ENGLAND AND AGRICULTURE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 656, 5 November 1909, Page 3

ENGLAND AND AGRICULTURE.

Sir,—l noted some remarks in The Dominion last week. bearing upon the statement of Sir Robert Stout regarding tho want of agricultural schools and experimental stations at Home. It seems soinonhat strange; that a number of people, from New Zealand visit, the United Kingdom, evjry year, and on returning set about misrepresenting the Old' Land in many waya. One would think a man of Sir Robert Stout's, would, be more careful before mating such statements as those you allude to. ; ; With, regard to agricultural , experimental stati&ns and schools-'lll Great Britain, I have had a long and intimate knowlcdgo of some' of tho leading institutions there, including AVoburn'Farm, of'the Royal Agricultural Society, and also the world-famous Rothamsted Experimental -Station, Hertfordshire, whore it was my good fortune study the. scientific and practical side of "agriculture for over ten years. 1 Besides these thera aro many othors, where the science of agriculture can be 6tndied, such as Reading, Wye, Cirencester, and others. I remembor well a few years ago an agricultural expert from Now Zealand went Home and spent a few houre at Rothamsted, and on his return said there m nothing' to be learnt there. Contrast tUA with-, the American students. The American agricultural' students make a point of .visiting,Rothamsted; as do some from the / Continent.' They go iiv parties of 20 to 50 at' -intervals during the summer, and spend 14 days up, to two ' months studying there. I hove of ten- seen them depart-

ing with bulky notebooks, and say to couia spend six months here with , profit to ourselves, there is so much toJearn. ■...;.■'.. «•.,;■:■■■;V-. ;■.-.■' ■ : The fact of. tho matter is,' we have.no exact experimental laboratory' or '■Sett- work conducted at L our Btations fccre.'. We"are; therefore,- unable to- appreciate tho voet amount or scientific, labour needed to establish and put on a; firm foundation.'tho'.facts which,are from time to time brought- to bear on. out great am,' etc.,, , - ■■- : : ; : ■■'-.■/ ;\' :.H;:W.,LAWBENCE.: