EDITORIAL. 603 



in numerous localities, they may easily become valuable adjuncts to 

 the agricultural colleges and experiment stations. But when an 

 experiment station descends from its high estate as an institution of 

 original research to win favor by illustrating, on however large a scale, 

 well-known facts and principles it sells its birthright for a very small 

 consideration. It should ever be the chief business of the stations to 

 give to American agriculture the new ideas which will give preemi- 

 nence in the world's competition. . Neither station officers nor farmers 

 should be content to have the stations largely engrossed in doing 

 anything less important than this. 



The idea that the station workers may wisely pattern after success- 

 ful farmers in organizing and conducting investigations is an espe- 

 cially mischievous one. It may be, as some have asserted, that in 

 many important lines of farm work agricultural science is not at 

 present able to suggest any way to improve the best present practice. 

 But unless we believe that science has no hope of aiding the farmer, 

 however thorough or far-reaching its researches may be, let us not 

 disparage any honest effort to make scientific investigations in behalf 

 of agriculture as thorough and rigid as is possible. As long as there 

 is any expectation that further efforts properly directed may enable 

 science to solve the hitherto inscrutable problems of agriculture let us 

 devote ourselves heart and soul to the organization and prosecution of 

 the most thorough investigations. If in any case the scientific struc- 

 ture thus far erected consist of facts of doubtful value or principles 

 of uncertain origin, let us tear the whole thing down and begin over 

 again with a greater devotion to truth. Fortunately the most severe 

 criticism of agricultural science will reveal many facts and principles 

 which can not be overthrown and which the best farmers would never 

 have discovered by the ordinary methods of the farm. We need only to 

 call to mind the wonderful advances in dairying under the stimulus of 

 chemical and bacteriological investigations or the hopeful aspect of the 

 researches on the utilization of the nitrogen of the air to show that all 

 the signs of the times point to the highest practical achievements as 

 the outcome of scientific work in behalf of agriculture if we will only 

 devote ourselves earnestly and wisely to such efforts. 



It may be that we need, on the other hand, to regard more scrupu- 

 lously the necessary limits of scientific effort in behalf of agriculture. 

 Certainly the comparatively meager results which have come from a 

 vast number of field experiments of certain classes with crops and 

 fertilizers should lead to the most careful consideration of the methods 

 of such work. The continued large use of funds in this direction can 

 hardly be justified unless it is possible to improve the methods of 

 our investigations so as to give us greater confidence in the results. 

 If it is clear to the experienced and scientific investigator of agricul- 

 tural problems that the methods in common use in any line are based 

 on false principles or that it is impossible to reach any definite con- 

 clusions by the best planned investigations in that line, it is his duty 



