EMPIRE AGRICULTURE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 370, 2 June 1928, Page 27

EMPIRE AGRICULTURE

RESEARCH CONFERENCE IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions o£ much Importance to agriculture in all parts of the British Empire are contained in the report of the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference, •which was held in London in October and November. The report, with a summary of proceedings and the recommendations of the conference, has been published. The conference, the first of its kind, was attended by representatives of every British possession, and undertook a comprehensive survey of every aspect of agriculture. As a result it is believed that foundations have been laid for the ultimate creation of an effective British agricultural Commonwealth. In a survey of the work accomplished, the chairman (Lord Bledisloe) said:—“There has been no conference of an Imperial character which has been more harmonious, more definite in its objectives, more constructive in its deliberations and decisions, or more calculated to contribute to the solidarity of the Empire and materially effect its future prosperity.” Agriculture, the report points out, is by far the most important industry witliiu the British Empire; even in

England and Wales alone, with their urban conditions, the annual agricultural output reaches the surprising sum of £225,000,000. The Empire’s agriculture is also representative of a vast range of conditions and problems. It is practised in some of the hottest and coldest, the wettest and driest, the most fertile, and apparently the most barren parts of the world. Almost every problem which confronts the industry was examined in details by the conference, which recommended generally that the only means by which improvements can be achieved and problems solved is research. Continuous and intensive scientific investigation, it is pointed out, offers the only means by which output, both in amount and quality, can be increased and costs of production cheapened. Three important schemes are recommended by the conference; the setting up throughout the Empire of a “chain” of agricultural research stations, the creation in Great Britain of clearing houses of information in agricultural science, which shall serve the whole Empire, and the recruiting, training and interchange of scientific workers in agriculture for the whole Empire. Establishment of Research Stations On the first question the conference recommends that the research stations should he established according to the needs for research on particular subjects rather than by consideration of geographical distribution, and that they should confine themselves to the broader aspects of research. It Is estimated that the annual sum necessary tor the maintenance of each station will be £20,000. As a preliminary it is recommended that five stations be established in Queensland, Ceylon, East Africa, West Africa, and the Federated Malay States. A central station for irrigation problems, and one for copra and sugar research, are also considered necessary. It is pointed out that several of these projects are now being actively carried out. Two Imperial clearing houses for information, one for entomology and one for mycology, are already in existence, but the conference strongly recommends that further bureaux should be established for soil science, animal nutrition, and animal health. It is suggested that the first should be at the liothamsted Experimental Station, England, the second at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, and the third in London. It is further recommended that smaller clearing houses, or correspondence centres, should be established for animal genetics, agricultural parasitology, plant genetics, and fruit production. The amount necessary for the maintenance of these is estimated at £20,000 a year. Next Conference in Australia In view of the success achieved by the conference it was unanimously decided that other gatherings should be held at periods of at least five years, and this decision was readily approved by the Governments directly concerned. Mr. G. A. Julius, the leader of the Australian delegation, said that the Commonwealth Government recognised fully the value of the contact between scientific workers and administrators in agricultural science afforded by such gatherings, and the Prime Minister (Mr. Bruce) had invited the conference to hold its next gathering in Australia. The invitation was readily accepted by the conference, which resolved that its next meeting should be held in Australia in 1932. The New Zealand Government will cooperate to make the meeting as representative and successful as possible.

Lecturing to the members of Bolton Agricultural Discussion Society ou 1 “The Science of Investment in Farm- | ing.” Mr. John Orr, Manchester Uni- ' versity, said money-making and Investment in farming were like a jouri hey which had to be accomplished to ! its end before anything was gained at | all. “Sell a cow and buy seed” was a saying of the West Lancashire farmers. That was the right idea, and the right spirit. With fuller experience they could add “Sell a pig and [ buy fertilisers.” Then Mr. Orr added: “Get the complete combination of con- _ ditions which sets every element : necessary to the production of a good | crop working at its fullest. The addi- | tional return will enable you to re- | tain the cow and the pig, with a great ! deal to spare.”