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clearly that I am sure it must have appealed to you all. After 
a very prolonged residence in the tropical colonies I cannot 
help. feeling—and it has been brought home to me very closely 
in connection with my last governorship of Ceylon—how 
important it is that young men on estates, and the Govern- 
ment officials who are to give general instruction in tropical 
agricultural matters, should not be allowed to, if I may use 
the word, ‘ drift ’’ for their education as much as they have in 
the past. Young fellows have been put in as managers of 
estates without being able to get first practical know- 
ledge of tropical agriculture, which is more important than I 
can possibly explain on this platform. Practical knowledge in 
tropical agriculture is one of those things by means of which 
we may probably be able so to improve and cheapen agricultural 
production as to be able to make a stand against the synthetic 
products which threaten us in many directions. The great 
point nowadays is that tropical crops should be produced as 
cheaply as possible, and this cannot be done unless there is 
perfect knowledge brought into play upon the estates. (sreater 
cheapness would be, I believe, the means of a vreat extension 
of the use of these tropical products, and I feel, therefore, that 
the resolution which has been proposed for your acceptance 
to-day is a most important one, and I cannot but repeat after 
Sir Henry Blake that I hope, after all that has been written and 
said on the subject, it will receive the unanimous support of 
those present at this meeting. 
The resolution was then put to the meeting by the President 
and carried unanimously. 
The Presipent: The next subject on the agenda is a 
motion with reference to the prevention of the introduction 
of plant diseases and pests into tropical countries. It was 
discussed at a meeting last week, but no resolution was 
arrived at. I understand that some of those who can speak 
with authority on this particular subject desire now to make 
some remarks with the view of putting a proposal before the 
meeting. The main point which was discussed the other 
afternoon, IT may say, was as to whether the provisions of 
the Phytopathological Convention proposed at Rome were 
applicable or not to tropical countries. 
Mr. E. E. GREEN (late Government Entomologist, Ceylon): 
Mr. President and Gentlemen—The resolution which stands in 
my name reads as follows :— 
“ That in view of the Convention proposed at the 
International Phytopathological Conference, held in 
Rome in February, 1914, this Congress is of opinion 
