407 



Scientific Agriculture. 



Crown Colonies generally . . . the only taxable fund is the wage fund 'supplied 

 by the annual proceeds of the cultivation of the land " (Proc. Colonial Institute, 

 vol. xxxvi, p. 248). To induce the negro to engage in profitable cultivation instead 

 of contenting himself with a bare modicum of ground provisions provides a source 

 of revenue, raises his standard of comfort, and makes for his moral progress. But 

 he has to be taught by example how to do it, and this is the agricultural education 

 which Sir Daniel Morris had in his mind. It is widely different from anything 

 of the kind in this country. 



In point of fact, tropical agriculture has little relation to that of temperate 

 countries. Its methods are those of horticulture ; it is essentially extended garden- 

 ing. For the supply of men for this purpose our agricultural colleges would be 

 of little or no use. The problem has had to be met in a wholly different way. 

 The machinery for the purpose is compendiously described in the following extract 

 from the Colonial Office List (p. xx.) Botanic Stations' . . . are small and 

 inexpensive gardens, devised in 1885, in order to afford practical instruction in 

 the cultivation of tropical crops, and were intended to develop the agricultural 

 resources at first of the smaller West Indian Islands, and subsequently (1887) of 

 British possessions in Tropical Africa. Each is in charge of a Curator, who is a 

 gardener trained at Kew." 



The sort of success that has attended the system may be illustrated by a 

 single example. Cacao was introduced to the Gold Coast from Kew. In 1891 the 

 export was valued at £i. In 1900 I was able to exhibit at the Paris Exhibition 

 from the botanic station the first sample, to the best of my belief, grown on the 

 African continent, when it received a bronze medal. In 1904 the export had risen 

 to a value of more than £200,000. In effect, cacao is exchanged for imported goods ; 

 besides thus adding to the comfort of the cultivators, it enables them to pay the 

 taxes necessary to maintain peaceful government. 



For work of this kind the Empire has to depend on Kew, which is organised 

 for the purpose as an advanced horticultural school. At the present moment some 

 seventy Kew men are in official employment and carrying on the work I have 

 dc scribed in our various tropical colonies and possessions. 



But besides native peasant cultures British capital and enterprise are also 

 largely embarked in the tropical regions of the Empire in " planting industries." 

 These meet with difficulties whicli the local Government can and does supply 

 skilled aid to mitigate. Most of the West Indian colonies have a "Government 

 analyst." Cambridge has secured the traditional right to train and supply these. 

 Incidentally they are able to give important aid in dealing with agricultural 

 problems. The value of the work done by Prof. Harrison in British Guiana and 

 Prof, d' Albuquerque in Barbados can hardly be over-estimated. 



Ceylon possesses an almost unique staff of trained experts of every kind 

 afc Peradeniya, and a similar organisation is in process of establishment in the 

 Federated Malay States. The rubber industry of the Straits Settlements owes 

 its success to the Director of Public Gardens at Singapore. Besides Pusa, India 

 has experienced botanical experts, all university men, at Calcutta, Madras, and 

 Saharunpore. 



Our self-governing colonies know pretty well how to take care of themselves. 

 All possess agricultural departments and produce journals which will compare more 

 than favourably with anything at home. In Canada the Central Experimental 

 Farm at Ottawa is certainly not eclipsed by any institution in the United States. 

 I may be pardoned a little vanity if I remark that when the Transvaal Govern- 

 ment applied to Washington for an agrostologist it received a Kew man. 



