64 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



opportunities for a narrower field elsewhere, or they have 

 been satisfied to start in the business of tilling the soil with 

 a limited understanding of the natural world, when they 

 should have had a broad knowledge of the laws and forces 

 of matter and of life. For many young men a four years' 

 course at the agricultural college is the most profitable in- 

 vestment of time and money they could make, and some 

 who have failed to see this are now confessing their mistake. 

 Moreover, there are yet unfilled, highly useful, honorable 

 and fairly remunerative opportunities in the field of agricult- 

 ural education and research. Agricultural colleges may 

 not be able to directly instruct the mass of farmers, but they 

 are fitting men to teach and investigate in matters pertaining 

 to the farmer's art, and here we find, I believe, their peculiar 

 mission as educational institutions. 



I trust that what has so far been presented has not seemed 

 to you to be unsympathetic or harsh. I should greatly regret 

 saying anything that would depress the spirit of faith and 

 courage with which we are pressing on to better things in 

 the world's sustaining industry. My only purpose so far 

 has been to display, frankly and judicially, the reasons, as I 

 see them, which have caused disappointment all along the 

 line in the number of young men who in New England have 

 been moved to give extended study to the principles of agri- 

 culture. Let us now turn our attention from an analysis of 

 the reasons that have affected the attendance upon the agri- 

 cultural colleges to a discussion of the mission of these in- 

 stitutions, a mission the nature and value of which is clearly 

 seen in the light of thirty years' experience. 



The considerations already presented to you make it clearly 

 evident that the great bulk of the agricultural population 

 will not in the future any more than in the past come up to 

 the agricultural college for an education. Not even the short 

 winter courses provided at some institutions, and which are 

 generously attended in a few States, will secure a general 

 systematic instruction in the fundamentals of science as re- 

 lated to the farm. These short courses are doing a grand 

 work, but they fall far short of compassing the whole field. 

 We must from now on, if we have not done so before, face 

 the problem of providing in the public schools or in wide- 



