RURAL AND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 47 



viduals. Since such differences are continuous and are found in 

 all stages, some people with lesser native capacities may acquire, 

 under adequate tuition, considerable facility in these lines. It is 

 probable that, on the whole, the highly skilled father will be the 

 best trainer of his boy, especially if that boy inherits to a greater 

 or less degree his father's native capacities, but all boys are not 

 thus fortunate. Skills can be induced often under very untoward 

 conditions. Here the schools must enter and supplement or sup- 

 plant the inadequacies of the home unit an interesting and most 

 valuable field for further investigation. 28 



Again good business principles can be taught, and buying 

 and selling, accounting, can be improved in nearly all grades and 

 types of intelligence. Undoubtedly this characteristic has more 

 elements in common with business ability in other industries 

 than the remaining characteristics listed. It is, moreover, prob- 

 able that the average farmer needs a higher type of business 

 acumen (covering cost finding in addition to buying, selling, 

 etc.) than does the average worker in any other industry and 

 possibly more than many so-called average business men. 



Of all the characteristics, it is profitable to repeat, man- 

 agerial ability stands first. It is less affected by confusing ele- 

 ments and therefore tends to be definite. It is directly condi- 

 tioned by intelligence and therefore it may be classed as strongly 

 inherent. It can be improved, trained, but only to advantage 

 when the person in training has the requisite mental type and 

 power to benefit from the peculiar training needed. 



Is nature all important in the above characteristics? Is 

 it the thing first to be considered? It is very important and will 

 continue to be an increasingly important factor, more and more 

 to be considered as farming develops in complexity and as com- 

 petition in production grows. Nature will take a larger and 

 larger part of the consideration unless big scale production be- 



26. This study can not go into the field of individual case 

 study, working out from the experience and knowledge already 

 possessed by the boy. It is, however, a field of vital value and 



interest. 



