EDITORIAL. 505 



The growth of the Department is also shown by the fact that while 

 " on July 1, 1897, 2,444 persons were employed, eleven years later, in 

 1908, the number was 10,420, or over four times as many." 



The general educational influence of the work of the Department 

 and of the agricultural colleges and experiment stations has grown 

 rapidl}^ and become far-reaching during the period reviewed. One 

 educational result of great importance has been the training of an 

 efficient corps of workers prepared to guide future advances in agri- 

 cultural education and research. 



The Secretary gives the following striking figures regarding the 

 development of agricultural education : 



'• The total income of the agricultural colleges was $5,000,000 in 

 1897, $15,000,000 in 1908; the value of their property was $51,000,000 

 in the former .year and $96,000,000 in 1907. The students in 1897 

 numbered 4,000 ; in 1908, 10,000. 



" One agricultural high school existed in 1897, and there are now 

 55. Not one normal school taught agriculture in 1897, but now 115 

 do so, besides many privately endowed schools. About half of the 

 agricultural colleges now give training courses for teachers in agri- 

 culture; 44 States and Territories give some instruction in elementary 

 principles of agriculture in the lower schools. The Graduate School 

 of Agriculture for instruction of investigators and for discussion 

 of advanced problems of research in agriculture was organized in 

 1902, and is now doing work under the Association of American 

 Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations. A strong movement 

 for the systematic organization of all agencies in agricultural exten- 

 sion work has been started within a few years, and the National Edu- 

 cation Association has added a department of rural and agricultural 

 education. 



" Outside of schools which are for the education of j^outh and 

 teachers in agriculture, the farmers have received a greatly increased 

 degi-ee of education by means of demonstration work and advice 

 given orally and by letter, by countless official and private publica- 

 tions, by corn and live-stock Judging contests, and by farmers' insti- 

 tutes. The number of sessions of the last named held in 1908 was 

 14,000, with an attendance of about 2,000,000 persons, an enormous 

 increase over the attendance twelve years ago. About 1,200 trained 

 lecturers are now employed in farmers' institute work in all States 

 and Territories." 



In concluding this review of the " tangible evidences of the 

 beneficial results of the gigantic movement in agricultural instruc- 

 tion and improvement, of the unprecedented uplift of the farmer, 

 and the betterment of country life," the Secretary calls attention 

 to the interesting and important fact " that this country is passing 



