12 THE LURE OF THE LAND 



plying. A hundred years ago there was no such thing 

 as an agricultural school, the agricultural experiment 

 station was unknown. A lot of facts had been ac- 

 cumulated by experience, but these facts were not cor- 

 related nor put into any kind of a systematic form or 

 shape. The man without brains, provided he had 

 hands and muscle, was considered the ideal farmer. 

 How much that has changed one needs only to look 

 around him to see ! 



That great statesman, Senator Morrill of Vermont, 

 was one of the first of our public men to realize the 

 importance of farming as a profession. During the 

 throes of the Civil War, when it was uncertain whether 

 or not the nation would survive, Senator Morrill took 

 the stand that he believed the nation would survive 

 and in its survival would depend upon its agriculture 

 for its wealth and progress. In 1862 he saw enacted 

 into law his bill introduced into Congress to establish 

 agricultural colleges in all the States. To this end 

 he provided that the United States grant a portion of 

 its public lands for this purpose. In the older States 

 there were no public lands, therefore he devised a 

 scheme of opening the vast domain of the West not only 

 to actual settlers, but also to preemption by the States. 

 A certain number of acres of land was set aside for 

 each State, in proportion to the number of representa- 

 tives and senators it had in Congress. Thus the old 

 States, such as New York and Massachusetts, would 

 have the same opportunity to have the benefit of this 

 great grant as the new States and territories where the 

 lands were situated. 



When this proposal of Senator Morrill became a law, 

 very little was thought of its value and brilliant future. 

 The States themselves were slow to appreciate it. They 



