Arizona republican., 1916-12-29

ment is only one of the many direc- tions in which progress will be de- manded.
 We rely at present upon main | methods dem )nstratlon farms, and l Vernacuar instruction in agriculture. 1
 an told that in America demon StratiOn farms very largely consist of ! the farms of individual farmers lent fo, the purpose and farmed by the farmer himself under the general ad vice and control of an agricultural expert Here in India t is not always easy 10 persuade farmer to modify his methods in accordance with the advice of officers of the department We have, therefore, established dem Jnstratipn farms 1t different centers which are controlled by the admins trative staff of the department under the immediate management of d farm superintendent
 In the case of some crops very considerable improvement has re- suited Where the Indian farmer is persuaded that practical advantage results from adopting new methods he is by no means backward. In the I'unjab. where the farmer is unusually well off and remarkably intelligent he has readily taken to an Am>-~lan variety of cotton which has been proved 10 be suited to the climatic conditions. There is reason to hope that the country variety of short staple cotton will. almost disappear from tho Punjab in favor of this American variety. Also, more than one variety of wheat has been estab lished the best of which we hope soon to see grown on a very large scale in supersession of inferior arti- cles.
 we are indebted to an American mission situated in the United pro- rinces near Allahabad under Samuel IIigginbotham. MT. Higginbotham is an enthusiastic agriculturalist and has succeeded in popularizing i'm proved methods We have also re- | gestiCn from studying the proceedings of the general federation board ir ! America
 One other development of recent | years k co-operative credit whic'. | was legally established in this country ! in 1904 The movement has pro- | grcssed by leaps and bounds. One of | the chief difficulties in the way of 1 agriculture in India consists in th, small size of the holdings in many i parts of the country and the conse- i "uont lack of capital Moreover. l custom in connection with marriage ! nd other ceremonial occasions de- i mands a heavy toll on all classes of the community.
 This has ueen largely responsible ! Co., the poverty of the agriculturalists 1 When a farmer had to marry his son
 or his daughter or to perform any of | 'N' inn"merable ceremonials connec-
 ted with his domestic life. he in 1 rciably had recourse to the village 1 money lender who demanded a h'Vh Tote If interest When a farmer de-
 sired to improve his holding by. the constrnc: ion of q well or the purchase of bullocks. he was compelled to re | sort to the same quarter and paid a l rate of interest which amages those
 not familiar with Indian conditions.
 The Indian statute book of the past half century contains many eX-
 amples Of the attempts to relieve the aGricnlturalist. but none of these prior
 to the passage of the cooperative l societies act had the result so much
 desired
 "In 1909 there were ZOOS societies in India. and in the year 1914-15 the
 total registered societies numNero4 lI327 Hitherto the main purpose of
 these societies. which are of unlimited liability, has been the advance of 1 money to individual cultivators for l specific purposes. but the movment | is rapidly developing, and progress l along lines -nalogous to those adopted by the Agricultural orgarization so-
 "inty in Ireland, is already marked There is room to hope that in the CO.,
 operative system may prove tn hove
 been discovered the remedy. so long
 sought for the tendency to thriftless- 1ess which has caused agriculture to be so heavily handicapped in the past"