INTRODUCTION: THE AIM AND SCOPE OF 

 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 1 



From time to time, of late, we have seen an increasing number of 

 colleges and universities adding some course or courses in agricultural 

 economics to their published announcements of subjects of instruction. 

 Sometimes these courses are actually presented as scheduled. Often, 

 to my certain knowledge, they are not. But the name, at least, is with 

 us, and many are asking (and perhaps not least of these are the wistful 

 writers of the college announcements), "What is agricultural eco- 

 nomics?" 



Possibly the only way to arrive at an answer strictly germane to 

 the query "What is agricultural economics?" would be to tabulate 

 these prospectuses from college catalogues, to ascertain and report 

 the actual content of the instruction offered in classroom or lecture, 

 and to review the textbooks or uncodified materials used in the con- 

 duct of the courses. We shall, in fact, have some recourse to these 

 methods at a later stage of our discussion. But the quest for a defi- 

 nition may well include an attempt to set forth a fair ideal, instead of 

 contenting itself with merely reporting the "spotted actuality." The 

 really important question is what agricultural economics may be or 

 should be, and in trying to find the most adequate answer that we 

 can to that inquiry we must not be timorous of passing beyond a 

 strict account of what now is. 



Doubtless the suggestion which comes most readily to mind is to 

 the effect that agricultural economics is simply general economics 

 applied to the particular business of farming. To answer thus is but 

 to shift the question. What, then, is "general economics"? Very 

 slight acquaintance with economics and economists would suffice to 

 show that it is not one thing, but many. As to scope, method, point 

 of view, purpose, and specific content there is widespread controversy. 

 Their single element of unity consists in the fact that all these labors 

 lie within the wide field of wealth phenomena. There is no pure 

 strain of economics, any more than there is a pure strain of Americans. 



1 Adapted from the Journal of Political Economy, XXIV (April, 1916), 363-81. 



