758 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION M. 
Section M.—AGRICULTURE. 
PRESIDENT OF THE SECTION—PROFEsSOR T. B. Woop, M.A. 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 
The President delivered the following Address :— 
I prorose to follow the example of my predecessor of last year, in that the 
remarks I wish to make to-day have to deal with the history of Agriculture. 
Unlike Mr. Middleton, however, whose survey of the subject went back almost 
to prehistoric times, I propose to confine myself to the last quarter of a century— 
a period which covers what I may perhaps be permitted to call the revival of 
Agricultural Science. 
Twenty-five years ago institutions concerned with the teaching of agriculture 
or the investigation of agricultural problems were few and far between. I do 
not propose to waste time in giving an exhaustive list, nor would such a list help 
me in developing the argument I wish to lay before the Section. It will serve 
my purpose to mention that organised instruction in agriculture and the allied 
sciences was already at that date being given at the University of Edinburgh 
and at the Royal Agricultural College, whilst, in addition, one or more old 
endowments at other Universities provided courses of lectures from time to time 
on subjects related to rural economy. Agricultural research had been in progress 
for fifty years at the Rothamsted Experimental Station, where the work of Lawes 
and Gilbert had settled for all time the fundamental principles of crop pro- 
duction. Investigations of a more practical nature had also been commenced by 
the leading agricultural societies and by more than one private landowner. 
In these few sentences I have endeavoured to give a rough, but for my 
purpose sufficient, outline of the facilities for the study of Agricultural Science 
twenty-five years ago, at the time when the County Councils were created. Their 
creation was followed almost immediately by what can only be called a stroke of 
luck for agriculture. The Chancellor of the Exchequer found himself with a 
considerable sum of money at his disposal, and this was voted by Parliament to 
the newly created County Councils for the provision of technical instruction in 
agriculture and other industries. 
Farmers were at that time straggling with the bad times following the wet 
seasons and low prices of the ‘seventies and ’eighties, and some of the technical 
instruction grant was devoted to their assistance by the County Councils, who 
provided technical instruction in agriculture. Thus, for the first time con- 
siderable sums provided by the Government were available for the furtherance 
of agricultural science; and, although at first there was no general plan of work- 
ing and every county was a law unto itself, the result has been a great increase 
of facilities for agricultural education and research. 
Almost every county has taken some part. The larger and richer counties 
have founded agricultural institutions of their own. In some cases groups of 
counties have joined together and federated themselves with established teaching 
