UNCLE SAM'S BIG COLLEGE 323 



all American agriculture was on the downward path, 

 racing as rapidly as possible to reach the minimum of 

 production. It had gathered momentum in its down- 

 ward course and it has required all these years to check 

 its progress. The sudden growth of agricultural edu- 

 cation and experimentation produced a paucity of prop- 

 erly qualified employees. It would be interesting, if 

 it could be ascertained, to know what percentage of the 

 vast sum expended in these activities during the past 

 third of a century has been absorbed by training di- 

 rectors and experimenters and how much has been 

 wasted on incompetents and agricultural vagaries! 

 This, if known, must explain the absence of material 

 crop increase. 



Now we may hope that this downward course has 

 been stopped. There are even signs of a movement in 

 the opposite direction. There is every reason to be- 

 lieve that this movement will become accelerated and 

 that there will be a gradual, and for some time hastened, 

 progress towards a maximum of production. It is not 

 difficult to conceive of the soils of this country, under 

 such scientific direction, producing three times as much 

 human food and clothing as they do to-day, with- 

 out any appreciable expansion of acreage. When that 

 result shall have been obtained, the full fruition of this 

 great work in agricultural education will have been 

 realized, and Uncle Sam's big college be fully appre- 

 ciated. In this connection we should not forget the 

 credit due to Hon. Jeremiah Rusk, the second Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture, 1889-1893, who was an enthusiastic 

 promoter of agricultural education. 



