Miscellaneous. 



70 



[July, 1910 



should be made of Matugama for ex- 

 hibits of cucumber, lime, snake-gourd 

 and capsicum ; Halwala for pines ; Tudu- 

 galla for cassava and cucumber, and 

 Horawala for a small but neat general 

 collection. 



Mr. John Dassanayake, one of the most 

 successful exhibitors, carried away about 

 eight prizes. He is the Secretary of the 

 Local Branch Society and has establish- 

 ed a creditable garden. 



N. WlCKREMARATNE, 



Agricultural Instructor- 



31st May, 1910. 



THE FUNCTION OF AGRICUL- 

 TURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



(From the Agricultural Neivs, Vol. IX., 

 No. 209, April, 1910.) 



I. In Stimulating Research. 



The nature of the work that is carried 

 on in agricultural experiment stations 

 necessitates the existence of a large 

 degree of routine. This is brought into 

 being chiefly by the constantly recur- 

 ring matters that relate to the crops 

 most commonly grown, such as sugar, 

 cotton, cacao and limes, during each 

 season in which they are receiving atten- 

 tion, in order that they may give their 

 produce in a successful manner. There 

 is a seasonal cycle of activities that 

 claims a large amount of the time at the 

 disposal of those who are responsible 

 for the conduct of the work of the experi- 

 ment station. 



This side of the activity of the station 

 is naturally of great importance. It is 

 the one which enables it to keep most 

 closely in touch with those for whom it 

 exists, and too often it is the sole crite- 

 rion by which the existence of the station 

 is justified. This fact, aided by the 

 circumstance that such work is continu- 

 ally in evidence, and constantly de- 

 mands attention, constitutes a source of 

 danger to the efficiency of the labours of 

 those who are engaged there. Routine 

 may demand so much attention that 

 there is no time left for research. 



Two practical meanings may be at- 

 tached to the word Research. It may be 

 employed for the purpose of giving the 

 idea of careful search, or it may, as its 

 form indicates, connote searching again. 

 Both these aspects of it are before the 

 scientific investigator and, it may be 

 added, the second is the more often 

 present with the agriculturist, chiefly 

 because the practice of agriculture is so 

 ancient that many of its problems have 

 been worked out empirically long ago. 



What is wanted is the reason why these 

 problems can be solved in the way that 

 has been found, in order that such a 

 knowledge of them may be obtained as 

 to enable modifications to be suggested 

 that will improve old methods and make 

 these applicable, with the necessary 

 changes, to new conditions. 



In answering certain kinds of agri- 

 cultural questions, routine and research 

 approach one another in sucb a way 

 that one becomes part of the other. 

 This is especially the case where work is 

 entailed that will spread over many 

 seasons, such as, for example, the pro- 

 duction of seedling canes, work on 

 Mendelian lines, or the making of manu- 

 rial experiments. The last forms an 

 instance in which efforts are being made 

 to reach definite conclusions as to agri- 

 cultural procedure, while in the first 

 case the purpose is to produce actual 

 material that will be used in a definite, 

 practial way. 



In other kinds of research, the work 

 connected with the question under con- 

 sideration is not of indefinite duration. 

 First among these may be mentioned the 

 kind which relates to new agricultural 

 problems ; that is to say. problems taking 

 their origin from the discovery of new 

 facts. Here an explanation of the facts 

 is not the only matter of importance. 

 A knowledge is required of the best way 

 to apply them to existing conditions, 

 and the attainment of the first will lead 

 to the realization of the second. 



New problems should not be permitted 

 to minimize the importance of those 

 that are already awaiting solution. In 

 reality, the latter are of the more 

 momentous nature, and it is very prob- 

 able that their solution will lead to the 

 disappearance of many of the new ones 

 that were supposed to have a real 

 existence. To be carried away from the 

 more exigent matters by the charm of 

 novelty will not lead to the attainment 

 of the most useful conclusions. 



Among the problems awaiting solu- 

 tion are those which relate to the dis- 

 covery of explanations of well-known 

 facts ; brief reference to these has been 

 made already- The investigations con- 

 ducted during recent years have afford- 

 ed several examples of the making of 

 such discoveries. The enrichment of 

 land by growing leguminous crops has 

 been an agricultural practice, in many 

 parts of the world, for centuries ; only 

 recently has the explanation been pro- 

 vided of the way in which the improve- 

 ment takes place. Partial sterilization 

 of the soil, by substance which put an 

 end to life, by heat, or by the direct rays 

 of the sun, has long been known to 



