7'4 



NATURE 



[February 27, 19 13 



future, but however good the early training of the 

 farmer may be, it will not enable him to make full 

 use of the work of research institutes unless he has 

 scientific advisers to guide him. Agricultural science 

 has made such progress in recent years and its depart- 

 nients have become so specialised that the acquaint- 

 ance which a lad may make with it at school or 

 college would no more enable him to dispense with 

 scientific guidance in after-life than a course in 

 veterinary hygiene would enable him to dispense with 

 the veterinary surgeon, or a course in agricultural law 

 would enable him to conduct his own law business. 

 The indifferent success which experimenting agricul- 

 turists meet with has been a subject of remark for two 

 centuries at least by farmers who must pay rents ; 

 but the reason for the ill-success has not been so 

 clearly recognised as in the corresponding case of the 

 man who is his own lawyer. 



It is further a mistake to suppose that the proper 

 way to introduce the results of scientific research to 

 farmers is to spread information by means of lec- 

 tures or leaflets. Information can be spread by these 

 means, but not, as a rule, the results of research as 

 first published by the research institute. Few of the 

 discoveries made by research workers are likely to be 

 immediately applicable to the farm practice of a par- 

 ticular district. Modifications in a well-established art 

 clearly require skilful handling, and when it is desired 

 to utilise the results of research, cooperation between 

 skilful farmers and trained scientific men should 

 therefore be aimed at. When on a particular farm 

 the success of the new method has been established 

 as a result of this cooperation, neighbours will learn 

 by imitation, and the improvement may with advan- 

 tage be brought to the notice of others by lectures and 

 leaflets. 



In view, then, of the provision now made by the 

 State for research, of the importance of securing for 

 Lucli county the fullest benefit from results available 

 for all, and of the need for caution in introducing new 

 methods, local education authorities should consider 

 the nature and qualifications of the local staff re- 

 quired. For spreading a knowledge of practices 

 which have been shown to be improved practices, in- 

 structors with a good practical knowledge of some 

 branch of agriculture are wanted. The number at 

 present available is small, but the requirements are 

 already known and well defined. Local education 

 authorities need experience no great difficulty in secur- 

 ing suitable men for this particular tvpe of work after 

 the supply has had time to adjust itself to the demand. 

 The position as regards the farmer's scientific advisers 

 is, however, different, and for the most part the types 

 have still to be evolved. For the purpose of trans- 

 lating the results of research into successful practice 

 a highlv trained scientific man is required having a 

 special knowledge of some particular branch of science 

 and a sufficient acquaintance with agriculture to com- 

 mand the respect of skilful and enlightened practical 

 farmers. Many branches of science bear on agricul- 

 ture, the research scheme contemplates institutes in 

 eleven subjects, and most of these subjects would 

 provide a field of work for several specialists. It is 

 clear, therefore, that no county could afford to main- 

 tain all the specialists who might usefully be engaged 

 in assisting farmers to apply research. For the 

 present all that is practicable is to lav the foundations 

 of a system having as its object the bringing into 

 existence of a class of well-qualified specialists who 

 shall devote themselves to the service of agriculture. 

 The first essentia! is that the specialists to be employed 

 should really be specialists ; " all-round " men would 

 be of no use for the particular purpose in view. The 

 second essential is that the persons who are to be 

 •"ngaged in the work of promoting agriculture should 

 NO. 2261, VOL. QO] 



be of the same calibre as those who have advanced 

 arts like medicine and engineering. 



It is obvious from the qualifications required in the 

 men to be employed, that the only practicable way of 

 securing their services will be for groups of counties 

 to associate themselves with collegiate institutions 

 providing laboratories and other facilities for scientific 

 workers, and it is with the object of facilitating com- 

 bination and of initiating the system of employing 

 specialists recommended above that the Board's 

 advisory scheme was drafted. 



Having regard to the institutions available as 

 centres, the Board arranged the counties of England 

 and Wales in twelve groups or "provinces," and it 

 has obtained a grant of 12,000/. per annum from the 

 Development Fund, which will be employed in provid- 

 ing certain trained specialists in each area. The 

 grants are made to the governors of the collegiate 

 centres, who, subject to the approval of the Board, 

 select the officers and are responsible for their work. 

 The teaching staffs of most of the institutions selected 

 are already doing some advisory work, and the officers 

 first selected under the new scheme will be chosen 

 with the view of supplementing the work of the staff 

 already in existence. As the work expands, it is 

 expected that additional advisers will be added to the 

 staff. 



While these grants are made to the governors of 

 central institutions it should be clearly understood 

 that their object is to place skilled scientific advice 

 at the disposal of farmers resident in the different 

 groups of counties, and in framing their schemes of 

 work local education authorities will be expected to 

 make provision for securing to residents in their 

 administrative areas the benefits of the provision made 

 by the colleges. In particidar, local instructors should 

 be directed to apply to the college in all cases in which 

 the assistance of an expert is desirable. 



It will be apparent that while the new system is in 

 its early stages many of the questions submitted to 

 institutions may be on subjects other than those on 

 w-hich the advisers have expert knowlege ; in such 

 case the advisers would in the first place consult 

 their colleagues on the college staff, and if the neces- 

 sary advice is not obtainable they would then consult 

 advisers at other institutions. By linking the colle- 

 giate centres together in this way it is intended that a 

 farmer in any particular county should be able, 

 through the centre with which his county is associated, 

 to get the best expert advice on any agricultural ques- 

 tion. 



A further shortcoming inevitable in the working of 

 a new scheme may be noticed. Since no class of 

 agricultural specialist, corresponding to the medical 

 specialist, exists, it will be necessary to train up men 

 for the work, and therefore to employ at the outset 

 young and inexperienced persons. For the first few 

 years the work must suffer from this lack of experi- 

 ence, but just as well-trained young medical men 

 quickly acquire experience, so will tliese specialists 

 who are being- trained to help agriculturists. 



It may be convenient in conclusion to give a list of 

 the groups of workers who will in future be provided 

 for the purpose of aiding the farmer to increase the 

 productiveness of land. 



Group I. — .Scientific workers engaged in research — 

 the extension of knowledge — in national research in- 

 stitutes devoted to the study of different sections of 

 agricultural science without reference to the needs of 

 particular localities. 



Group II. — Scientific workers engaged in consulta- 

 tive work with a view to the application of the results 

 of research to practice. These workers will be 

 stationed at collegiate centres serving groups of coun- 

 ties; as distinguished from workers in Group I. they 



