IXDIANA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 579 



graduated last year that did not go back to the farm. One left because 

 he hadn't any farm; and of course didn'l have anything to go back to, 

 and so worked for some one, intending to save enough money to get him- 

 self a farm. The other one said that he was not needed at home, so he 

 jvould not settle down immediately, but would travel for a year or two. 

 And out of our short course, it is safe to say that ninety-five per cent, 

 of the men return to the farms.. Last year out of a class of eighty we 

 couldn't find five men that wanted a salaried position. In Michigan a 

 great many of the boj's left the farms. We have established fifty-nine 

 colleges inside thirty years, and these have to have teachers trained in 

 agricultural schools. Where will you get them if you don't take the men 

 from the farm with a college training? The city man will not do. Is it 

 any disgrace that the man who has this training chooses to take a salaried 

 position instead of coming back to the farm? Perhaps he can make more 

 money out of the position than he could under conditions at home. The 

 records of all agricultural colleges show that a large proportion of the 

 students go into strictly agricultural pursuits. There is no education to- 

 day that is so broad no .matter whether a person intends to be a farmer, 

 a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. President Thompson, of the Uni- 

 versity of Ohio, says 'that he would advise any person to take an agri- 

 cultural course no matter what profession he expects to enter, because of 

 the broad foundation given. 



The cream of the farm has been leaving it, because the fathers and 

 mothers are running down the farm. They don't see anything in it them- 

 selves. They have not seen any of the largeness of the farm, and they 

 need not be surprised when the boys want to leave it to broaden their 

 horizon. Two years ago there were six colleges looking for teachers, and 

 this is pretty tempting when a boy can't get along with his father. These 

 conditions tend to drive boys into the salaried positions. I will go back 

 to my former statement. A large per cent, of the boys go back. to the 

 farms. I expect that Mr. Latta has had twelve or fifteen calls for men 

 within the last six months, and we have not had three men to send. 

 Why? Because they had farms at home and preferred to go there. 



Prof. Latta: Out Qf the senior class of nine men every one went back 

 on the farm except two of the boys, and they did not have farms to go 

 back to, so they worked for other men. 



A Delegate: Why is it tliat the colleges ask only for farmers' boys 

 to attend these colleges? Take the medical schools. They do not ask 

 for jus't sons of doctors, but they ask for any one. Why don't the 

 other colleges try to get other boys? 



Prof. Van Norman: The facts in the case are these. The colleges 

 make no distinction. They cater to the farmer, because they expect to 

 find among one thousand farmers more beys for their colleges than from 



