6 ; 
to Munich to obtain a training in plant pathology. Thus, at present^ 
the new rubber plantations are being grown with British capital on 
British ground, but with German and Austrian science. Neither 
London, Berlin, nor Vienna has been idle. The subject is one of 
great importance. The greatest living authority on plant pathology 
is Professor Czapek of Prague. He was recently invited to London.- 
and offers were made to him to found a school at South Kensington. 
For a while it seemed probable that the project would be successful. 
The money for the necessary building and equipment (£20,000) was 
forthcoming, and all appeared to be settled. But Berlin offered him 
a professorial chair. Then Vienna stepped in. Now word has come 
from Vienna that Professor Czapek is unable to accept the London 
Offer. No doubt this will prove to be a merely temporary setback. 
There is a very definite intention on the part of both financiers and 
educationists to set up a school of this kind in England. The man 
to superintend it is not forthcoming at present, but the very 
necessity is sure to produce the man we need. When the school is 
formed it will become part of the Imperial College of Science and 
Technology.” 
This letter, quoted from the Standard, is of considerable interest 
as showing that at last England is waking up to its duty towards 
agriculture. Professor Czapek was in Singapore in 1908 and stoped 
for sometime in the Botanic Gardens. There is no doubt that he is 
one of the great authorities on plant physiology and pathology. We 
have in England a large number of first botanists able readily to deal 
with the questions of plant disease, but England in the past has not 
encouraged these workers. The botanist of the past generation had 
to make up his mind to the maximum of hard work and the minimum 
of salary. Those who could manage to live on the smallest possible 
pay could take up this life, others had to sacrifice their talents for a 
.living wages. Research had to be done at the investigator’s expense 
and at such odd times as he could spare from the long hours spent in 
making enough to live on. He usually got no chance of visiting 
other parts of the world, to study the physiology or oecoJogy of 
plants and animals in other climates or to see what other establish- 
ments were doing. Everything of the kind was strongly discouraged, 
if permitted at all it had to be done at the investigator’s own cost 
and in his own vacations. This kind of treatment did not make for 
progress, nor make it possible for many scientific young men to 
enter the profession. Very different was the action of Germany and 
other of the continental countries. Their system was to encourage 
work and workers in science. The natural result was first seen in 
the development of Forestry in India, where the Directors of the- 
Indian Forests for a considerable period as well as much of the rest 
of the staff had to be drawn from Germany. The same thing appears 
to be the case now with the great rise of tropical Agriculture. 
England has been asleep and is waking up but is not ready for the 
emergency yet. 
