406 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



method of science in getting at the truth. The farmers began to see 

 the difference and to catch something of its meaning. It was the 

 application of the experimental method in determining facts. This 

 difference between opinion and fact has been propagated more and 

 more widely each year, through the teachings of the agricultural 

 colleges, short courses, the farmers' "week, the movable schools, the 

 agricultural press, and all those agencies which have been so influ- 

 ential in disseminating information and understanding. 



There has been no more significant development in agriculture in 

 all time than the acceptance during the past quarter of a century of 

 the truth that scientific experiment and research are the most effec- 

 tive means for determining methods of improving and safegiuirding 

 agricultural production, and that the profits of agricultural practice 

 depend upon the operation of economic hnvs and the management of 

 agricultural operations in accordance with business principles. Such 

 a widespread acceptance could not have resulted if some measure of 

 the spirit of science had not been caught by the large body of the 

 people. 



Naturally the spread of the science spirit is not restricted to the 

 business and practice of farming. It alTects the entire man, and is 

 felt throughout the whole horizon of life in a broader attitude 

 toward (juestions relating to public welfare. This is indeed a great 

 gain for scientific research and science teaching. 



