on these facts. This is the way in which all prob- 

 lems must be attacked if real and permanent solu- 

 tions are to be found. The scientific method in en- 

 gineering and mechanics and biology and the rest has 

 been responsible for the high development of ciAdliza- 

 tion within the past century. Similar methods must 

 be applied in rural work. We must finally found all 

 our progress in rural life on a close study of the facts 

 and the real elements in the situation, in order that 

 we may know exactly what we are talking about. 



A movement to collect such facts is now just be- 

 ginning to appear. It is generally spoken of as "ag- 

 ricultural surveys. ' ' While there have been geologi- 

 cal surveys, soil surveys, and studies of particular 

 phases of the rural situation for many years, never- 

 theless the consciousness that the entire situation 

 must be studied in all its relations has only recently 

 begun to take possession of the public mind. 



The Cornell Contribution 



In this address I am not to give an historical re- 

 view of these surveys or to estimate the many contri- 

 butions that have been made to the idea. I plan only 

 to answer the question, so often put to me, as to what 

 Cornell has done and also what is my own conception 

 of the agricultural survey problem. 



At Cornell, the survey-idea began to take shape 



2 



