70 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In the United States the State college, with the experiment 

 station attached to it, have been the prime movers in agri- 

 cultural education. In this connection I venture to quote a 

 private letter, received a few days ago, from the Secretary 

 of Agriculture : — 



Permit me to say one thing, outside of your inquiries, that 

 applies to our work here. In round numbers, half the people of 

 the United States are employed in producing from the soil. 

 Where scientific education is offered by State institutions, some 

 of these young people are going to college. If scientific instruc- 

 tion along the line of their life's work is not offered, they do not 

 go to college. When they do go, these agricultural institutions 

 are giving them something with regard to the soil, the plant and the 

 animal, and other things relating to agriculture. Many of these 

 institutions are making progress and strengthening their courses 

 of study. They are really doing good work toward the helping 

 of young farmers along the lines of their future life work. Their 

 education is weak along certain lines ; they perhaps do not get as 

 much literature as they should have. The question is. Are the 

 farmers helped by what they do get? The universities and col- 

 leges of the land are doing nothing for that part of the community, 

 including the producers from the soil. They have never consid- 

 ered their cases. They have qualifications for entry into college 

 that absolutely prohibit these young people from going. Not 

 only so, but from the industrial stand-point our great institutions 

 of education do nothing along the line I mention (agricultural 

 education) . For that reason, we in this department are encour- 

 aging 3"oung farmers to go through the agricultural college, get 

 what they can, and after graduation come here, when we give 

 them something along their own line. 



I have read this letter for two reasons : first of all, it is 

 from a man, himself a farmer, who is profoundly interested 

 in the advancement of agriculture, and therefore interested 

 in all that helps the farmer ; secondly, it voices a sentiment 

 which I think is widespread among farmers, namely, that in 

 some way or other the farmers as a class are not receiving 

 the benefit of the scientific training which has liecome so 

 marked a feature of the world's progress. This question I 

 do not feel able at this moment to discuss. I do not feel 

 sure in my own mind what the best method is for bringing a 

 technical training within the reach of those who spend their 



