256 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



enjoys life. More than this, such an education benefits the 

 student by showing what he must face, for no education shows 

 plainer than an agricultural education what a complex thing 

 any occupation will be when once a career is started. 



A secondary school education in agriculture gives the city 

 man something in common with the farmer, for he understands 

 something of. the farmer's work and difficulties. With this 

 knowledge, an intelligent city man no longer ridicules the 

 farmer, for he realizes that the farmer does and must have 

 at least an average intellect if he is making a success on the 

 farm. 



If city men, as a whole, had such an education it would 

 undoubtedly lessen the division between the country and the 

 city. This would pave the way for cooperation between the 

 farmer and the consumer of farm produce, which is an impor- 

 tant factor in reducing the cost of living and of making the 

 farm pay. 



It might be said that agricultural education might well be 

 left to the colleges, but only a small part of secondary school 

 students attend college; and some of the secondary school stu- 

 dents might not go above the graded schools were it not for the 

 agricultural courses. 



Agricultural courses increase the attendance of secondary 

 schools, for some students will go to a school where they may 

 receive a classical and an agricultural course at the same time, 

 who would not spend two to four years obtaining one course 

 alone in schools which offer only one course. 



Finally, agriculture is a direct benefit to the student who 

 wishes to become a farmer. Few farmers understand the 

 figures on the bags of the fertilizers which they buy, well 

 enough to find by such figures the pounds per ton of the whole 

 of each constituent. Fewer, still, could explain the analysis 

 on the feed sacks, in which they often buy feed which they do 

 not need. Few farmers understand the reasons clearly which 

 make cultivation of crops so beneficial. 



A secondary school education in agriculture lielps the farmer 

 to understand the chemical side of farming. He learns to 

 study the analysis of fertilizers and grains. He tmderstands 

 the average analysis of crops which are commonly grown for 

 feeding. He learns to work out rations from the analysis of 



