1921.] Agricultural Research and Education. <t75 



The future of British agriculture depended upon knowledge, 

 and he hoped the policy they had devised would be immutable, 

 more like the laws of the Medes and Persians than some laws 

 they had passed lately. He hoped their policy in the future 

 would be one of consistent promotion of agricultural education 

 and research with a view to the greater application of science 

 to the farm. 



In that policy there were certain stages. Eesearch must 

 come first. The research institution was the primary body. 

 They had got to establish the principles upon which progress 

 in a farm would depend. They had not to be in too great a 

 hurry. In the past, money had been wasted on policies which 

 had proved faulty in the long run. They had to establisfi their 

 principles and make sure of their facts, and then apply them. 

 The work that was being done at such places as Bothamsted 

 on questions relating to the soil and to manures; at Cambridge 

 in plant breeding, where Professor Biffen had produced some 

 new wonderful wheats which had been so successful in many 

 parts of the country, and in animal nutrition; at Heading, where 

 the principles of dairying were being investigated and admirable 

 results secured; and at Bristol, where horticulture was being 

 scientifically examined — all those works, he was sure, would be 

 for the permanent advantage of British agriculture. 



When they had established their principles and facts and had 

 arrived at the latest and best and most economical processes, 

 they had to make them known. That could be done in various 

 ways. Many agricultural colleges were doing excellent work, 

 but the college existed largely for the more well-to-do who could 

 afford time and money to take a long course far away from their 

 homes. What w^as wanted were places where the sons of 

 working farmers could go for short courses near their homes, 

 and go in the winter-time when there was not so much work 

 on the farm, and where they could be brought into touch with 

 the best scientific knowledge, which w^as constantly being added 

 to, through the work of the research institutes. 



The Farm Institute was not only for the farmer and small- 

 holder; he hoped very much to see there in increasing numbers 

 the sons and daughters of agricultural labourers. This would 

 involve offering free places, scholarships and maintenance allow- 

 ances. All these were purposes which had been specifically men- 

 tioned in the Act of Parliament recently passed (The Corn 

 Production Acts (Repeal) Act, 19'21) , w^hich established a fund 

 of one million pounds for agricultural development. In the 



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