A(;RICULTURAL I^CONOMICS as a SUBIFXT 01- STUDY I\ 

 THl: ACRICULTURAL COLLHGM 



By Ken YON L. Butterfield, A. M., 

 President of the lihode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. 



The writer has been asked to make saog-estions relative to the teach- 

 ing- of what is coming to l)e called agricultural economics, with special 

 reference to its place in the curriculum of the agricultural college. 

 With the practical o})ject in niiiid of endeavoring to outline work 

 which may be pursued imder this head, it is not desirable to discuss 

 at length the reasons wh}- the subject should be given attention. These 

 reasons lie deep in the foundation of sound agricultural education, and, 

 indeed, involve our whole educational structure. But it may not be 

 out of place merely to indicate the direction such a discussion might 

 laki'. 



It may be observed, in the first place, that the aim of agricultural 

 education has })een, in large measure, to help the fjirmer to secure 

 larger crops of choicer products at less cost. It has involved the 

 application of the pi-inciples of the natural sciences to the physical 

 problems of the farm. This of course is fundamental, l)ut nevertheless 

 jiartial. Agi'iculture is something more than the growing of things, 

 and something more than the growing of more things more cheaply. 

 And it is not a far cry from the admission of this fact to the acknowl- 

 edgment that the agricultural course shall discuss those pr())>lems that 

 go beyond the scope of studying science in relation to the soil, the 

 plant, and the animal. 



It mav be urg(>d that this need of broader instruction is beino- met 

 by the stud}' of faiMu management, for this subject includes a discus- 

 sion of those <iuestions that look toward the disposal of the crops, the 

 general administiation of the farm, and the relation of the farmer to 

 the business world. Farm management is bound to occupy an increas- 

 ing sha^-e of time in the agricultural course, at least so long as that 

 course attempts to train fai-mers. But farm management discusses 

 the aspects of agriculture as !i l)usiness and approaches agriculture 

 from the standi)oint of the individual farmer; while agriculture is 

 something more than a business, it is an in(histry. 



And because agriculture is an industry and indeed ranks among the 

 leading industries, it is related to all other industries and nuist ])e con- 



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