultural science. It is recognised that 

 research and education should be in close touch with 

 one another, and although the fund is to be devoted 

 to economic development, the Commissioners feel that 

 when subsidising research the canon of apparent 

 economic value should be cautiouslv applied. 



In addition to grants to institutions, a sum of 3000Z. 

 per annum (probably to be increased to 5000/.) is 

 reserved for individual investigators much on the lines 

 adopted for the 4000/. per annum entrusted to the 

 Royal Society for distribution. In this way it will be 

 possible to utilise individual research ability wherever 

 found. For purposes other than research England 

 and Wales are to be divided into twelve provinces, 

 each with its agricultural college providing the highest 

 kind of agricultural education, demonstrating the 

 results of research, and giving advice to farmers. 

 The lower grades of instruction and advice will be 

 provided by the farm institutes. The Commissioners 

 consider that such an institute should possess two 

 essential characteristics : first, the provision of 

 shorter, simpler, and cheaper courses than those given 

 at colleges ; secondly, that it should serve as the head- 

 quarters of the county staff. .\ verv large amount of 

 elasticity is regarded as desirable, and there need be 

 no "material embodiment in bricks and mortar." The 

 general lines approved closely resemble those advo- 

 cated at the cooperative conferences held between the 

 governors of the Royal Agricultural College, Ciren- 

 cester, and representatives of several county authorities 

 in igii. 



Flax, hemp, tobacco, and beet are cited as crops 

 requiring full investigation in order to determine 

 whether tliey can be made a commercial success in 

 this country. 



The existing voluntary societies are to be utilised in 

 organising cooperation, largely because "cooperation 

 is particularly the kind of movement to which it is 

 essential to retain the enthusiasm of voluntary 

 workers." Considering the enormous amount of dairy 

 and other farm produce imported, it is distressing to 

 learn that " the question of agricultural cooperation in 

 Ireland is unfortunatelv complicated bv political differ- 

 ences." Other directions of activity include the con- 

 tinuance of light horse breeding schemes, the establish- 

 ment of a cattle-testing station, and of a national 

 poultry institute. 



II. Forestry. — One guiding principle is here 

 adopted, i.e. that "education and the provision of 

 technical advice are the best lines cf advance for the 

 immediate present." This general idea is given effect 

 by the recognition of five centres in England and 

 Wales (O.xford, Cambridge, Cirencester, Bangor, and 

 Newcastle), with suitable provision for Scotland and 

 Ireland. Why the Commissioners consider that Ox- 

 ford and Cambridge should be equipped for "higher 

 education in forestry," and the other three centres for 

 " forestrv education of a simpler kind," is a mystery, 

 without some reason for believing that the education 

 so far given at Oxford and Carr bridge has been 



