AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 423 



when it can be said that a farmer needs little or no educa- 

 tion beyond the ability to read, to write and to cipher. His 

 success to-day depends upon his ability to understand the 

 principles of physics involved in the machinery he uses. By 

 means of the mechanical contrivances of our time, the farmer 

 is now able to accomplish quickly with his horses what was 

 once slowly accomplished by hand. The great advance in 

 agricultural chemistry renders a knowledge of the principles 

 of this science necessary to the farmer who would correctly 

 note the changes in the laboratory of nature, and read the 

 books and papers published to aid him in his work. The 

 progress in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables renders it 

 needful that he understand the laws of plant life. The study 

 of botany is becoming more and more a necessity. The laws 

 of animal life are also indispensable to him who would intel- 

 ligently care for the animals in his charge. 



But the colleo^e recognizes the fact that the farmer needs 

 more than scientific and technical knowledge. He needs to 

 know himself and his relations to his fellow-men. He needs 

 to be able to wisely discharge the duties of citizenship. He 

 needs to be a man qualified for that leadership in public 

 affairs which in the past has secured to our land the wise 

 counsel of her yeomanry. 



3. By providing for that instruction and training in the 

 field which is requisite to success in every department of 

 agriculture. Agriculture is an art as well as a science, and 

 hence it demands manual training. 



4. By giving those engaged in agricultural pursuits an 

 opportunity to gain a scientific education adapted to their 

 needs. All the sciences tau^jht in the college are taught 

 in their relations to agriculture. 



Every scientific principle taught in a college course must 

 be presented in some of its applications in order to be under- 

 stood. In the State College the applications are made in 

 the several departments of agriculture and in kindred em- 

 ployments. We here touch one important difference between 

 the proper work of the State College and the work of other 

 institutions. For instance, the principles of chemistry are 

 the same whether taught in one place or in another. The 

 illustrations and the applications by which the principles are 



