BOOK REVIEWS123for easy administration, does provide the research worker with a highly re-fined scoring procedure which the author might well be able to utilize infurther research in this field.University of Natal, PietermaritzburgJ. M. Z. MICHAURhodesia's Pioneer Women (1859-1896) Compiled by /Ł M. Lloyd, revisedand enlarged by C. Parry. Bulawayo, The Rhodesia Pioneers' and EarlySettlers' Society, 1974, 105pp., no price indicated.Profiles of Rhodesia's Women Salisbury, National Federation of Business andProfessional Women of Rhodesia," 1976, 176 pp., illustrated, Rh$5,5O.The first of these books is a new edition, enlarged by some 360 entries, of theoriginal edition of 1960. In all there are some 1 100 entries for women whoentered Southern Rhodesia, mainly, of course, in the years 1892-6. The sec-ond book, published to mark International Women's Year 1975, is also anew edition, in effect, of the National Council of Women's publication in1953, Women of Central Africa, which celebrated those who had made theirmark in the first half of the century. The book contains entries of a hundredor so women lately prominent in Rhodesian life and also describes the mainwomen's organisations. Neither book aims at being more than a biographicalrecord, but the diversity of activities described in passing does throw somelight on a situation in which 36 per cent of married European womenaie now actively employed economically.R.S.R.Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Rhodesia, 1924-1950By H. Weinmann. Salisbury. University of Rhodesia. Series in ScienceOccasional Paper No. 2, 1975, 240pp., 29 Tables, Rh$5,00.This is the second volume by Dr Weinmann on this subject; the first coveredthe period 1890-1923 and was published in 1972 as a University of RhodesiaOccasional Paper.Together these two volumes provide a detailed factual and chronologicalrecord of technical development in Rhodesia's agriculture. For this reasonthey can be described as histories but they will be more valuable as a sourceof information for the practising agricultural scientist or student; the his-torian will not find enough speculation or opinion on the causes, effects orimportance of the various technical achievements described, to permit extra-polation in social or political terms and will therefore not be as interested.Dr Weinmann's description of Rhodesia's agricultural development from1890-1923 left me with three main impressions. First, the surprising fact thatin spite of the great disparity in age between European and Rhodesian agri-culture, research in agriculture was started in Rhodesia less than 60 yearsafter its beginnings in Europe. What appears to be the main reason for theearly initiation of agricultural research locally, makes the second impression,namely that as early as the turn of the century it was realised that mineralwealth would not, after all, be the draw card and that settlers would have tobe attracted by the country's agricultural potential. The third impression is124BOOK REVIEWSthe important role played by farmers and their own organisations in initiating,and often in financing and carrying out, agricultural research and develop-ment themselves. It is in fact possible to trace this strong independent pioneer-ing spirit through the whole story that Dr Weinmann tells in this and theearlier volume.From an agricultural point of view the second volume covers a muchless interesting period. From 1924 to 1939 the effects of the economic depres-sion and non-scientific leadership of a scientific activity like agricultural re-search, severely limited real technological progress. Then the war, and re-building after it, absorbed most of the available resources until 1950. Theresultant stagnation is highlighted by the fact that the average maize yieldfor the last five years of the period (1945-6 to 1949-50) was less than 0,1 of abag per acre higher than the average yield for the first five years, 1923-4to 1927-8.It is true that the famous hybrid maize breeding programme was initiatedin 1933 and could not begin to influence yields until the fifties, but even thiswas due to the efforts of two or three dedicated individuals hampered, ratherthan assisted and encouraged, bv the establishment. Without this hybridmaize breeding programme, agricultural research in Rhodesia would have hadvery little to boast of. Much of the subsequent and often outstanding success,other than with tobacco, was either stimulated or subsidised by the hybridmaize break-through.The next instalment of the story of agricultural research and develop-ment in Rhodesia from 1951 to the end of the Federal era in 1963, would beworth recording soon because the yield and production increases achievedwill be a better Indication of the quality of the work done in preceding decades.Charles Murray, the last of the scientific leaders of P^ode<?ian f»<""'mitnre,sf.v.s in his Foreword that the forties saw the much wider use of fertilizersand manures, soil conservation, better husbandry methods and large increasesin the strengths of technical departments, which were all long term invest-ments that take time and yield dividends. This is true, but the Federal era thatfollowed was, unfortunately, not one that maintained the momentum foragriculture, other than for the Extension Service which justifiably enjoyed aboom period, and for tobacco which had the wisdom to free its research fromdepartmental control. Agricultural research was rated a low priority inFederal days compared with the expansion of education and health servicesand the development of communications, particularly in the two northernterritories.One of the two lessons clearly read between the lines of Dr Weinmann'ssecond volume is that the interests of agricultural research, which are essenti-ally for a stable, scientific atmosphere in which to work on the various com-modities, have as a matter of Government policy, never been provided. Onlyin the case of tobacco did the grower h.ave t*>e strength and seme to shoulderthe responsibility for his own research while the technical problems facingthe producers of other commodities were thrown into the pot with roads,school, police-posts and clinics. Wherever in the world the management ofagricultural research is in the hands of Government, it has failed to meetthe demands made on it by its customers, the farmers. Governments invariablyhave other, more important customers which it is politically expedient toconsider first. The truth of the matter is that there is no sensible alternativeto decentralization, localising and democratising agricultural research.Dr Weinmann's second volume is a great improvement on the first infour important ways, it is a nicer size, has an easier-to-read type-face, isbetter bound and has good indexes of both subjects and names which werecompletely absent in the first publication.BOOK REVIEWS125Those interested in the technical development of agriculture and inimproving its service to farmers will be grateful to Dr Weinmann, the Univer-sity and the various sponsors for making these two publications possible andit is to be hoped that the difficult task of continuing the story will be tackledbefore long.Sugar Experiment Station, Mount Edgecombe, NatalP. A. DONOVANCold Comfort Confronted By G. and M. Clutton-Brock. Oxford, Mowbray,1972, 201pp., £1,25.Rhodesian Black behind Bars By D. Mutasa. Oxford, Mowbray, 1974, x,150pp., £0,95.The Rhodesian Board of Censors has determined that neither of these twobooks will be available in Rhodesia. I am not entirely clear as to the purposeof reviewing 'banned' books in a Rhodesian iournal. Is it to let the readers ofthe journal know that these 'illicit' books exist and give them an indicationof their contents? Given the inevitable brevity of a review this cannot be ofmuch help. Or is it to let some of the academic community abroad knowthat their colleagues in Rhodesia are not totally isolated and that they some-how still manage to get hold of banned books (usually on visits abroad)? Oris it to assess the potential value of such works for a limited circle of 'special-ists' inside, and possibly outside, Rhodesia in terms of scholarly research,should thev have, or be able to gain access to them? This last is probably themost realistic and useful objective. At the same time, the publication withinthe country of a review such as this could also be interpreted as a symbolicdenial of the legitimacy of the political censorship which is practised inRhodesia.Be th^t as it may, the banning; of these books as well as the fate of theauthors, who have been closely associated with each other in the Cold Com-fort co-operative farm venture, provide some significant pointers to the natureof Rhodesian society. I recall a meeting at the University of Rhodesia soonafter my return to the country in 1969. It had been organised by the campusCurrent Affairs Association to commemorate the centermnl of Ghandi'sbirth. The three speakers were Garfield Todd, D'dvmus Mutasa and GuyClutton-Brock. Todd and Clutton-Brock obviously enjoyed the occasion and Iremember the approving roar which issued from the predominantly blackstudent audience as Clutton-Brock exclaimed: Th;s vear our black motherswill bear more babies than there are Europeans in Rhodesia!' I also remembermv own incredulity at the fact that such speakers could still address a studentgathering within Rhodesia in such terms. Of the three speakers, Mutasa wasthe most subdued and circumspect in his statements, as behoves a black manin the situation. Todav none of them can operate freely in Rhodesia. Mutasawas detained late in 1970 and was onlv released two years later on conditionthat he left the country for Britain where he was to pursue a university educa-tion. Earlv in 1971 the Cold Comfort Farm Society itself was declared illegal,Clutton-Brock was stripped of his (acquired) Rhodesian citizenship and wasdeported. Todd was detained and later restricted to his farm after the PearceCommission had arrived in early 1972 to test the acceptance of the Anglo-Rhodesian settlement proposals.If one compares Cold Comfort Confronted and Rhodesian Black behind