August, 1908. J 



157 



Miscellaneous}' 



"Unless you give me at least five bales, 

 I cannot give a better price." 



This difficulty lias been got over in 

 the case of Egyptain cotton in Sind, 

 by the establishment of a public auction 

 at Mirpurkhas, where all the small 

 quantities of cotton can be auctioned 

 together. The extension of this method 

 in other parts where improved cottons 

 are introduced, is one way out of the 

 difficulty, if it is found feasible. Other- 

 wise the only method seems to be for 

 Government or others to arrange tem- 

 porarily for combined marketing. It 

 was also suggested that a fund should 

 be raised by the trade, to be aided from 

 the money placed in the hands of the 

 Government by the British Cotton Grow- 

 ing Association, to be given as a bonus 

 to cultivators growing improved cotton. 

 This might be possible, but I am not 

 very sanguine. 



Another proposal came from the mill- 

 owners of Ahmedabad, that a sample 

 room (which they were willing to pro- 

 vide) should be opened at Ahmedabad 

 where all the improved cottons could 

 be on view, and data given as to where 

 they were being grown. If this infor- 

 mation was in their hands, they could 

 send their a gents to the places where the 

 cotton was being grown, and purchase 

 various lots themselves on the spot. The 

 suggestion appears to be a very practical 

 one. The required samples should con- 

 sist of at least ten pounds of cotton lint, 

 and be renewed as needed, and should be 

 freely open to public inspection. If such 

 a sample room were opened, and well 

 managed, it would at least enable buyers 

 to collect from the growers sufficient 

 quantity for practical trade trials. 



Such are the principal points of the dis- 

 cussion on the improvement of cotton. 

 The questions of the maintenance of an 

 improved stock, of the prevention of 

 mixture with inferior varieties at the 

 gins, and of the marketing of small 

 quantities of improved cotton seem to 

 have perhaps those of the first impor- 

 tance. Whether any of the suggestions 

 I have recapitulated or made are suffici- 

 ent to deal with, these undoubted 

 difficulties can only be decided in the 

 future. But they certainly give a basis 

 for action, and action of some kind will 

 certainly be necessary, by one more of 

 the parties concerned, if these very 

 real difficulties are to be solved- 



Agricultural Associations. 

 Just as the question of the improve- 

 ment of cotton was the chief matter for 

 discussion on the first day at the Ahme- 

 dabad Conference, so on the second day 

 the most interesting and profitable time 

 was given to the question of the functions 



and best method of the working of agri- 

 cultural associations. 



It may be well to preface an account 

 of the principal points in the discussion 

 by saying that there are not as yet any 

 number of such associations in the Bom- 

 bay Preisdency. Three district agri- 

 cultural associations exist at present. 

 These are at Ahmedabad, Dharwar, and 

 Broach, and there are a number of 

 smaller associations organised in talukas 

 in Gujerat and the Deccan. But, gener- 

 ally speaking, the idea has not yet taken 

 root, and the work which the associ- 

 ations are to do, has not hitherto been 

 very clearly understood or defined. 

 Co-operative Banks. 

 In attempting to consider, in the light 

 of what was said at Ahmedabad, the 

 probable line of most useful develop- 

 ment of what I may call co-operative 

 associations for the improvement of 

 agricultural methods and practices, it 

 was striking to observe how unanimous 

 the speakers were as to the necessity of 

 building up from the smaller units to 

 the greater, that is to say, from the 

 village association (where possible) to 

 that at taluka, and from the latter to one 

 extending its services to the whole of a 

 district. This position was stated by 

 men from Gujerat, from the Deccan, and 

 from the south of the Presidency. The 

 opinion was, in fact, the echo of what 

 has been found in almost all, if not in all, 

 efforts of every kind to benefit agricul- 

 turists everywhere, including co-oper- 

 ative banking. In respect to the latter, 

 the most recent writer says : — " Organise 

 downwards from the top, and in such 

 matters you are bound to fail. Organise 

 upwards from below, and, if only you 

 are judicious in your measures, you will 

 succeed." I am confident that this is 

 the right method, and that the attempt 

 to form a central agricultural association, 

 whose existence shall afterwards induce 

 the formation of smaller local and village 

 associations, is usually bound to fail. 

 Constitution and Functions op 

 Branch Associations. 

 Several speakers insisted on the neces- 

 sity of not pressing the formation of 

 local associations with any semblance 

 of a Government order. If local ideas 

 are largely influenced by official opinion, 

 we may have again, at once, all the evil- 

 effect of building from above. A body 

 of men who unite for any purpose by 

 instruction, or even apparently by 

 instruction, trom a superior authority, 

 will also limit their activity to the fur- 

 ther instruction received. I am con- 

 fident again that the speakers were 

 right in this matter, and that, unless 

 the people feel it is a co-operative and 

 not an {facial effort, little or no develop- 



