Miscellaneous. 



570 



[December, 



more practical form instead of being 

 of a speculative character as it now is. 



Admitting that the increase in the 

 production of the staple food is of the 

 utmost importance to the island, it 

 would be instructive to investigate some 

 of the means by which similar results 

 have been attained in other countries. 

 With this view, a few notes on the 

 progress of Agriculture in Denmark, 

 as seen by me, are given below. 



A competent authority has remarked 

 that, "a century ago. Denmark was ranged 

 among the poorest countries of Europe. 

 It is now considered to be one of the 

 most prosperous countries. The change 

 is chiefly due to the successful develop- 

 ment of Danish agriculture." 



For this reason, many countries desir- 

 ous of improving the state of rural agri- 

 culture have turned their attention to 

 Denmark. Scotland sent a deputation 

 to visit Denmark, with a view to study- 

 ing its methods of agriculture, and the 

 Irish Department of Agriculture, which 

 is now endeavouring to regenerate a 

 rural population, perhaps as backwards 

 as our own, has followed the lines which 

 Denmark has adopted towards the same 

 end. 



What suits one country and one set 

 of people, however, need not neces- 

 sarily suit the conditions of another 

 country with a population whose habits 

 and environments are so distinct, but 

 there are certain general principles that 

 hold good under all circumstances. 

 According to the same authority quoted 

 above, the chief means which have con- 

 tributed to secure the progress of Danish 

 agriculture may be summed up under 

 the following heads : — 



1. The distribution of land amongst 



small free holders ; 



2. Easy access to favourable loans 



upon landed property ; 



3. (Jo-operation 



4. The education imparted to peasants 



at the popular country high 

 schools. 



In Ceylon we may be said, to a great 

 extent, to have the first condition, in that 

 village lands are well distributed among 

 small free-holders, making the peasant 



Eersonally and directly interested in the 

 est possible cultivation of his soil, and 

 encouraging his self-esteem, It is to be 

 hoped that no attempt will ever be made 

 to disturb this state of affairs. We next 

 come to the second point, viz., easy 

 access to favourable loans upon landed 



property. This condition has been very 

 carefully developed in Denmark. No 

 lean system that is not based on strictly 

 business principles has ever any chance 

 of success; and in Ceylon, where the 

 question is at preseut receiving consider- 

 ation, the study of the general principles 

 of loans to agriculturists deserves serious 

 attention. The following notes on the 

 system obtained in Denmark may, per- 

 haps, assist those interested in the 

 question. 



The laws of the Credit Associations are 

 submitted for approval of, and control 

 by, the State. Loans rarely exceed 45 to 

 50 per cent, of the value of the pro- 

 perty, the utmost limit being 60 per cent. 

 The annual interest varies from 3i to 4| 

 per cent., and the principal is paid back 

 in the course of fifty years. In the case 

 of Credit Associations of small land- 

 owners, Government supports them 

 with a limited State guarantee. Any 

 system of direct loans by the State is 

 likely to result in a demoralization of 

 rural agriculture, and is a thing that 

 should be carefully guarded against. 

 Much harm may be done to the Cey- 

 lon goyia by what is known as "patri- 

 archal interference." The aim of any 

 loans should rather be to help the 

 peasant to be self-reliant, and to develop 

 his capacity for initiative. 



Agricultural co-operation has been 

 developed in Denmark to a remarkable 

 extent. In the matter of dairying, 

 twenty years ago every little land- 

 owner in that country churned and sold 

 his own butter. Now all the milk is 

 delivered at the co-operative dairies. 

 There are at present 1,058 dairies in Den- 

 mark, based on the profit-sharing system, 

 working under competent control, and 

 conducted with the greatest cleanliuess 

 and economy. Similar institutions exist 

 as regards other produce. In Ceylon 

 there is room for such co-operative 

 agencies, and this Society is no doubt 

 alive to the possibilities of promoting 

 them. For success, co-operative agricul- 

 tural societies must aim at uniform 

 excellence of articles supplied through 

 them. 



The success of rural agriculture in 

 Denmark is undoubtedly due also to the 

 education imparted at the popular coun- 

 try high schools. There are two 

 branches of these establishments— High 

 schools and Agricultural schools. The 

 opening of country high schools is the 

 result of piivate initiative, and they 

 receive help from the State only by a 

 system of grant-in-aid. The education 

 embraces both practical and theoretical 

 instruction in the cultivation of the 

 soil, forestry, horticulture, manuring, 



