THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1911. SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10459, 25 October 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1911. SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE.

lii. view of the movement ,which is being made in the Wairarapa in the direction of providing an extended course of rural education for (he young, it is interesting to note that in nearly every part of the world enormous sums are ibeing expended m educating the people in modern agricultural methods. Even Conservative England is moving in tlie matter. Tlie Board of Agriculture is adopting an important 'system, under which the English farmer, it is hoped, will be made quite /up-to-date in his methods. It is proposed that a. special expenditure of £50,000 should be made each year for a agricultural research which will secure for each group of the problems affecting rural industry a share of attention roughly proportional to its economic interest; (2) the concentration of the scientific work 011 each feroup at one institution or at institutions 'working in combination; t3) grants ,for special investigations . for which provision may not ibe otherwise made; (4) the grant of scholarships, with a view to the increase of the number of men fully qualified to undertake agricultural research; (5) the carrying out of investigations in-

to problems of local importance, especially those involving the applicartion of modern research, to local prac-

tice, and the provision, of scientific j advice- for farmers on important technical questions. The Board of Agriculture, it seems, has 'been impressed with tie importance of securing co itinuity in work which is necessarily of considerable duration, and at tiie same time of providing staffs of specialists and experts who will be oermanently engaged on work arising from the investigation of the same group of problems. By this means concentration and economy of effort will, it is felt, be 'better secured than it would be if a number of institutions were dealing at the same time with the same group of problems. It is also considered important to avoid the giving. of undue attention to one part of the field of Agricultural research to lhe exclusion of otlior parts which are of equal scientific and economic importance. With these considerations in view, it has been arranged that grants should be made for research in the'following groups of subjects:— Plant physiology, plant pathology and mycology, plant breeding, (fruit growing and the treatment of 'plant diseases ; plant nutrition and soil ; problems, animal nutrition, animal (breeding, animal pathology, dairying,- agricultural zoology, and the economics of agriculture. It further appears that a surrl not exceeding £3OOO per annum, will .be available for assistance .in respect of special investigations for wihich provision is not otherwise made. In order to isecure tlie services of a. number of carefully trained :men for work in connection with the scheme, the BoaVd of Agriculture will offer breach of the years 1911, 1912 and 1913 twelve- scholarships of the value if £l5O per annum, tenable for - .three years. Girants will .also be made to certain universities, university, .col-. leges, and agricultural colleger in' England and Wales for, the purpose of enabling them to' supply scientific advice to farmers on important technical questions and to carry ost .- vestigations. into problems of local interest which can be more conveniently studied on the spot than at one of the research institutions. By ' means of these grants it is hoped to provide an expert staff possessing both scientific'and practical qualifications who will devote themr.elverj .o solving difficult local problems.-and in other ways endeavour to secure the application of science' to practice.