19 io.] State Aid for Agricultural Research. 655 



Development Fund are obviously greater than the claims of 

 Agriculturists, the first endeavour should be to find out and 

 aid those scientific men who, whether agriculturists or not, 

 are best qualified to give the industry the assistance which 

 it needs. In many directions, especially perhaps in the forma- 

 tion of new cultivated plants, and in the study of disease 

 whether of plant or animal, we must look for workers outside, 

 as well as inside, the ranks of those who are now engaged 

 in studying agricultural and veterinary subjects. 



At the present time the number of well-qualified men en- 

 gaged in agricultural investigation in. this country is relatively 

 small, and one of our chief aims in expending additional funds 

 should be to establish a system which will bring agricultural 

 science suitable recruits. Here again we must be prepared 

 for criticism. The agricultural public are so impressed by 

 the achievements of great scientific men, that it will take 

 some time to convince them that the average research worker 

 is "made" not "born." 



It is true, of course, that the geniuses are "born," just 

 as they are in other walks of life. It is further true that 

 special gifts are necessary in directors of scientific research, 

 but in building up the principles of science all are not 

 "architects," workers of many grades must co-operate, and 

 the chief demand of the present time is for "spade workers " 

 and "quarrymen " to prepare foundations and material. If 

 w*e examine the history of British science, we find that we 

 are not behind other nations in the matter of "architects"; 

 indeed, we may lay claim to more than our own share of 

 scientific genius; where we have failed is that we have not 

 followed up the work of our "architects," and thus when we 

 are in want of examples illustrating the power of organised 

 science we must refer to the experience of other countries, such 

 as Germany, where, chiefly because of the degree-granting 

 system of the universities, "research" is part of the task 

 of ordinary men. The progress made by German industries 

 is not so much the result of scientific genius as of trained 

 "scientific labour." Mr. Middleton goes on to illustrate the 

 point from the experience of the United States, where the 

 provision of Experiment Stations in 1887 has been followed 

 by most beneficial results. 



