FOREWORD 



Agricultural education in America is comparatively new. 

 Previous to 1870 but few colleges of agriculture existed in 

 this country. During the period between 1870 and about 

 1890, interest was awakened in this field of education. Many 

 of the agricultural colleges graduated their first classes along 

 in the seventies. Excepting a few men who had been trained 

 in chemistry, as applied to agriculture, there were almost 

 no instructors who had received what we now regard as an 

 agricultural education. The instruction known as agricul- 

 tural, then consisted of lectures on familiar farm practices, 

 frequently supplemented by manual labor on the part of the 

 student. Text books were few, and the preparation of new 

 ones was slow. 



Agricultural education under these conditions lagged, 

 and how to encourage interest became a serious problem 

 with the colleges. Educators insisted that the teaching 

 should be largely based on pure science, and it was often 

 difficult 'for the students to see the application. 



Recognizing this lack of interest, a few Western colleges 

 conceived the plan of giving short winter courses of a popular 

 nature, in which practical laboratory instruction should be 

 given. Work in dairying, horticulture, and live stock judg- 

 ing first received attention. This practical training was 

 most favorably regarded by the students. These winter 

 courses grew rapidly in popularity, and paved the way for 

 more attractive forms of instruction for the regular students. 

 Through this medium of the short winter course, both inter- 



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