EDITORIAL. 7:$. r > 



of the highest scientific attainments. Hence the branches of learning 

 supposed to be related to agriculture and also to promote a Uberal 

 education were often pressed forward, and by reason of their more 

 advanced position pedagogically came to occupy a prominent place in 

 the curriculum of these colleges. 



As time went on the expectations of the early advocates of agricul- 

 tural instruction were not being realized. The fanners as a rule took 

 little active interest in the college and were often out of sympathy 

 with it. There was no considerable demand for agricultural instruc- 

 tion, and many of those who went to the college were attracted by the 

 opportunity to secure an education cheaply. Other circumstances, 

 such as the civil war and the great movement of people to the new- 

 lands across the Alleghanies, combined to delay its progress. \\ 'here 

 the colleges were connected with large universities the case seemed 

 especially hopeless. There the sentiment against the agricultural 

 department on the part of other departments of instruction was often 

 in evidence; and because of its weakness and its failure to attract large 

 numbers of students that department was usually given but little either 

 in the way of facilities or financial support. 



The experience gained in several decades of experimenting in agri- 

 cultural instruction, discouraging as it was, was not without result. 

 More was being accomplished than appeared on the surface. Gradu- 

 ally the old theories of teaching agriculture were disproved, and 

 better methods took their place. Some impression was made upon 

 public opinion, and greater respect won for the subject as a depart- 

 ment of instruction. 



To the men who in the face of these obstacle had been working out 

 the basis for teaching agriculture and building up for it a more intel- 

 ligent support, much credit and honor are due. They helped to show 

 the value of technical instruction, sentiment for which was now grow- 

 ing, and by the investigations which they made and collated they 

 attracted attention to the increasing basis for a science of agriculture, 

 which broadened the possibilities of teaching the underlying principles 

 of the industry. 



Then came the experiment stations, first a few State institutions, 

 which were largely an outgrowth of the influence of the agricultural 

 colleges and were fostered by them. These in time created a demand 

 for national aid, resulting in the establishment of stations throughout 

 the country; and two years later came the Morrill fund, which sup- 

 plemented the land grant of 1862 w T ith a direct annual appropriation 

 for instruction. For a time it did not appear that the latter was to 

 benefit directly the essentially agricultural features of the colleges, 

 w T hich rarely received any considerable allotment of the fund, the 

 claim still being made that there was small demand for agricultural 

 instruction. 



