BUTTERFIELD ON SOCIAL SCCENCES AND AGIUCULTURE. 105- 



THE SOCIAL SCIP]NCES AND AGRICULTURE. 



KBNYON L. BUTTERFIELD. 



Tliere can't be any question about the value of science applied to agri- 

 culture. It is interestiug to note, however, that so- far the study along 

 this line has been largel.y in the realm of Ihe physical and biological 

 sciences. It must not be forgotten that during the last two decades the so- 

 cial sciences have developed very rapidly. This is especially true of the 

 study of practical problems. Taking Michigan University as an example, 

 we find courses dealing with practically every economic and social problem 

 of importance. Taxation, transportation, trusts, immigration, crime^ 

 poverty, and a score more of pressing questions are given scientific study 

 and exposition. 



When, however, we look over the field of agricultural education, we find 

 that as yet almost no attention is given to the economic and sociological 

 phases of the farmer's vocation. Even in agricultural colleges very little 

 is done with these problems. Soil fertility, dairying, — all the scientific 

 and practical questions relating to the growing of plants and animals are 

 studied. But the problems that arise because the farmer is a member 

 of society and of an industrial and social order, are discussed in not 

 over half a dozen of our agricultural colleges. 



So I plead for courses in these subjects. I wish every agricultural 

 college might have a professor of rural social science. The special bear- 

 ing of such problems as transportation and taxation upon the farmers 

 business needs to be brought to the attention of students in these colleges- 

 Themes like agricultural education, farmers' organizations, etc., need to 

 be emphasized in colleges designed to train farmers and leaders of farmers. 

 These subjects should be studied scientifically, and presented not to 

 students only but to farmers' themselves through institutes and lectures. 

 Farmers are deeply interested in these subjects. Take the Grange meet- 

 ings as samples and you will observe that the farmers are constantly 

 thinking about these things. They would like more light upon such prob- 

 lems. They feel that a just scheme of taxation is as important to their 

 ultimate welfare as the spraying of plants. They believe that it is of no 

 avail to grow greater crops of corn if railroads ma}' charge unjust rates: 

 And so on. We have in agricultural education miminized these economic 

 questions. We have seen but one hemisphere of the farm problem. We 

 must revise our ideas and realize that the application of the social sciences 

 to the problems of the farmer is just as vital as is the application of the 

 natural sciences to the problems of the farm. 



It would not be out of place to have similar courses in universities, 

 normal colleges, and theological seminaries. It would be a good thing 

 if country' clergymen, rural teachers, editors of country papers, physicians 

 with a country practice, and indeed all educated people, could better 

 understand the social phases of agriculture. It would help solve the 

 farm problem. It would tend to give people, not farmers, a better notion 

 about the importance of agriculture. 

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