EDITORIAL, 8 



The last class iiii foil imalcly makes up the smaller number. The 

 ii'ap between them niid the second class is often a narrow one. and 

 shows itself chiefly in an attitnde of mind. Their work often does 

 not ap})eal as stron<>'ly to the popnlar mind, and aronses little interest 

 until some brilliant result is secui'ed. It is not si)ectacular in char- 

 acter, and there is irreater diflicnlty in secnrin<>' ai)i)ro])riations for it. 

 It was laravly for this reason that Coni>Tess was asked to provide the 

 means for extendina' it through a |)ermanenl ap])roprialion. 



The scarcity of men suited to the advanced work contemplated by 

 the Adams Act is the princii)al cause of difficulty experienced in pre- 

 paring' for operations under that act. It represents a certain un- 

 readiness in some instances. 



This scarcity is to a large degree a result of the ideals and tenden- 

 cies which have dominated station work in the past. The practical 

 ])hase — the innnediately practical phase — has been constantly in the 

 foreground. The earlier years of the stations" existence were given to 

 winning the farmer's confidence and support by doing work which 

 would appeal directly to his practical sense, and since then we have 

 been busy trying to answer, usually in the quickest w^ay, the questions 

 he has showered tipon us. There has been an increasing demand for 

 such work, and there has grown up a too prevalent idea that, as the 

 stations belong to the farmers, their duty is to serve the farmer in his 

 own way. In our desire to recognize him we have gone to the ex- 

 treme in some respects, and it has affected our progress as scientific- 

 institutions. It has done more; it has affected our standards of our- 

 selves and of our own requirements. It has given false ideals to young 

 men jirejxiring to enter the work, and insufficient encouragement to 

 those who have striven to give their work a deeper trend. Too ofien 

 the measure of a man's success has seemed to be his ability to get at 

 the farmers, and to do some comparatively simple work which at- 

 tracted popular attention. The standard for station workers has 

 been too low. This has already had its effect, which is now being 

 keenly felt in a lack of the true spirit of investigation and a scarcity 

 of men suited to undertake it. 



There is no question as to the ultimate aim of the stations, or the 

 desirability of doing work wdiich Avill be of assistance to the farmer. 

 The station is for the benefit of the farmers as a body — for agricul- 

 ture; but it is a mistake to encourage the impression that the station 

 i-- a question box, and to make the immediately i)ractical experiment 

 the only goal of our ambition. There is little danger at our Ameri- 

 can stations that the practical needs of the farmer w^ill not be kept 

 prominently in mind; but with the progress of our work year by yeai- 

 there is great need of broader and deeper study of the problems we 

 are passing upon, to reduce the empirical results to a more scientific 

 foundation and furnish a safer basis for generalizations. 



