AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS. 717 



Vll. Some current problems. 

 Agricultural labor. 

 Machinery and agriculture. 

 Interest rates, indebtedness, etc. 

 Tenant-farming. 

 Large versus small farming. 

 Business methods. 

 Immigration and agriculture. 



If time permits, and the studeuts have had adequate preparation in 

 general economics, it would be profitable to dwell at some length upon 

 the first two chapters of the outline. In the first the industr}' of 

 agriculture ma}^ be described in economic terms and its economic 

 character fully analyzed. In the second one could well spend some 

 time in discussing the development of agriculture and its changing 

 relations to other industries. But in the ordinary course likeh" to be 

 given to agricultural students it will hardly be wise to do more with 

 these topics than to make them a slight foundation for the subsequent 

 descriptive work. It will be observed that American conditions natur- 

 ally form the point of view of this outline. 



The most serious difficulties in offering this subject will arise in 

 those institutions where the agricultural course is relatively inflexible 

 and where the elective system has made small headway. Here the 

 prime objection will be, " There is not time. '' It ma}' be urged in reply 

 that this same objection has been raised against almost ever}^ study 

 that has been introduced in the last twent}^ years. But in spite of the 

 objection the new subjects flourish and multiply exceedingly. Perhaps 

 it will be a rather harsh and unsatisfactory answer to this objection to 

 say, "Take time." Of course, if the subject is not more important 

 than something else, it will be difficult to find a place for it in this 

 inflexible curriculum. But if agricultural educators once concede the 

 importance of the subject, a place will be made for it. 



Another objection will arise through the contention that there is 

 "no body of knowledge" that has been put into pedagogical form 

 relating to this suljject. That is true. It was true ten years ago 

 of a score of subjects which are now taught successfully in our 

 agricultural courses. Theoreticall}^, it is a powerful objection; 

 practically, it never long stands in the way of adopting a new course 

 of study. There is already abundance of material at hand for a 

 moderately satisfactory course in agricultural economics. The recent 

 publications of the Department of Agriculture, the various reports 

 of governments and States, the Federal census, the files of our best 

 farm papers, and finally the valuable rcpoi'ts of the Industrial Com- 

 mission, arc easily accessible. All this information needs digesting 

 and arranging, l)ut it is far from being in :i chaotic condition, and the 

 requisite " body of knowledge" can ]h\ fairly well organized without 

 serious difficulty. It may be said in passing, however, that no phase 



