March 24, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



301 



system of agricultural education in colleges 

 and schools, through the Extension Service, 

 and through agricultural journals and books. 

 It also is the basis for regulatorj' laws and 

 their enforcement. 



It would be impossible to tell what would be 

 the situation in this country if agricultural 

 research had not been maintained. We know 

 some of the most important improved varieties 

 of plants and some of the better strains of 

 animals would be missing. Some diseases of 

 animals and food plants would be rampant. 

 Great areas of soil now producing crops would 

 be barren, and the production from still larger 

 areas would be lowered. Farmers would be 

 paying more for their supplies and some high- 

 ly effective marketing methods would not be 

 known. 



MOEE RESEARCH IS NEEDED 



It is unfortunate that the research agencies 

 of the country are unable to keep pace with 

 the demands being made upon them. The ex- 

 perience of the past, the present situation, and 

 a view into the future emphasizes the neces- 

 sity of enlarging the system. A sound and 

 efficient agriculture calls for more research. 

 The development of some phases of agi-ieul- 

 ture, representing millions of dollars to farm- 

 ers and to other citizens, awaits the enlarge- 

 ment of research activities. As the country 

 becomes older and its population increases and 

 quicker transportation is developed, new prob- 

 lems constantly appear. Some persons who 

 are not informed think we are doing quite well 

 at the present time and agTicultural research 

 might be kept on its present basis or even it 

 might take a vacation for a few years. Bvit 

 the germs and the fungi now on their way to 

 favorable locations throughout the country will 

 not pause on their journey, and plant food 

 will continue to be depleted when crops con- 

 tinue to be taken from the soil. 



Research problems might be divided into 

 two great groups. The first would include the 

 new difficulties that are constantly arising and 

 must be overcome to keep agriculture in its 

 present position, such as a new insect pest. 

 The second would include such questions as the 



improvement of existing methods which means 

 a better agriculture. Originally the second 

 group of questions constituted most of the re- 

 search work jserformed. More and more ques- 

 tions in the first group have been coming to 

 the front in recent years until now they de- 

 mand a very large part of the research re- 

 sources. 



New methods for reducing cost of production, 

 the better distribution of farm jsroducts, and 

 better methods of marketing are sorely needed 

 at this time. This is in the interest of the 

 average citizen who buys all his supplies, be- 

 cause such methods will help to reduce the cost 

 of living. This is in the interest also of farm- 

 ers because better methods will increase the 

 profits of farming. Both benefits are worth- 

 while. But a chief reason for decreasing the 

 cost of farm production is the importance of 

 holding our position in the markets of the 

 world. We ought to get a better hold upon 

 those markets especially in so far as certain 

 manufactured farm products are concerned. If 

 we wish to sell to Great Britain at a ijrofit we 

 must be able to make a lower price than others 

 can make. We used to export about one hun- 

 dred forty million pounds of cheese annually, 

 but before the Great War these exports had 

 fallen to two or three million pounds. We like 

 to say that we are not exporting cheese because 

 our larger population is consuming it all. But 

 why did not our cheese production increase 

 "with our population? The chief reason was 

 that Canada could do better than we could do 

 in making a favorable price on cheese in the 

 English markets. The outcome of such com- 

 petition depends largely upon the results of 

 our research for superior and less expensive 

 methods. 



Our natural resources plus our skill plus our 

 shipping ability are in competition with the 

 natural resources of other countries plus their 

 skill plus their shipping ability plus their 

 cheaper labor which involves lower living 

 standards. If we are to win from them we 

 must depend chiefly upon our superior knowl- 

 edge. Some other countries have as good natu- 

 ral resources as ours. Sometimes they are even 

 better .because of virgin lands. Other countries 



