Scientific Agriculture. 



532 



[December 1911. 



to be reliable, and it is a moral duty of 

 citizenship to furnish accurate returns. 

 If some idea of this moral responsibility 

 could be implanted in children's minds 

 when they are impressionable, the gain 

 would be great. 



As regards the conveying of new ideas 

 to adults, there is no method more 

 successful than that of practical demon- 

 stration in the field and factory. A 

 farmer may hear something at a leccure 

 or read it in a book, but he does not 

 believe it. Show it to him, however, as 

 an actual fact before his eyes, and he 

 cannot escape it, The system of demon- 

 stration fields has been most developed 

 in France, where it was, I believe, first 

 started. There they have three classes 

 of these fields ; the hrst are small plots 

 a few yards square at the primary 

 schools in country districts ; the second 

 are larger sets of plots, like the teso plots 

 in Victoria, of the results of which I 

 havs already given you several illustra- 

 tions — these are laid out on the farmers' 

 land, the farmers themselves helping in 

 the work ; and the third are large fields 

 of some acres in extent, which the 

 farmers lend for the purpose of being 

 worked for two or three years in succes- 

 sion, under the direction of Government 

 professors of agriculture, the Govern- 

 ment undertaking to pay the farmer 

 any difference which may exist on the 

 debit side between the returns of these 

 fields and those of his farm worked in 

 his own way. Such repayments never 

 have to be made, the balance being 

 always on the good side. These fields, 

 it is said s have already resulted in great 

 improvement of backward districts. 



As regards the demonstration fields of 

 the second class, there is now in Victoria 

 a large and increasing demand for them ; 

 we shall have probably nearly 300 appli- 

 cations tor their establishment during 

 the coming season, and it will tax all our 

 energies to get them started. The fact 

 that we have so many applications for 

 these fields, and that such interest is 

 being taken in them shows that at last 

 we are getting into touch with the 

 farmers and are getting right to the 

 heart of our difficulties. The fields, be- 

 sides fulltilling their immediate use as 

 demonstrations to the farmers, serve 

 also the double purpose of the test fields 

 required in the soil survey of the 

 country. 



Now, what I have said has been a mere 

 sketch, a sketch in fragments, But I 

 have endeavoured to paint it in bold 

 and striking outline, so that the atten- 

 tion of tne public may be attracted to 

 the matter, and that they may realize 



that this work Ave have in hand is a 

 really great work, and one which needs 

 to be entered upon in the spirit of 



greatness. 



Just a few words as to the men and 

 machinery for carrying out this great 

 work, and then I have finished. It is 

 unnecessary to say that the work is 

 such as can be carried out only by the 

 State, and the Government departments 

 which undertake it should be recognised 

 as the most reproductive of all the 

 departments, and second to none in im- 

 portance. These who direct the work 

 need to be the best men obtainable ; men 

 with a thorough knowledge of their 

 business, men of courage, integrity, 

 tact, enthusiasm, energy, executive 

 ability and untiring industry and love 

 of work. There are such men already 

 in the departments of these colonies, 

 men of whom I think no country need 

 be ashamed, who are able to make good 

 use of opportunity, and to give the 

 country real service. If one-half of 

 what I have endeavoured to demonstrate 

 in this paper be true, then these are 

 men with vast possibilities in their 

 hands, they carry grave responsibilities, 

 and it is to the advantage of the country 

 that they should be treated as such, 



The proper housing of such a State 

 department is a by no means subordiuate 

 detail, Every facility for the rapid 

 transaction of business, and for easy 

 reference and consultation amongst the 

 principal officers, should be regarded as 

 important and essential. The head- 

 quarters of the department should be a 

 central building, designed specially for 

 the purpose, having, besides other 

 accommodation, first-class laboratories 

 for chemical, bacteriological, botanical, 

 entomological, and other work, a well- 

 equipped library for the common use of 

 the department, and a central museum. 

 There is nothing unreasonable in this 

 proposition, it is simply what is needed, 

 and what will have to be if the work is 

 to be properly organized and to result in 

 the highest success, 



With this I must conclude. Attacking 

 the problem, as we may now do, with 

 all the spring and energy and hopeful- 

 ness of a nation in its youth, we should 

 reasonably look forward to organizing 

 a system of work, which taking advant- 

 age of the experiences of other countries, 

 incorporating their good features, while 

 avoiding as far as possible their weak- 

 ness, should, by its operations during 

 only a few years, practically double the 

 wealth of these countries, effect great 

 improvements in the conditions of rural 

 life, and increase the strength and 

 stability of the nation. 



