ENCLOSURE TO PART III. 
ENCLOSURE TO PART III. COTTON. 
MINUTES OF COTTON SECTION FOR AUGUST 18th, 19th & 25th 
THE CHAIRMAN (Mr. Milligan), in opening the Section, stated 
that the main object was to offer to co-workers on agricultural problems 
in Africa an opportunity of meeting each other and deriving the 
acknowledged benefit from consultation and discussion which such 
occasions offer. In order to make the best of this opportunity, it 
seemed advisable to be as informal as possible: formality generally 
had the effect of suppressing discussion and encouraging debate which 
he was sure no one desired. 
He had thought it desirable to divide the subject into headings, 
not only from the obvious point of view of method, but in order to 
give the General Conference an opportunity of knowing what was 
going on at any particular sitting. Joint sittings with the other 
Sections would be arranged later on; in the meanwhile, matters 
concerning the technique of the subject would be disposed of. 
To-day’s subject was Plant Breeding and Seed Distribution, the 
one following naturally from the other. He had no wish to take up 
the time of the Conference, but would like to say that after a life- 
time spent in Agriculture in the Old Country and India (and latterly 
in South Africa) he found himself a more convinced believer in the 
value of plant work as time went on. The first thing, after all, in 
dealing with crops was to find varieties and strains to fit varying 
conditions; if these could not be found, then the growing of the 
particular crop must be abandoned. You could not go against nature 
without paying for it; on the other hand, by going with nature, not 
only could normal yields be increased, ‘but the effects of adverse 
conditions such as drought, disease, and insect pests could be 
mitigated to no small extent. 
The Conference was greatly obliged to those who had kindly 
submitted papers for discussion. It was obvious, however, that so far 
as the day’s proceedings were concerned, they were too few in 
number to form a real basis for discussion and he asked the meeting 
for additional suggestions as to subjects connected with plant breeding 
in which members were specially interested. 
A detailed discussion then arose on the best way in which the 
various items connected with plant breeding could be grouped. The 
Agenda proposed for the full Conference was examined and it was 
considered that the following items should be discussed in connection 
with plant breeding and seed distribution. (See Agenda, Category 
ITI. Cotton.) 
“1. Seed Improvement: 
(a) Methods of testing new or improved strains of Cotton in 
different parts of the country. 
(Paper by H. C. Sampson, Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. 
,  T.C.(C.)Cot.4.)* 
(b) Methods of investigating possibilities of new varieties of 
Cotton. 
(Paper by H. C. Sampson, Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. 
T.C.(C)Cot.5.)* 
© These papers are reproduced in the Appendix. 
143