714 RKroKT (>V OFFICE OF KXI'EIIIMENT STATIONS. 



sidorod in those relations. It is not :in isolated occupation. It is sub- 

 ject to economic laws. It piospers or latjfs, not merely lieeause of its 

 internal ])liases, so to speak. Init also lieeause of its (»xt«'rnal r«>lations. 

 It should therefore he studied as an industry as well as an art and a 

 business and approached from the economic standpoint. 



And. finally, it may be said that the social point of view is absolutely 

 necessai y in agricultural as in all other education. Indeed, I (piestion 

 if it is not true that the jrrcat educational problem of the near future 

 is to be not the confiict between cultural and vocational education, V)ut 

 the conflict between the technical preparation of the man as an expert 

 and the proper training of that same man for his high duties, both 

 political and social, in the coiumunity life. Agricultural economics 

 should lead the student to the social \ iewpoint. 



This sketchy statement is hardly worthy the name of an argument 

 for the study of agricultural economics and will not be presented as 

 a formal ]>lea for adopting this study, but it is possible that it may 

 hint at the fundamental nature of the reasons that lie back of this 

 movement. 



Until the material to be pre.sented in the teaching of this subject is 

 better organized than it is at present, a definition of agricultural eco- 

 nomics ouoht to be provisional. Anv d(^finition is likelv to be unsatis- 

 factory from some point of view. Perhaps the boundaries of this 

 subject could best be defined by indicating what lies outside of them, 

 but contiguous to them. However, agricultural economics maj' be 

 said to t)e the studv of agriculture as an industrv. using the word 

 industry in its Avide, economic sense. It is a discussion of agriculture 

 in the light of the principles of political economy. It is the applica- 

 tion of industrial or economic laws to the problems of the farmer. It 

 may be distinguished from rural sociology in that the latter is the 

 study of the social conditions under Avhicli farmers live and the social 

 institutions that minister peculiarly to the farmers' welfare. It may 

 be distinguished from farm management in that the latter discusses 

 the business and commercial phases of agriculture viewed from the 

 standpoint of the individual farmer. Agricultural economics will 

 impinge upon rural sociology at numerous points, because, in a full 

 analysis, the economic and the sociological can not be entireh' divorced. 

 It ma}' impinge upon farm management even more frequently, because 

 man}' of the subjects of discussion are the same, although there is a 

 wide difference in the point of view from which the subjects are 

 approached and in the method of treatment. 



It ought to be said that no claim will be made for agricultural 

 economics as a new science, nor is it likely that those w^ho carry on 

 researches under its name or who teach its subject-matter will con- 

 tribute materially to economic theory. Its method will be frankly 

 descriptive rather than theoretical. Hut this fact need not detract 



