614 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1408. 



'Now, however, the expected renaissance in 

 agi'ioultural research seems to have been 

 temporarily thwarted by the business depres- 

 sion and by the general clamor against in- 

 creased expenditures of public funds for any 

 purpose. I believe that this condition is only 

 a temporary one. We are going through an 

 experience which brings a blush of shame 

 to the cheek of every loyal American. We 

 are seeing every principle of patriotism and 

 devotion to public weKare which were such 

 powerful stimulants to individual and na- 

 tional effort during the war submerged by 

 the petty political jealousies. 



These are reconstruction days. War-time 

 fever has only just left the body politic. 

 Physical power, mental acumen, and spirit- 

 ual force seem to be still at a low ebb. No 

 true American patriot believes that these 

 are manifestations of sound, normal Ameri- 

 can life. And every true American, embued 

 with the characteristic hopeful American 

 spirit, looks forward with optimistic confi- 

 dence to a speedy recovery of sound body and 

 sound mind in our national existence. 



Hence, we ought not to be discouraged or 

 dismayed by the present temporary reaction 

 in popular enthusiasm for our research work. 

 This lack of entliusiasm ought not to be mis- 

 taken by us to be any definite or permanent 

 opposition to agricultural research. The les- 

 sons of the war-time emergency concerning 

 the importance of agriculture to the national 

 life are too clear and too convincing to be 

 easily forgotten. Indeed, it is the plain duty 

 of those of us who, by our engagement in 

 public service for agricultural development, 

 have a unique opportunity to shape public 

 opinion and to mold public sentiment, to see 

 to it that this important lesson is not for- 

 gotten and that the proper place of agricul- 

 tural research in relation to sound agricul- 

 tural development continues to be kept clearly 

 in mind. 



The fundamental place of agricultural re- 

 search in any system of agricultural educa- 

 tion and development is so apparent that it 

 needs no elaborate discussion or argument 

 concerning it. It is an old and trite saying 



that " no stream can rise higher than its 

 source." And it is a self-evident fact that 

 the source of agricultural knowledge is care- 

 ful scientific investigation of the laws of na- 

 ture. 



This was clearly recognized by the earlier 

 leaders in agriculture who, soon after the 

 establishment of the Land-Grant Colleges 

 began the investigational work which soon 

 led the way to the establishment of the agri- 

 cultural experiment stations as definitely 

 organized agencies for agricultural research 

 work. In most of the States these stations 

 were organized as a unit of the college and 

 under the administrative supervision of the 

 same officers who administered the teaching 

 functions of the institutions. In a few states 

 there were organized experiment stations 

 which were entirely separated in their ad- 

 ministration, functions, and activities from 

 the teaching service. But in most cases the 

 research work was closely associated with the 

 teaching duties of the faculty of the agri- 

 cultural college, and in about one-half of the 

 states the college itself is an integral part of 

 the state university with its graduate school, 

 which also has general research possibilities. 



The need for post-graduate training for 

 teaching, research, and extension workers in 

 agriculture has resulted in the development 

 of graduate schools in many of the separately 

 organized land-grant colleges. Thus it has 

 come about that in most of the states there 

 are two agencies or units of the land-grant 

 colleges, which are to be considered as poten- 

 tial sources for agricultural research work; 

 namely, the experiment station and the gradu- 

 ate school. 



In any consideration of the future possi- 

 bilities for agricultural research, therefore, 

 we ought to count upon the development of 

 these two types of agencies. The growth of 

 these two, side by side, in the same institu- 

 tions has often led to a confusion of their 

 functions and possibilities, which may be 

 wholly unconscious and unintentional in the 

 minds of the members of the staff and ad- 

 ministrative officers of these combined insti- 

 tutions; but which is quite apparent to those 



