Miscellaneous, 



[June, 1910, 



made very much more effective. Useful 

 results have also been obtained here as 

 well as in the United Provinces, by 

 sending members of the staff to interview 

 correspondents whose letters do not 

 make their requirements clear. It is 

 felt that at present itinerating work by 

 the subordinate staff should ordinarily 

 be confined to the tracts represented by 

 the agricultural stations, that they 

 should be attached to an agricultural 

 station in order that they can benefit by 

 the work being done there, and that 

 their efforts to introduce or suggest im- 

 provements should be confined to such 

 work as has been demonstrated success- 

 fully on that agricultural station. 



United Provinces.- In the United 

 Provinces no special men have been kept 

 for this purpose. Most of the farm staff, 

 however, spend a portion of their time 

 on tour, during which they are in daily 

 contact with influential cultivators, who 

 thus become familiarised with the Agri- 

 cultural Department and the extent to 

 which it can be of assistance to 

 them. Much of the success achieved by 

 the department in the introduction 

 of improved implements and of im- 

 proved varieties of crops such as 

 Jaunpore maize, Muzaffarnagar wheat 

 and American cotton is directly attribut- 

 able to such assistants. Whenever 

 letters of enquiry on important subjects 

 are received the reply is, if possible, 

 followed up by a visit from one of the 

 senior assistants. 



Bengal. — In Bengal there are two 

 provincial and six divisional inspectors. 

 The former are primarily intended for 

 special work such as collecting seed 

 throughout the pro vince, attending shows 

 to give demonstrations, and report- 

 ing ou the progress of any improvement 

 which has been introduced, The collec- 

 tion of types of jute seed and of sugar- 

 cane varieties has been made by their 

 means. The Divisional Inspectors are 

 chiefly employed in supervising demon- 

 strations, conducted by members of the 

 agricultural associations, but as time 

 permits they assist in other work in 

 their own division. 



Punjab. — Little can be added here as 

 regards the Punjab which has not been 

 already noted under previous headings. 

 Assistants have toured to help iu demon- 

 stration, to advise men who were 

 cultivating American cotton, to assist 

 those who were using implements of a 

 new type, to collect special information 

 and to make special inquiries. 



On the whole the employment of 

 itinerant assistants (these being either 

 farm superintendents or special officers 

 employed for the purpose) is a very 



effective method of reaching the culti- 

 vator. It seems essential, however, that 

 these should be men of considerable ex- 

 perience, that they should be employed 

 on one definite piece of work at one time, 

 and that they should be in constant 

 touch with the Deputy Director under 

 whom they are working. If these condi- 

 tions are satisfied, such men may be of 

 great value for the introduction of new 

 seed, new implements, or new processes 

 which can be demonstrated on tour. It 

 seems very inadvisable, however, to 

 appoint or keep travelling assistants 

 without specific duties. 



X.— Seed Farms. 



Inasmuch as the provision of pure and 

 improved seed is one of the principal 

 needs of the Indian cultivator and as 

 there are no recognised seedsmen in 

 the country, the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment in every province has felt it its 

 duty to arrange for the provision of 

 such seed, and this has proved to be 

 one of the best means of getting into 

 touch with Indian cultivators. Many 

 methods have been used to obtain such 

 seed for distribution, the method follow- 

 ed varying with the conditions of the 

 province and r>f the class of seed it 

 was desired to supply. 



Bengal.— In Bengal the supply of good 

 jute seed has been secured by the es- 

 tablishment of separate farms. This 

 method has, however, not been alto- 

 gether a success and the need will be met 

 in the future by the devotion to this 

 purpose of portions of the large ex- 

 perimental farms belonging to the de- 

 partment. The selected seed which the 

 department supplies is in strong demand 

 among jute growers. 



Central Provinces.— In the Central 

 Provinces seed farms for the supply of 

 selected cotton seed have been estab- 

 lished in connection with the agricul- 

 tural stations belonging to the depart- 

 ment. On these however only the 

 initial stages in the production of seed 

 are carried on. When a sufficient amount 

 has been so produced, the seed is given 

 to cultivators to grow for the depart- 

 ment under contract. 



Madras.— A very similar principle has 

 been followed in Madras in the case 

 of cotton, the seed after careful select- 

 ion on the agricultural station being 

 given to cultivators to grow for the 

 department. 



Punjab. — In the Punjab a large area 

 has been taken up by the department 

 itself for seed growing. There is a 500 

 acre farm at Sargodah for growing seed 

 of good varieties of cotton and wheat 

 for the cultivators ou the irrigation 



