Agricultural Schools and Experimental Farms. 9 



changes of front not at once adopted here ? Whj' did 

 the farmers of Normandy evidently not consider them 

 to be of a speculative and risky character, while to our 

 farmers they evidently were sol But a reference to 

 our Cherbourg consul's report throws full light on the 

 subject, and we find that he attributes the happy 

 change in La Manche to Government aid in the shape 

 of agricultural schools and experimental farms. Had 

 we had such advantages here, 1 see no reason to doubt 

 that our farmers would long ago have had recourse to 

 these steps, which were the saving of their brethren in 

 La Manche; and our landlords and land agents, having 

 had equal opportunities, would have readily joined the 

 tenants in aiding to bring about the necessary changes 

 in our agricultural system. But there was ignorance 

 all along the line — a natural dread of embarking on 

 new courses which might prove to be failures, and 

 no means of enlightenment at hand in the shape of 

 Government schools and experimental farms to show 

 how the necessary changes could be best carried out. 

 And has it not been evident to every civiHzed Govern- 

 ment but ours that whereas a question in chemistry or 

 machinery, or of any new method of manufacturing, 

 can be brought to exact proof, and instantly decided 

 one way or other, an agricultural problem not only 

 takes years to work out, but is liable to be extremely 

 difficult of solution owing to the great variety of 

 circumstances and the numerous cHmatic causes which 

 disturb the results of farming experiments? And seeing 

 that farmers and landlords pay taxes, are they not, 

 therefore, as much entitled to Government aid as science, 

 art, education, or any of the other subjects which are 

 aided by the resources of the State? But it is now 

 time to turn to a consideration of the whole subject 

 before us, and, in concluding these introductory remarks, 

 I only desire to add that if a certain amount of repetition 

 is to be found in these pages, it is because I think it 

 will be useful to those to whom the subject is new. 



