PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
CO. 882/10
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH--NOT TO
Publishing accurate records of experiments for information
of planters.
Publication of leaflets and bulletins on subjects of direct use to planters.
Enforcement of the Plant peste ordinance.
Organisation and supervision of agricultural credit societies. Establishing land settlements for peasants. Importing new breeds of stook,
Forestry.
Policing forest reserves.
Experiments with well-known varieties of timber imported from other countries.
Reafforesting denuded areas.
Gardena.
Bupervision of Botanic Gardens, tom gardens and`grounds
of Government House,
Importation of plants unknow here. Supplying plants required locally.
Miscellaneous.
Advisory work for Government,
Keeping in touch with agricultural work elsewhere.
It is not too much to say that not one of these matters, which are obviously the first things to be attended to, has received the most ordinary attention in the past.
Proposed organisation.
The first and most necessary mtter is that the Government and planters should definitely understand that an agricultural department is needed here, and that it should be one of the most important of the Government: elsewhere it is perhaps the most productive department with the possible exception of the Department of Education. It must be frankly recognised that it has definite duties to perform, and is not a miscellaneous collection of odd-jobs attached to a public garden.
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The next point to be clearly recognised is that there are separate and more or less water-tight divisions of the Department's work, and that usually a fairly responsible man will be needed for each, all to be supervised and directed by the head of the Department have been indicated above: fisheries have been omitted, until it can be proved that this line of work cannot be performed just as well by some other department, for example the Police.
The following staff would be needed for the Department of Agriculture on a scale profitable to the colony.
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Director, Department of Agriculture.
He should be a univers-
ity man, preferably with a natural science degree; be should have had a certain amount of experience in other tropical departmanta of agriculture: he should talk French, or be under an engagement to learn it in two years; he should be energetic and young: he should be a gentleman, as the heads of other departments are, because he has to mix with planters who are gentlemen; he should understand that there is little room for elaborate scientific research here.
Chief Agricultural Offiger, division, and second in command.
In charge of the agric ultural agricultural knowledge taot, energy and enterprise.
▲ local man of good knowledge of coconuts advisable.
Good
Agricultural Instructore. fake, one for Jouth labé,
Three altogether, one for North Praslin). Local men of the upper peasant type, instructed
one for out-islands (stationed at in their duties by the Director, mart and enterprising. Their work would lie almost entirely among the smaller propriators.
Forest Rangers. Men of the type now used, but given periodical instructions in their duties. Director.
Report to the
Gardens, Two reliable foreman, one for botanic gardens and town gardens, the other for Government House.
Should be able
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to carry on the ornamental work with regular inspection and supervision by the Director or the Chief Agricultural officer. Clerical. Two clerks, a senior man for collecting statistics, supervising books and accounts, translating department publications into French, supervising library do..., and an Assistant clerk for typing and routine of office work. Agricultural Foremen. Probably three, one for Bermitage experiment station, one for Praslin, and possibly one for carrying out work in connection with experiments on estates. Would be in charge of imported stook, and must be thoroughly reliable.
The existing coconut plantation at Hermitage is useless to the Colony excepting as a possible financial asset in the future. Experiments with other crops have to be carried on as well: for example vanilla, maize, manioɑ, sweet potatoes, yams, sorghum, cotton, to take the commonest and most useful ones. The land should be converted into an experiment station on which would be centred work with stock and experiments with crops: as the area is about 30 acres, 15 mores could be retained for manurial and tillage expe riments with coconuts, and the remainder cleared of coconuts and used for other experiments.
If this be regarded as inadvisable, the provision of more land is necessary. It must be realised by planters and Government alike that neither an ornamental botanio gardens nor a coconut plantation afford facilities for work on other orops or on stock which are every whit as important.
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