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any of the officers of the University, either Regents or Faculty, the 

 testimony of the latter that there are few if any students in the 

 agricultural course, and the undeniable fact that other large and 

 influential organizations of farmers and mechanics in our State have 

 so repeatedly and publicly expressed their dissatisfaction at the 

 results thus far presented, indicate that something further should be 

 done to bring agriculture and education into a close and vital contact 

 with each other. During the last University year two out of three 

 hundred and five students were'in the agricultural department. It 

 would seem from the reports that the proportion has been diminish- 

 ing rapidly since the occupation of the permanent site at Berkeley. 

 Out of one hundred and twenty-eight, the total number of graduates, 

 eleven have taken the agricultural degree; but of this number less 

 than one-half are engaged in agricultural pursuits. As it would 

 manifestly be hopeless, even if it were desirable, to change the direc- 

 tion of University education towards the leading industries, is not 

 the inference a just one that a separate school or college, managed 

 by agriculturists, for the training of the large numbers who must 

 work for a living, who must maintain the habits of working men 

 while at school, would be for our advantage? Notwithstanding that 

 University tuition is free to the student, the cost of maintenance 

 and the growing expensiveness of college life deter many who would 

 resort to the rural agricultural school. 



From England, France, Germany, Austria, we have evidence of 

 the immense practical advantages of agricultural education in hun- 

 dreds of colleges and rural or regional agricultural schools. There 

 is no lack of students. There are no complaints of results. The 

 statistics of the Agricultural College of Virginia, for the last three 

 years, furnish the most convincing proofs of the value of a training 

 school of practical agriculture. 



