SCIENCE AND THE FARMER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19433, 20 October 1925, Page 9

SCIENCE AND THE FARMER

SIR ERNEST RUTHERFORD’S VIEWS. MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT. INVESTIGATION PAYS. “I am a firm believer in investigating anything scientifically—l don’t care what it. is. Sconce is only organised knowledge, after all. This remark conveys the advice of Sir Ernest Rutherford, 0.M., F.R.S., the eminent physeian, to the farmers of Taranaki. It was made when a Taranaki Herald reporter asked Sir Ernest if he would say something concerning the application of science to the problems of farming. Sir Ernest said he knew nothing of the practical problems of farming, but he was convinced that scientific investigation could have farreaching effects.

New Zealand should spend money on scientific research in farming problems, but it was essential that the right men should be selected to carry out the work, and to secure their services adequate salaries must be paid. Rapid progress must not be expected. It must take time to give scientific discoveries their practical application and to disseminate the new knowledge to the men on the land. Sir Ernest did not use these actual words, but they represent in summary what he had to say.

Referring to the problems of agriculture in New Zealand, Sir Ernest Rutherford said that he understood the Government was trying to deal with them by agricultural research stations whose province was partially to investigate etc., but was also largely educational. The farming communities in all countries as a rule were very conservative, and in many cases the educational side was of even more importance than the purely scientific side at the moment. General experience had shown that auy increase of knowledge in connection with agriculture ultimately became of practical importance to the community. The great improvement of farming in Europe during the past century' was very closely connected with the investigation of scientific problems related to agriculture and-the gradual dissemination to the farming population of the knowledge so gained. “Generally, in my opinion, it is of the highest importance that the State should devote considerable sums of money to the assistance of scientific work on the great and fundamental problems of agriculture and other branches of farming,’’ Sir Ernest said. He proceeded to say that in the United States and Canada, particularly, very great attention was being paid to this problem. For instance, in Canada attention was paid for many y-ears to the production of a type of’ wheat which would give large yields on Canadian soils, and largely through the work of Dr. Saunders, of the experimental farm at Ottawa, this was eventually accomplished. In England, particularly at Cambridge, under the direction of Sir Rowland Biffen, a very intensive study had been made of the improvement of wheat stocks. Those researches hud extended over a large number of years, and had proved very successful, ami practically all the wheat grown in England to-day camo from seed separated in Sir Howland Biffen’s laboratory at Cambridge. The result had been not only an increased yield in bushels per acre, but also an improvement in the quality of the grain. “I have referred,” said Sir Ernest, “to the fact that in America very large sums of money are being spent. Without being in any sense an expert on New Zealand conditions, I feel that agricultural interests are so important to New Zealand that it is obviously a wiso measure to spend money freely in advising the farmer and in scientific investigation of farming in general; by conducting good experimental farms and employing men to advise farmers by the dissemination of literature on improved methods. Inevitably progress is slow. Progress may not be rapid, but is should be certain.’’

Sir Ernest emphasised the need, apart from the experimental farms, for a strong scientific department for investigating the fundamental problems that underlie agricultural processes, including the physics and chemistry of soils, the life history of pests (information which was necessary before any attempt, could be made to eradicate them), and so on. Sir Ernest remarked that he snould say that the need was for one central institution with a number of scientific men employed—physicists, chemists, zoologists, botanists. It had always been found difficult, since agri cultural interests wore of a conservative class, to get sufficient money to make really flourishing institutions. In any case, the success of all such institutions was largely dependent on the proper choice of men. (Jn the .financial side of the question Sir Ernest expressed a firm conviction that a sum should be provided of a size commensurate with the huge ' amount involved each year in the farm products of New Zealand. The money should bo set aside by the farmers themselves, or with the assistance of the Government. In order that such a scheme should be successful thq, salaries must be reasonably attractive so that the services of the very best men available would be secured. “If you pay a man £4OO a year you do|'t jfjt more than £4OO worth of work,” Sir Ernest remarked.

The laboratory being set up at Hawera by the dairy companies, subsidised by the Government, was mentioned. Sir Ernest had not sufficient information to enable him to comment on it. Ho said it was a good . step, though one man could not do very much by himself in exploring the greater scientific problems from the solution of which benefits might ultimately flow to the farmers.