No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 6 



EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. 



In ithis development, Pennsylvania has been among the foremost 

 of the states of the Union and her schools and colleges, especially 

 the institutions furnishing technical instruction in agriculture and 

 the allied subjects, have done much good. The good of these institu- 

 tions has been dissemin'aited and added to by the farmers' institutes 

 and the Bulletins of this Department. It is one thing to produce 

 new knowledge; it is quite another thing to bring it before the 

 practical farmer so thait he will realize its importance and be in 

 position to take advantage of it. The persistent, systematic work 

 of the lecturers upon the farmers' institute staif is of the greatest 

 value to the State in this connection. 



Reference has been made in previous reports to the work of the 

 Pennsylvania State College. This institution was established by the 

 State Agricultural Society in 1854 as the Farmers' High School. It 

 was opened in 1859, and was intended to be a pJace where farmers' 

 sons, and others interested in, or intending to engage in agriculture, 

 might obtain suitable scientific and practical instruction. The found- 

 ers were interested in establishing an institution where a new kind 

 of instruction would be furnished such as was not then supplied in 

 any existing institution. It is unnecessary to trace the changes of 

 name, policy and work of the college, but it may be said that it 

 appears to be unfortunate that it did not more closely follow the 

 example of that other pioneer school of agriculture established about 

 the same time at Lansing, Michigan; for, in its endeavor to cover 

 much ground, some of which was already well covered by existing 

 institutions, the tax upon the resources of the college was such as 

 to hamper the development of the agricultural department. The 

 trustees of the college have now, happily, taken the position that 

 their foundation was not laid for the erection of a University or for 

 the development of an instituition to duplicate unnecessarily work 

 already well done in the twenty-seven colleges and universities of 

 Pennsylvania. They now recognize that in the field of agriculture, 

 there is much need for the work of the college and this is beginning 

 to receive more adequate support from the trustees and from the 

 legislature than ever before. 



llie agricultural people of Pennsylvania are responsible for what 

 may be termed the revival of interest in agriculture at State College. 

 The trustees of the college are to be congratulated upon their ap- 

 proval of the Avell considered proposals for the development of the 

 work that the college was founded to carry on, and it is to be hoped 

 that this work will have the general and active support of the 

 farmers of the State. 



A farm school has been established near Doylestown, in Bucks 

 County, through contributions made by individuals. This school has 

 been in operation several years and has steadily grown in its equip- 

 ment and resource^. It is appropriate that it should be mentioned 

 in a public document, first, because it promises to be of service in 

 attracting young men of the Jewish race from the crowded cities 

 to the country, and in preparing them for agricultural careers. This 

 work is an expression of a desire among sociologists to foster some 

 of the undeveloped resources of the country and, at the same time, 

 to lessen some of the overcrowding of congested districts of cities. 



