August, 1910. 



163 



Miscellaneous. 



ate, more especially in the Western 

 Province. The annual exports are 

 worth about £30,000. 



Three Botanic Stations exist in 

 Southern Nigeria, one in each province. 

 Large numbers of plants and seeds are 

 distributed to holders of land in all 

 parts of the colony, Instructions as to 

 the best methods of cultivation are also 

 given. 



THE FUNCTIONS OF AGRI- 

 CULTURAL EXPERIMENT 

 STATIONS, 



(From the Agricultural News, Vol. IX,, 

 No. 210, May, 1910. J 



II. In Practical Agriculture. 

 In the definite work of an agricultural 

 experiment station, beside that connect- 

 ed with reseai'ch, a consideration of 

 which has already been given, there are 

 included lines of investigation that are 

 conducted,broadly speaking, in two ways. 

 The first of these has relation to experi- 

 ments which are designed to give a 

 purely empirical result ; that is to say, 

 the effort is made to obtain information 

 as to the nature of the right procedure 

 in any given matter, while there is no 

 arrangement of the details in such a 

 way that scientific reasons will be 

 supplied for the conclusion which is 

 reached. The second kind of investiga- 

 tion includes experiments, in themselves 

 apparently simple, which, while giving 

 results of practical value, afford at the 

 same time information that has a use in 

 relation to what are usually termed 

 purely scientific considerations. It does 

 not require any demonstration that the 

 latter way of experiment is the more 

 valuable, especially as it leads to greater 

 certainty in formulating and applying 

 results of general agricultural im- 

 portance ; the tendency is therefore to 

 give all investigations a scientific aspect. 



Dealing with the work of the experi- 

 ment station in a more detailed way, it 

 is generally the case that a large part of 

 this is taken up with mauurial and 

 tillage experiments, the latter include 

 the introduction of new methods and 

 machinery in connection witli cultivation, 

 but this is a matter where a large part 

 of the investigation should be performed 

 by the planter on his own laud. Fresh 

 importations, too, will take place under 

 its direction-, in relation to crops, in 

 order that those who are interested may 

 be given opportunities of trying new 

 and improved varieties of plants, while 

 the station itself will devote some of its 



efforts to the improvement of those 

 already existing in the area which is to 

 benefit by its operations. An inportant 

 part of the work of many stations is the 

 making of experiments which are main- 

 tained over several years, and the 

 existence of these gives an argument, 

 among several others, for the continu- 

 ance of the form of their labours, as 

 originally adopted, during long periods 

 and iudicates the great care that should 

 be exercised in the planting of such 

 institutions. 



The success of the educative work of a 

 station is dependent mainly on its power 

 to keep in close touch with the practical 

 agriculturist. This is chiefly done by 

 means of the initiation of lines of experi- 

 ment that, of necessity, require his 

 co-operation, and it is here that the 

 work of sub-stations possesses one of its 

 greatest values. At these, the planter is 

 afforded an opportunity of viewing 

 closely some of the work that is being 

 done for him, and it is by means of them 

 that the solution of detailed, local pro- 

 blems is afforded, although his advisers 

 will be, at the same time, fully cognisant 

 of their relation to the broad principles 

 of agricultural science. Another way in 

 which the planter is reached is by the 

 publication of results and advice. The 

 printed matter which is the outcome of 

 this will be made to present its infor- 

 mation in two ways : there will be the 

 detailed results, together with the 

 deductions that may be made from 

 them. Experience has shown that the 

 best plan to follow in such work of 

 publication is to issue, in addition to the 

 report which contains particulars of all 

 the work, including the minutest statis- 

 tical details of experiment, a short 

 account which will present the results of 

 the work briefly and succinctly. It is 

 with this object that a certain propor- 

 tion of the numbers of the Pamphlet 

 Series is issued by the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. Where there are 

 several stations whose efforts are corre- 

 lated to a large degree, and which are 

 administered by one authority it is best 

 that all such work of publication should 

 be centralized, with a view to the reduc- 

 tion of the labour and expense of produc- 

 ing the printed matter, and to give those 

 in charge of the stations more time for 

 the attainment of the definite objects of 

 their labours. 



These outward manifestations of the 

 energy that is being employed in the 

 conduct of an experiment station 

 are dependent most largely for their 

 efficiency on the work of its internal 

 organization. There is evidence in this of 

 the necessity for the existence of system 



