180 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



physicians of thorough medical education. Even the neighbor- 

 hood "cow doctor," so long an oracle in the rural districts, has lost 

 his prestige, and the intelhgent owners of valuable domestic ani- 

 mals seek the services of a regularly-educated veterinarian. Men 

 endeavor to give their sons a better preparation for their chosen 

 calling than they themselves received. I know a skillful dentist, 

 whose practice is extended and lucrative, and who "picked up" 

 all he knows of his profession; but the sons, intended to succeed 

 him in business, are given a liberal education, completed by a 

 course at the best dental college. In agriculture it is the same, 

 although farmers are the last to realize the change in regard to 

 their own calling. They are a most conservative class, and but 

 just beginning to apply to themselves and their children the les- 

 sons of the world's progress. 



When this was a new country, upon virgin soil, holding the 

 stored fertility of ages, a maximum of muscle and a minimum of 

 brains produced a generous living on the farm. Not so, now. 

 The conditions of agriculture upon the greater part of our farms 

 have so changed that a minimum of muscle and a maximum of 

 brains is the requisite for a successful and progressive farmer. 

 This necessitates a new and higher course of 'training; a higher 

 education is needed to fit one for farming as a business. 



The farmer must apply to himself, and to the son or sons to 

 succeed him, a standard similar to that by which he measures the 

 qualifications of his doctor and his minister. It is unfortunate 

 that farmers are so slo'w in doing this. No one ever heard of a 

 physician fresh from his schools and books being sneered at as a 

 "book-doctor." On the contrary, all doctors without a comple- 

 ment of book-learning, scientific training, are shunned and denom- 

 inated "quacks." Yet very recently it was common for farmers 

 of the olden style to look with pity, if not suspicion, upon those 

 who studied agriculture as a science and imdertook its practice 

 with a progressive spirit, and to call such "book-farmers." Hap- 

 pily such errors are passing away; book-farmers, well educated 

 farmers, are making themselves felt; winning respect and finding 

 an appreciation of their enterprise. Let us hope the time is not 

 distant when book-farmers, in the best sense, shall be in the major- 

 ity. Then, perhaps, "quacks" will be found in farming. The 

 fact is, at present, quack-farmers are too plenty and book-farmers 

 too few. 



