JULY; 1910.} 



71 



Miscellaneous, 



cause it to give larger yields of the crops 

 grown upon it, but it is only now that 

 investigators are able to speak with any 

 degree of certainty as to the chauges 

 that have led to the increased fertility. 

 The long employed agricultural practice 

 that age has made a custom has already, 

 in many cases, gained the respect of the 

 agricultural adviser and, with the aid of 

 his discoveries, has shown the way to the 

 adoption and modification of agricultural 

 operations, so that the position of those 

 who exist by means of them has been 

 materially improved. 



The last kind of research that may be 

 considered derives its importance from 

 the application of its results over the 

 areas to which these have particular 

 relation. Its conclusions are of local 

 moment, merely; though they may de- 

 pend upon the special application of a 

 general fact ; they are not, themselves, 

 of widespread value. They are none the 

 less of use to the practical agriculturist, 

 under the special circumstances, though 

 their limitations should be clearly in- 

 dicated, in order that they may not be 

 employed under conditions on which 

 they have no bearing. 



This description of the different kinds 

 of research to which an experiment 

 station may give its attention should, 

 incidentally, have demonstrated suffi- 

 ciently the necessity of its existence 

 wherever such stations are found. There 

 are, however, other equally cogent 

 reasons that have their origin in a con- 

 sideration of the internal characteristics 

 of the station. Firstly, there is the 



indirect effect of research, even though 

 it may be purely academic, on the mind 

 of the worker, whereby the clearness of 

 his mental impressions in regard to 

 ordinary problems is improved, and 

 through which he gains confidence in his 

 work and in the interpretation of its 

 results. Secondly, if the best kind of 

 investigator is to be attracted to experi- 

 ment stations, he must be given the 

 opportunity to engage in research. 

 Lastly, the efforts connected with re- 

 search, especially that of a more academic 

 kind, act as a stimulus both to the 

 worker and his associates, and prevent 

 their labours from being confined and 

 limited in such a way as to deprive them 

 of the lively interest without which they 

 will speedily lose their value. It is 

 necessary that the plan and purpose of 

 the investigations should be definite ; 

 that the problems taken up should not 

 be of too large or broad a nature ; and 

 that the number of lines of work should 

 be carefully limited. 



The iuvestigators at an experiment 

 station, then, must realise that they are 

 indebted to agricultural science and to 

 agricultural education, and that it is 

 part of their duty to contribute to the 

 needs of all phases of agriculture, in a 

 broad sense, by accompanying the re- 

 search of a more obvious nature with 

 that which is of an academic character. 

 They will thus be influenced to take up 

 lines of work such as may be discon- 

 tinued if occasion demands, and will 

 receive in return that stimulus which 

 will impart a living interest to their 

 labours. 



