256 THE NA TURE-STUD Y RE VIE W W- 8-nov., , 9 o 8 



uninteresting, even without special agricultural instruction, but 

 simply because the economic conditions are such that a very large 

 number of boys, no matter what their education may be, must 

 look to the cities for their life work. The following case will 

 illustrate my meaning: 



A well-known professor has for years owned a farm and his 

 family has spent most of the time there. The four sons are 

 intensely interested in agriculture and so far as interest is con- 

 cerned there is no question about all of them giving great promise 

 of becoming successful farmers. The writer was talking with this 

 professor the other day and learned that one of the sons, the eldest, 

 is taking an agricultural course and the father has deliberately 

 steered the other sons into the regular course of the college of arts 

 and science. As an explanation of this, Professor - — made 

 essentially the following statement: "I am financially in a posi- 

 tion to start one of my sons in business as a farmer, because I can 

 let him use my farm which will make it possible for him to get an 

 annual income of from $1 ,600 to $2,000 a year. But having done 

 this, for my eldest son, I ran not start any of the three other sons 

 in the farming business. I am convinced that the day is past 

 when an educated young man can see a hopeful outlook in farm- 

 ing without capital with which to begin. I know that by giving 

 these other three sons a classical or scientific education I can 

 prepare them for professional or business life which will make it 

 possible for them to make an annual income perhaps even better 

 than can be made by the one son who remains on the farm." It 

 is clear that this case is one of applied economics; but no doubt 

 some enthusiastic believer in the all-sufficiency of agricultural 

 education will come along some fifteen or twenty years hence and 

 say that if the sons of Professor - ■- had had nature-study and 



agricultural education when they were boys, they would all have 

 become successful farmers. Obviously it is not true. The eco- 

 nomic conditions will inevitably force the majority of the sons of 

 the average successful farmers into the cities. 



Another case is that of a farmer with an investment of about 

 $20,000 in farm and equipment. With that investment he has 

 been able to make during his active life an income of from $1,400 

 to $1,800 a year. That farm with its equipment is sufficient to 

 provide profitable work for one of the three sons during the 

 father's lifetime. This was foreseen. Two sons were given a 



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