EDITORIAL. 9 



rill and Nelson acts, for the rural education work of the Bureau 

 of Education, demonstration work in agriculture among the Indians, 

 and the payment of the country's quota toward the support of the 

 International Institute of Agriculture, the wide extent to which 

 the principle of federal assistance to agriculture is being carried 

 into practice becomes apparent, and the aggregate expenditure from 

 the Federal funds appears increasingly impressive. As was pointed 

 out by Chairman Lever of the House Committee on Agriculture, 

 howcA^er, the entire agricultural appropriation is still inconsequen- 

 tial as compared with the total federal appropriations, the magni- 

 tude of the agricultural interests of the country, or even of the 

 annual losses to farm products sustained through insect pests and 

 plant diseases. 



Moreover, the conviction is deepening that these appropriations 

 are largely in the nature of a permanent investment for the benefit 

 of the nation as a whole. In the words of Hon. C. G. Edwards of 

 Georgia, "in extending these various benefits and advantages to 

 the farmers we are but doing a simple justice to the sinew and back- 

 bone of our great citizenship. In helping the farmers we are help- 

 ing the whole country, for every class is dependent upon the farmer. 

 . . . We can do nothing that will make for the future welfare of 

 our country more than to aid in this work, which means the estab- 

 lishing of farms and homes. ... In making appropriations to 

 improve agricultural conditions we are ' casting bread upon the 

 waters,' that will return not only to feed the people of this country, 

 but will means a tremendous increase in our annual farm produc- 

 tions, and will add to the country's wealth, prosperity, happiness, 

 and greatness." 



