1917] EDITORIAL. 705 



The depletion of the junior and sophomore ranks was found to 

 be somewhat smaller in most institutions. The reasons actuating 

 withdrawals were substantially the same as with seniors, but applied 

 with decreasing force, so that it seems probable that losses will be 

 relatively somewhat less numerous and less detrimental. 



The entering classes, however, present a special problem for con- 

 sideration. Before the war steadily increasing numbers of freshmen, 

 in many cases taxing the capacity of the college, had been the rule, 

 but this fall thirty-six institutions reported losses ranging from 8 to 

 60 per cent. The Texas College, to be sure, reported an increase of 

 over 12 per cent, resulting in the largest class in its history, and four 

 others showed smaller gains, but the average for the entire group is 

 a loss of about 25 per cent. 



This percentage is, of course, smaller than for the entire enroll- 

 ment in the colleges of agriculture, but it is none the less disquieting. 

 In eighteen institutions it ranged from 30 to 40 per cent, whereas in 

 mechanic arts courses only one institution showed an entering class 

 more than 25 per cent below that for the previous year, while in four- 

 teen others the losses were under 10 per cent and six showed gains 

 of from 78 to 165 per cent. The percentage loss in freshman agri- 

 cultural students was also considerably greater in the majority of in- 

 stitutions than for most other courses, although in some cases the 

 falling off among male students in liberal arts was also large. 



Expressed not in percentages, but in actual numbers, the data are 

 even more striking. For the institutions available the freshmen ag- 

 gregated in 1916, 4,630, and in 1917, only 3,463. This means a de- 

 crease of 1,167 freshmen students in agriculture in the 41 States re- 

 porting this item. 



So heavy a decrease in this group, especially if it portends similar 

 small entering classes for several years to come, must be regarded as 

 unfortunate. It is unlikely that many of the boys who are thus fore- 

 going a college course are of draft age or that any considerable pro- 

 portion is engaged in military service. It seems probable that most 

 of them have stayed on the farm, where they have indeed rendered 

 sorely needed assistance, but it may be at a cost of an ultimate serious 

 loss of hundreds of trained men to the Nation. The fact that the 

 full extent of this loss will not be evident for several years only em- 

 phasizes how difficult it will be to remedy it when it becomes ap- 

 parent. It would seem that special efforts should be made by the 

 colleges to enlighten prospective students as to the unusual oppor- 

 tunities for trained agricultural workers within the next few years. 

 Some institutions have already begun work along this line. 



The group of students most seriously affected of all is, as would 

 be expected, that of graduate students. The data reported as to 

 these students are somewhat less complete than for undergraduates, 



