158 



Poultry Research. 



POULTRY RESEARCH. 



AN URGENT NEED. 



0. Charnock Bradley, M.D., D.Sc, M.R.C.V.S., 



Principal, Royal (Dick) Veterinary College, Edinburgh. 



One need not be particularly perspicacious to recognise the 

 current vigour in and expansion of the poultry industry. The 

 forthcoming World's Poultry Congress is in itself a clear indica- 

 tion of the rapid development that has taken place during the 

 last few years; while the part Great Britain is to play at the 

 Congress demonstrates the enthusiasm of the poultry specialist 

 in this country. 



When development is so obvious, and when poultry-keeping 

 is becoming so popular, the question naturally arises: Is science 

 taking an adequate share in the development? So far as the 

 United States of America is concerned, the answer is that science 

 is undoubtedly affording a very considerable and present help. 

 The paper read by Mr. Edward Brown at the 1920 Harper- 

 Adams Conference alone shows this. But the answer as applied 

 to Great Britain is not so satisfactory. Work in poultry research 

 has certainly been done, and is being done, but it may 

 be reasonably affirmed, not to the extent nor in the organised 

 manner that is so desirable. Credit must be given to the few 

 who are applying time, thought and energy to the elucidation of 

 problems relative to heredity, diseases, and the like, but workers 

 in the enormous field of research are all too few. This is the more 

 to be regretted because the machinery by which knowledge can 

 be brought to those who are willing to apply it is in existence. 

 Poultry lecturers there are in plenty, but they are only able 

 to instruct the poultry-keeper up to the point at which present 

 knowledge ends. Poultry investigators, on the other hand, are 

 far too few, w r hile their research is too sporadic. This is likely 

 to remain so until adequate opportunities are given to those 

 who would fain specialise in poultry research, but w T ho must, 

 for the present, make such research subsidiary to their main 

 line of work. So many problems are clamouring for attention 

 that the chance investigator is discouraged from embarking 

 upon research while he sees little, if any, probability of being 

 able to pursue it in a manner likely to lead to satisfactory 

 results. However small the comer of the field upon which he 

 casts his eye, he soon perceives that either he or someone 

 else must attack areas outside that little plot. 



