THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CROP IMPROVEMENT. 9 



community enterprises. Sufficient emphasis has not, however, hern 

 placed upon the absolutely vital part played by the community spirit 

 in the maintaining of a high degree of efficiency in crop production 

 and improvement. There can be little doubt that our American civili- 

 zation is very well adapted to the development of this community 

 spirit. It has reached a high degree of development in the Far West, 

 where it was first rendered necessary in order to secure water for 

 irrigation purposes. 



The agricultural progress of the twentieth century will undoubt- 

 edly result in the occupation of the. now neglected East by picked 

 and efficient communities of settlers from the West, who will buy up 

 whole political units, townships, or counties, and displace the present 

 population. In many cases the individuals who compose the eastern 

 communities may be as efficient as their western competitors, but no 

 amount of individual ability can compensate for the lack of a com- 

 munity spirit. 



Here, then, are in brief the fundamentals of crop improvement: 



A new botanical survey of the wild relatives of our crop plants. 



A crop physiological study of the capacities and limits of this material. 



The creation of new and more efficient types of crop plants, utilizing the facts 

 brought to light by the new botanical and physiological investigations. 



Finally, the effective utilization of these crops by communities in which the 

 high level of efficiency is maintained by an awakened public opinion. 



THE AGRICULTURE OF THE FUTURE. 



It is now obvious that the improvement of our crop plants and the 

 efficient organization of the communities that grow them is rapidly 

 passing beyond the power of any one man, no matter how competent 

 he may be. The scientific study of the fundamentals of crop im- 

 provement require the efficient cooperation of a number of men hav- 

 ing different points of view and different kinds of ability. In other 

 words, something analogous to the community organization is es- 

 sential among the investigators themselves, in order that a higher 

 order of efficiency may be secured. The one-man stage of investi- 

 gation is rapidly passing and with it the military type of organization 

 which has acted as a barrier to complete freedom of discussion so 

 essential for the development of all-round critical judgment. 



Projecting ourselves a few years into the future we see before us 

 the great problems of agriculture being attacked from radically new 

 points of view. Committees of experts who by training and experi- 

 ence have learned to work harmoniously and effectively in coopera- 

 tion will take up one by one the great crop plants of the world, trans- 

 forming and improving them, and will assume the leadership in 

 organizing the communities where these crops are to be grown. As 

 soon as efficient communities of j^roducers exist there will come to be 

 80376°— Cir. 110—13 2 



