PROGRESS IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 339 



diagnosis. He feels the pulse of the patient, looks at his tong-ue, 

 asks certain questions as to his descent, &c., and then makes up 

 his mind as to his condition. The patient is the result of circum- 

 stances. He receives" his constitution from his parents; he has 

 treated it improperly or imprudently, and so has come into his 

 present condition. The physician ascertains these facts, and is 

 able to administer the proper remedies. So the geologist can go 

 on and ascertain facts that will enable him to say what is the 

 general character of the soil and what are its needs. 



But, to pursue the illustration still further, the physician in 

 attempting to make up such diagnoses, will sometimes find a case 

 where the general determination does not answer; he is obliged to 

 study it more carefully; he examines every portion of the excreta 

 carefully, microscopically, and brings the latest discoveries of 

 science to his aid ; scrutinizes every possible condition about the 

 patient, and finally gets a clue to the difficulty. So our future 

 agriculturist, who shall be educated at the Agricultural College, 

 will be able to go into the community and give general advice, or 

 apply his chemistry in special cases and give particular advice. 



I will propose a name now for a class of men who are wanted, 

 but do not yet exist, and that name shall be this, growing out of 

 their function. They shall be called " Consulting Agriculturists." 

 They shall not be arrant quacks, who will analyze a sample of soil 

 for "five dollars," and tell you you can do things which you can- 

 not do; but men who, acquainted with all the facts of science that 

 can possibly be brought to bear, and acquainted also with your 

 empirical experiments, which I have not failed to impress upon 

 you as important, will bo able to give you general directions, and 

 specific details when they are necessary. I insist upon it, that the- 

 agricultural colleges shall turn out men to whom the community 

 may go with confidence that they understand physical geograph3^ 

 chemistry, and all the collateral sciences, and are competent to 

 apply them to the raising and perfecting of crops; and I propose, 

 I say, that we name them "Consulting Agriculturists." 



Now, then, speaking of the Agricultural College, you will not* 

 fail to see that the future of agriculture, if my reasoning thus far 

 is correct, is indissolubly bound up with it, or whatever may take 

 its place as a substitute. Some agency like it is needed. Let ue- 

 inquire, then, what should be taught there, and how it should be 

 taught? We can answer that question by going back to our first, 

 inquiry. What is the agriculture of to-day, and what must the 



