July, 1922 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



365 



down ; friendships, personal and profes- 

 sional, are established and a desire for 

 conscious, well-considered co-operation is 

 created. 



As a means of keeping us in touch with 

 what our fellow-workers are doing, the 

 annual convention, in my considered judg- 

 ment, comes second only to the magazine. 

 AVe need to meet together at regular 

 periods to compare notes and to take coun- 

 cil together. A properly organized anc^ 

 conducted conference becomes a clearing 

 house for investigational, teaching aiid ad- 

 ministrative ideas. A convention such as 

 this furnishes the occasion. It rests with 

 us to determine to what extent Ave avail 

 ourselves of a splendid opportunity. 



In connection with the preparation of the 

 reports of standing committees, I wish to 

 emphasize the importance of early action 

 and of composite judgment, based on the 

 broadest foundation of experience. The 

 chairmanship of a standing committee is 

 one of the most important appointments 

 in the gift of the Society, and membership 

 on such a committee offers an unequalled 

 opportunity for constructive work. Ad- 

 dresses, papers and discussions are valu- 

 able, and a convention could not be success- 

 ful without them ; but, in my opinion,- the 

 greatest possibilities for creative enterprise 

 rest with the membership in the more im- 

 portant committees. With this view the 

 majority of members, so honored, are in 

 accord; but, unfortunately, some have not 

 yet been seized of the importance of this 

 basic fact. 



Committee appointments generally go to 

 the busiest memfjers, and as these men ne- 

 cessarily work under high pressure, there is 

 sometimes a disposition on their part to de- 

 fer action until shortly before the conven- 

 tion. This generally results in members of a 

 committee having little or no opportunity to 

 confer with one another, not to mention 

 their inability to consult with the members 

 who are not on the committee but whose 

 suggestions, not infrequenth", would prove 

 of great assistance and value. Moreover, 

 composite judgments, which have slowly as- 

 sumed concrete form, and which have crys- 

 tallized over a period of months, will al- 

 most certainly be more valuable when sub- 

 mitted to the convention for final consid- 

 eration and action, than the less composite 

 findings of a small committee can possibly 

 be, no matter how able its personnel. 



The heart of this Society , as I conceive 

 it, lies in its committees and in their find- 

 ings. We have a right to expect from these 

 committees not only an exhau.stive, critical 

 and discriminating analysis of the questions 

 dealt with in their reports, but also that 

 the subjects under consideration be given 

 creative, constructive and synthetic treat- 

 ment. From the Executive and from our 

 standing committees must come, in large 

 measure, the expression of the dynamic 

 within the Society. Not only must we ap- 

 point our ablest men to these responsible 

 positions, but we must also make provision 

 for registering, through them, the best ideas 

 and suggestions of the entire membership. 



It is not my intention to range far and 

 wide over the fields of discussion which 

 will be opened up by the consideration of 

 the reports which are being submitted to 

 this convention. But if you are indul- 

 gent you will perhaps allow me, while not 

 concealing my own point of view, to re- 

 fresh your memories by means of a brief 

 survey which is designed to bring under 

 review the salient objects and accomplish- 

 ments of the Society. No attempt will be 

 made to deal specifically with new or im- 

 pending developments in the organization. 

 Minor details which have no application 

 beyond a limited- radius I shall not con- 

 sider; but I shall confine my attention to 

 the measuring and appraising of those fac- 

 tors which, to my mind, should determine 

 our future course of action. 



Permit me then very briefly to remind 

 you, even at the risk of restating what I 

 have said on previous occasions, that there 

 have been, still are, and for years in all 

 probability will continue to be, three para- 

 mount issues before this Society ; viz : 

 "Agricultural Education", "Agricultural 

 Policies" and "The Organization- of Tech- 

 nical Agriculturists". 



Of secondary, and even of tertiary issues, 

 there are many. These will demand and 

 will be accorded varying degrees of atten- 

 tion from time to time as circumstances 

 require; but the three major issues will, 

 I venture to think, never be more than 

 momentarily overshadowed. These three I 

 have arranged in what I conceive to be the 

 order of their relative importance. Around 

 these major issues, the discussions at; this, 

 as at previous conferences, centre. Each 

 is a wide field in itself, capable of many 

 divisions and subdivisions. The appoint- 



