104 EXPEEIMENT STATION RECORD. 



from 14 to 101 ; and dairymen from 31 to 77. Great advance in 

 specialization is also shown in the following, who did not appear at 

 all in the 1001 statistics of the stations but were given in 1911: 

 Agronomists 139 ; plant breeders 12 ; soil specialists 34 ; plant pathol- 

 ogists 54 ; foresters 22 ; poiiltrymen 32 ; and agricultural engineers 21. 



Meanwhile the financial interests involved in American agriculture 

 have grown enormously. Land values have more than doubled and ag- 

 gregate nearly thirty billions of dollars; total values of farm property 

 have also doubled and aggregate over forty billions of dollars. The 

 total value of the agTicultural products of the United States for the 

 twelve years ending in 1910 was seventy-nine billions of dollars. 



The nimiber of our farms has increased only ten and five-tenths 

 per cent, but they aggregate 6,340,000; the fami population has 

 increased very slowl3^ but there are thirty million people on our 

 farms. 



We are just awakening to the vast significance of the human and 

 material problems involved in the development of our agriculture. 

 Attention is just now focused on the rapid spread of the movement 

 for popular education in agriculture. But those who stand closest 

 to this gi'eat movement and realize most fully what it means, know 

 also that there never was a time when wise leadership and sound and 

 deep knowledge in agricultural matters were so much to be desired 

 as to-day. The period of propaganda to con^dnce the rural people 

 of the desirability of agricultural education and research is nearly 

 over. What is especially needed now is wise and well-educated 

 leadership in order that the great movement under way may be 

 efficiently organized and guided in right channels. Thorouglily 

 trained inA'estigators, teachers, and administrators are needed in con- 

 stantly increasing numbers, and the supply is far below the demand. 

 The importance of such conferences along the higher ranges of 

 agricultural work as this Graduate School is greater than ever before 

 and we ought to pursue our work here with the greatest enthusiasm 

 and seriousness, in the hope that our meeting together will help to 

 strengthen the forces which are seeking to guide public sentiment in 

 right channels of thought and activity for agricultural advance- 

 ment and to disseminate usefid and sound knowledge on agricultural 

 subjects among great numbers of students in our agricultural insti- 

 tutions and among the masses of our rural people throughout the 

 United States. 



The courses in soils and plant pathology, animal physiology, and 

 rural economics, including farm management, were very strong and 

 attractive. The problems of the soil were discussed in their physical, 

 chemical, and biological aspects and from many points of view. 

 Dr. Schreinerj of the Bureau of Soils, discussed the organic soil 



