6 INTRODUCTION 



and passed this knowledge down from father to son ; but they 

 knew little of the science of agriculture or of the sciences 

 upon which agriculture is based. 



Young men and women can learn in schools how to improve 

 and conserve the fertility of the soil; how to improve the 

 economic plants so that they may be better adapted to their 

 surroundings and have better yielding qualities; how to 

 improve farm animals so that there may be greater produc- 

 tion and better quality of products; how to combat insect 

 pests and diseases; how to bring about a more productive, 

 profitable, and permanent agriculture; and how to organize 

 a more satisfying country life. These are the demands of 

 modern agriculture. 



The farmer should be lord of the three kingdoms over 

 which he rules. The plants, the animals, and the minerals 

 are his domain ; his farm is made up of these three kingdoms. 

 How unfortunate for all if he does not know the plants, 

 animals and minerals with which he deals. "What would 

 we think of a physician who did not know the science of 

 physiology or chemistry? What could the lawyer hope to 

 do who did not know the laws of his state, or the principles 

 underlying legal practice? 



The young farmers who are now studying scientific agri- 

 culture know that they must be masters of the kingdoms with 

 which they deal: they must know plants, animals and min- 

 erals; how to produce, protect, and improve in the best and 

 most economical way their plants and animals; and how to 

 conserve and use most wisely the mineral resources of 

 their farms. 



