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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1206 



an indispensable function in our educa- 

 tional sj^stem is now generally conceded. 

 They are now firmly imbedded in our gov- 

 ernmental poliej' and receive an almost 

 unanimous support. 



Notwithstanding all this we are now 

 questioning concerning the future of agri- 

 cultural education and research. Are these 

 efforts so directed as to most fully serve 

 public welfare? Will the ideals which 

 have dominated them and the aims to 

 which they have been directed in the past 

 meet future needs? Do the shafts of ridi- 

 cule, often directed at what has been termed 

 mind culture, and the insistent assertion 

 that education fails to meet modern needs 

 unless it serves 'some practical end, pro- 

 ceed out of a sound philosophy? Main- 

 tained as these colleges and stations are 

 under a popular form of government and 

 subject to the reactions of political changes 

 and the vagaries of the public mind, do we 

 see any indications that their efficiency is 

 menaced? Existing as they do, in what 

 we sometimes fondly call a democracy, will 

 education and research in the interest of 

 agriculture develop the high standards of 

 efficiency that are reached by privately en- 

 dowed institutions? 



The fact that the agencies in question 

 have developed to great magnitude does 

 not spell efficiency as directed to given 

 ends. Efficiency in education and re- 

 search depends largely upon factors not 

 measurable in terms of extensive equip- 

 ment, large faculties or great bodies of stu- 

 dents. 



The question of the permanency of the 

 agricultural colleges and experiment sta- 

 tions need not arouse solicitude. The 

 teachings of these institutions are too 

 firmly embedded in agricultural thought 

 and practise, and the rural people are too 

 dependent in technical and difficult matters 

 upon the body of knowledge that has been. 



and is still being, developed, for their guid- 

 ance to permit even a suggestion that agen- 

 cies so useful will be allowed to lapse or 

 lessen their activities. It must be conceded, 

 too, that our experiences during the past 

 two years have strengthened the confidence 

 of the people in the colleges and stations. 

 We can not fail to be impressed by the fact 

 that a large number of men and women 

 have been trained in these institutions to 

 perform exactly the service now demanded 

 in maintaining and directing our agricul- 

 tural resources. It is gratifying to note 

 also that many positions of responsibility 

 in relation to food production and conser- 

 vation are filled by graduates of the col- 

 leges of agriculture. 



More than this, the large body of knowl- 

 edge that has been collected and organized, 

 which relates fundamentally to crop pro- 

 duction and to the defense of the farmer 

 and fruit-grower against the ills which be- 

 set them has greatly strengthened our 

 grasp of the questions related to food pro- 

 duction and conservation at a time when 

 our resources are under a severe strain. 

 Without these trained men and women and 

 the knowledge gained through investiga- 

 tion and instruction in the interests of 

 agriculture, it is difficult to understand 

 how we could meet as -successfully as we 

 are doing the tremendous problems im- 

 posed by the war. We need not fear, then, 

 that agricultural education will take a 

 lesser place in our national life, but rather 

 we may expect it to develop to meet larger 

 needs, provided it is wisely directed. 



The problem which should have our 

 most careful thought and consideration is 

 that of efficiency as related to the real 

 functions which the colleges and stations 

 should perform. As has been suggested, 

 an elaborate physical equipment, generous 

 endowments and subsidies, extensive lab- 

 oratories and crowded classrooms — even 



