nominated by the Council, by reason of their scientific knowledge or the special qualifications, for the approval of the Government of India. The Chairman and the two whole-time members might be appointed for five years and the other members for three years as a general rule. Provision should be made for extending these periods.

We do not consider that it will be necessary for the Council to meet ordinarily more than twice yearly. In view of the great distances in India, more frequent meetings would involve an undesirable degree of interference with the ordinary duties of the great majority of its members. It would, however, be necessary to make provision for the conduct of business between meetings and we are of opinion that this can best be done by a provision in the legislation constituting the Council, permitting the Council, with the previous sanction of the Governor General in Council, to make rules, inter alia, for the election of a Standing Finance Committee from amongst its own members and the delegation to it of any powers exercisable by the Council. Subject to such restrictions as might at any time be imposed by the Council, this Committee would exercise all the powers of the Council in regard to the control and disposal of its funds and also such other powers as might be delegated to it by the Council. The Chairman of the Council would be ex-officio chairman of this Committee and the two whole-time members of the Council should be members of it. Beyond this, the only suggestion we would make is that, as the most important function of the Committee will be to deal with applications for grants for research institutions, no member of the Council directly connected with any research institution should be a member of it. The Council will undoubtedly find it advisable to do much of its work other than that connected with financial matters through sub-committees. These sub-committees should have power to co-opt members from outside the Council to assist them in dealing with special questions. The most suitable headquarters for the Council would be those of the Government of India-Delhi and Simla. The possibility of establishing a Development Commission for India on the lines of that established for Great Britain has naturally occurred to us. The idea is an attractive one, but the limitations imposed by the existing Constitution are such as, in our view, rule any proposal of this kind out of consideration in present conditions. If conditions alter, the Council of Agricultural Research which we propose could be expanded to include all activities that have any bearing on rural progress.

On the formation of the Council of Agricultural Research, the necessity for an Agricultural Adviser to the Government of India will disappear. This officer is at present the Director of the Pusa Institute. A whole-time Director will be required for Pusa who in addition to the administrative control of that Institute will also exercise administrative control over sub-stations now under the Agricultural Adviser but not over the Imperial Institute of Veterinary Research at Muktesar for which other arrangements are proposed in Section VII (Chapter IX of the main Report). On the constitution of the new superior provincial

agricultural services, the functions of Pusa as a centre for higher agricultural education are likely to be extended and it will be for the Council of Agricultural Research to suggest such alterations as are necessary to render Pusa a teaching institution of the highest standard. An approved course of post-graduate study should be regarded as an essential qualification for admission to the new superior provincial agricultural services. We hope that the universities will take an increasing share in the prosecution of agricultural research and it is with the object of facilitating this that we have suggested that they should be represented on the Council of Agricultural Research. The first step seems to be an improvement of the standard of their scientific teaching. Grants might be given by the Council for research work in connection with agriculture carried out at the universities. The most suitable link between Pusa and the universities would be an arrangement under which research work carried out at Pusa could be submitted as a thesis for the degree of M.Sc. or D.Sc. of the university of which the student was a graduate.

Although we do not consider that research can conveniently be organised by Government on a crop basis, we see no objection to any trade, which feels that its interests demand such a step, organising itself on the lines of the Indian Central Cotton Committee, provided it is willing to tax itself for this purpose. The case of jute presents special features and we consider it most desirable that a committee should be formed which would watch over the interests of all branches of the trade from the field to the factory. The Chairman of the Council of Agricultural Research should be chairman of this Central Jute Committee and Government should finance the work of the Committee by an annual grant of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Pusa is not in all respects an ideal site for a research institution for all India. The Council of Agricultural Research will, therefore, have to determine how far its deficiencies in regard to the problems of tropical India can be remedied by the establishment of small sub-stations. They will also have to decide to what extent the funds which will be placed at its disposal for the advancement of agricultural research can suitably be utilised for the opening of such sub-stations.

It is our view that the Board of Agriculture which, inter alia, provides the only means by which, in present conditions, Indian States can be brought in touch with the agricultural problems of British India and the methods employed in solving them will still have many useful functions to perform after the Council of Research has been set up. We, therefore, are strongly of opinion that the Board should continue to meet under the chairmanship of the Chairman of the Council of Research and that the Council should advise the Government of India as to any changes in its constitution which may seem calculated to promote its usefulness.

III. AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT AND THE SUB-
DIVISION AND FRAGMENTATION OF HOLDINGS

CHAPTER IV OF THE MAIN REPORT.

The principal concern of this Commission is to suggest the lines on which agriculture in India can be improved. The field is a vast one and the diversity of soils, local conditions and agricultural practices is very great. As an indication of the immensity of areas under the various crops, it may be noted that there are over 80 million acres under rice, some 24 million acres under wheat, 33 millions under the greater millets, juar and bajra, 18 millions under cotton, 14 millions under the principal oil-seeds and 14 millions under gram.

The soils of India may be broadly divided into four groups (a) the "red" soils of the crystalline tract, (b) the black cotton or regur soils, (c) the alluvial soils and (d) the laterite soils. These vary remarkably in agricultural properties and the desirability of soil surveys has been frequently pressed upon us. While admitting its importance, we do not think it is a practicable proposition to undertake at the present time a soil survey for the whole of India on the lines of that now in progress in the United States of America. In view of the prohibitive cost of a complete and scientific soil survey, we recommend that agricultural departments should undertake intensive surveys only when there is some specific problem o be solved or when laboratory examination of soils is called for to interpret more fully valuable information already on record.

The question has been much argued whether the soils of India are tɔday undergoing a progressive decline in fertility. Such experimental data as are at our disposal suggest the view that, in an overwhelming proportion of lands in India, a balance has been established and no further deterioration is likely to take place under existing conditions of cultivation. The chemists of the agricultural departments have devoted much attention to the study of local soil types and local soil conditions. Such a study is indeed an essential preliminary to the initiation of research into local problems. The discovery of deficiencies in plant food materials which results from these examinations of soil attracts attention to manurial problems, and these investigations have formed the basis for manurial experiments. The conclusion to be drawn from the results which have been already obtained is that the foundation has been well prepared, but that much more research is necessary and that rapid and uninterrupted progress cannot be expected unless the staff of research workers is largely increased. The time has come when the assistance of specialist officers can be usefully called in, mere especially in the direction of bacteriological, physical and biological research.

Our attention has been drawn to marked cases of soil deterioration as a result of erosion of the surface soil by flood water. In the United Provinces, this has been arrested to a large extent by the afforestation of the ravine tracts; in Bombay, by the terracing of land and the construction of earth and stone embankments. Other tracts in which

the evil exists are western Bengal, the submontane districts of northern India generally and Chota Nagpur. The applicability to these tracts of the methods which seem to have proved successful in the United Provinces and in Bombay should be investigated.

It must be admitted that although a great deal of careful work has been done, little progress has been made in introducing improved manurial treatment into general agricultural practice. The agricultural departments are not yet in a position to give definite advice in regard to the economic use of fertilisers. There is justification for the view that improved varieties of crops require for their fullest development more liberal manurial treatment than those ordinarily grown, but the subject is one which requires the most careful study by the agricultural departments. A large amount of information-the result of experiment -has been collected. This, we consider, should be carefully studied and the results obtained correlated. A definite programme of experiment should be laid down to ascertain, with all possible accuracy, the extent to which fertilisers can be used with profit. This is a matter of such great importance that we consider the Council of Research might suitably undertake the direction of investigations. This Council should be in a position to advise as to the manner in which experiments can best be conducted so as to secure uniformity of method and to render results obtained in one province of value to other provinces.

The most readily available supply of plant food is, of course, farmyard manure. But, unfortunately, a very large amount of this is lost to agriculture through the custom of using cowdung cakes for domestic fuel. No satisfactory alternative has been suggested where coal and wood are dear. If the practice of using the refuse of crops such as cotton stalks, megass, etc., as fuel could be extended, there would probably be less wastage of farmyard manure. Much more might, however, be done to conserve at any rate that portion of the manure which is not used for fuel purposes. This is a matter to which the agricultural departments should devote their attention. The manufacture of composts and of synthetic farmyard manure, and, where night soil is available, of poudrette by municipalities are directions in which investigation is called for. The activated sludge process provides a means of overcoming the objections of the cultivator to the use of night soil. Other matters which require close study, especially from the point of view of the small cultivator, are the place and value of leguminous crops in the cultivator's rotations and the economics of growing green

manure crops.

Oil-seeds are an important crop in India and, if applied as manure in the form of cake, would give a very large supply of combined nitrogen. They are not much used for this purpose at present. The only method by which their advantages can be secured is by the development of the oil-crushing industry coupled with great changes in cattle management and the abandonment of the custom of using cattle manure as fuel. An extension of the oil-crushing industry would undoubtedly tend to promote the welfare of the Indian agriculturist,

and we would commend the investigation of its possibilities to all local governments.

Another source of nitrogen is found in sulphate of ammonia which is available as a by-product from coal, but the price factor limits its application to the most valuable crops such as sugarcane and garden crops and it is, therefore, unlikely to affect the small cultivator. Other forms of manure which supply both nitrogen and phosphates are bones and bonemeal and fish manures. The crushing of bones is an industry which could be taken up on a larger scale in India but a far more thorough investigation of the economics of the bonecrushing industry than has yet been carried out is, we consider, required before the establishment of such mills by private enterprise can be encouraged. The first essential is to obtain definite data in regard to the price at which, and crops for which, the use of bonemeal is advantageous to the cultivator and we suggest that the agricultural departments should take early steps to collect this data. We do not consider that there is any justification for the restriction of the exports of oil-seeds and oilcakes, bones and bonemeal or fish manures by the imposition of an export duty or for the prohibition of such exports.

It may be said that the main success of the agriculture! departments has been in the direction of the introduction of improved varieties of crops and in this branch of its work it has been eagerly assisted by the cultivator. It is estimated that nearly nine million acres are are now under improved varieties of different crops. It is true that this only represents a small fraction of the total area under these crops, but, even so, it can be claimed that a substantial beginning has been made. The crops in which the greatest advance has been made are cotton, wheat, rice, groundnut and jute, but there is still very great scope for further work especially in regard to the millets, pulses and oil-seeds.

There are three methods of obtaining varieties superior to those ordinarily grown either in respect of yield, quality or suitability to the special conditions of environment. These are selection, hybridisation and acclimatisation. Of the three, selection seems to be the most hopeful line and that which offers the greatest immediate possibilities of effecting improvement in Indian conditions. Hybridising is highly specialised work and requires officers with a very special training and a wide knowledge of Indian conditions. Acclimatisation means the adaptation of exotic varieties to Indian conditions. The most notable achievement in this respect in recent years has been Cambodia cotton. This line of experiment, important though it is, should not take precedence of work on crops already grown in India. Whatever improved varieties may be evolved by selection or hybridisation, no new variety should be put out unless it has been thoroughly established that it possesses marked advantages over those already grown. It is important also that new varieties should be thoroughly tested on holdings typical of those in the tracts for which they are deemed suitable and also that the value of the new variety in its place in the