432 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN". 



think it will be found to be, on the contrary, an element of great 

 strength. It puts us face to face with the problem of how to give to 

 the student of agriculture the training and experience which they must 

 have in order to succeed in any one of several agricultural pursuits. The 

 plan is to bring the student to the close of his sophomore year with as 

 thorough a training in English, mathematics, language, history and 

 science, as his years of schooling will permit. In addition to these 

 studies, each student before reaching the junior year is to receive 

 instruction in the following four agricultural subjects: 



Agricultural Chemistry. 



Soils. 



Plant Propagation. 



The Principles of Breeding Plants and Animals. 



The last, I consider almost as fundamental as the English language. 

 It is believed that the work of these four subjects should be required 

 of every student, whatever agricultural profession or pursuit he may 

 subsequently follow. Since they are to be required of all students of 

 agriculture and since they are the first technical ones in the student's 

 course, great care M'ill be taken to secure for these four subjects inspiring 

 teachers. The student who does not come early in his course in con- 

 tact with, at least, one teacher that inspires him with the love of scholar- 

 ship and subject, misses the best part of a college education. After 

 instructors have been called they will not be permitted to place these 

 sophomore subjects in the hands of assistants, while they confine their 

 teaching to upper classmen. 



Having brought the student to the close of his sophomore year, when 

 he must decide in what agricultural profession or pursuit he will 

 specialize, the question arises how, with our present headquarters, we 

 can offer him suitable training. During the past decade forestry schools 

 have been compelled to study this problem. It is possible to locate an 

 institution on a farm, but there are some difficulties in locating it per- 

 manently in a forest. The approved plan in forestry schools now is to 

 take the students at the close of the sophomore year to the forest camp 

 where for eight weeks they are given both theoretical and practical 

 instruction. During the junior and the first half of the senior years 

 they pursue their studies at the college. The last half of their senior 

 year they are again taken to the forest, where they receive instruction 

 under conditions which experience has shown are essential to the 

 preparation of seasoned foresters. When the forestry courses were 

 first established, the students went to the forest camp at the close of the 

 junior year. 



There are three reasons for changing the camping period to the 

 close of the sophomore year : first, it serves to weed out the faint hearted. 

 The young fellow who thought forestry was a pink-tea was promptly 

 disillusioned and probably eliminated ; second, it enables the student to 

 appreciate better the technical subjects which he will pursue during 

 his junior and senior years; third, it offers the student during his junior 



