THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE TO AGRICULTURE. 21 



and in 1862 the Morrill Land-Grant Act came into effect, which 

 granted the proceeds of public lands to the several States and Terri- 

 tories to provide for the teaching of agriculture. In this same year 

 the Federal Government established a Department of Agriculture, 

 and in 1889 its head became a Cabinet officer as Secretaiy of Agri- 

 culture. 



Agriculture is now taught in every State, Territory, and outlying 

 possession of the United States. It is required by law to be taught 

 in the rural public schools of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Missis- 

 sippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon, 

 South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Training courses for teaching agri- 

 culture are offered in State agricultural schools, State normal schools, 

 and county normal and summer schools. Thus the educational 

 machinery of the country is employed to investigate the great 

 underworld of the soil and to carry to the youth and the adult 

 the knowledge that will lead to a better understanding of its won- 

 derful possibilities. 



COOPERATION AMONG FARMERS. 



This is an age of organization and cooperation, and a great force 

 is the result of a union of many individual forces. A century ago, 

 when the farmer made the larger number of the things necessary for 

 the use of the family, there was little need for cooperation. With the 

 development of modern machinery, we have reached an age of spe- 

 cialization and the farmer must buy his machinery and tools, his 

 clothing, and even much of his food from the manufacturer or the 

 merchant, who is the salesman for the manufacturer. In order, there 

 fore, for the farmer to control the price of the products of the farm 

 and to reduce as much as possible the cost to him of the manufactured 

 articles, it has become necessary for him to combine with other farm- 

 ers and to buy and sell in large quantities in order that he may get 

 the benefit of wholesale prices. For many years farmers have been 

 realizing the necessity for such cooperation. 



One of the first organizations of the farmers was the Grangers, 

 sometimes called also Patrons of Industry. This organization was 

 brought about by O. H. Kelly, whom President Johnson sent to the 

 South immediately after the Civil War to study agricultural con- 

 ditions. It became a powerful order and at one time had a member- 

 ship of nearly a quarter of a million. 



Another order of tremendous power was the Fanners' Alliance, 

 organized in Texas in 1876 for the purpose of punishing land and 

 cattle thieves. The Louisiana farmers, about the same time, had 



