EDITORIAL. 407 



My contention is that wo have now come to the time when we must 

 more closely scrutinize the men who are to officer our colleges of 

 agriculture and our e.\[)erinient stations. We have now skinnned the 

 surface in agricultural investigation, taking off the apparent and the 

 easy subjects. The constituency is rapidly rising in intelligent appre- 

 ciation of what we do. We nnist now go dee[)er, attack the essential 

 underlying problems, teach more fundamentally." . 



Professor Bailey urged strongly the importance of postgraduate 

 study to prepare men for service in the colleges and stations. Such 

 study he considered essential to efficient service at the present stage. 

 He pointed out that practically all the postgraduate students of 

 to-day will be candidates for positions as teachers and experimenters. 

 It is important, therefore, that only men suited to it be encouraged 

 to enter upon such graduate work, and that we appreciate the value 

 of the time element in training persons for college and station work. 

 The}'^ should be allowed to mature and ripen. 



These are important considerations. They are fundamental to 

 progress. There has been no cessation in the demand for men for our 

 colleges and stations. The supply has not kept pace with it, and men 

 have been pressed into the service wdio Avere never intended for it. 

 The demand is especially for men of advanced training, men ripened 

 by postgraduate study, and with a broad insight into science and its 

 methods and its spirit. 



This is true of horticulture as well as elsewhere, but the supply is 

 exceedingly small. The opportunity is here but not the men to 

 meet it. The need for investigation lies in its relations to both the 

 art and to teaching. The more transitory tests and experiments have 

 been extremely useful, although half-way knowledge is uncertain and 

 likely to be misleading. Horticulture is largely intensive, and mis- 

 takes are serious. As Professor Bailey said, " a special obligation 

 of good and careful investigation rests on all those who study any of 

 the practices Avhereby men and women wrest their livelihood in the 

 Avorld," From the standpoint of the teacher the present need for 

 investigation is even more imperative, if horticultural instruction is to 

 keep pace pedagogically wath that in other branches of agriculture, 

 based on investigation in which the horticulturists themselves take an 

 active part. 



There has seemed sometimes to be a disinclination among horticul- 

 turists to map out a restricted field and settle dow^n to investigation 

 in it. In a number of instances men are now employed primarily for 

 investigation, and the attempt is made to relieve them of every dis- 

 turbing or distracting feature, and to leave them to their quest. 

 Some of these men unfortunately fail to meet the requirements, 



9049— No, 5—09 2 



