760 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1039 



are based as determined by reason and inves- 

 tigation. 



The man in tbe field must constantly bear 

 in mind tbat be owes what lie bas to demon- 

 strate very largely to the patient labors of the 

 investigator and the clear and orderly exposi- 

 tion of the teacher. And the man in the 

 laboratory or the classroom must do his work 

 with the consciousness that what he discovers 

 or teaches will speedily and broadly be put to 

 the test of actual trial in the field. 



Some have feared that the wide expansion 

 of the extension work with its accompanying 

 great popularity would break down the thor- 

 oughness of investigation and the solidity of 

 teaching in our agricultural institutions. 

 Without doubt there is grave danger of evil 

 effects of this character due to the very rapid 

 enlargement of the extension service. As long 

 as the supply of properly trained men is far 

 below the demand that branch of the service 

 where the demand is most urgent is likely to 

 profit at the expense of the other branches. A 

 great popular movement like the present in- 

 sistence on the wide dissemination of agri- 

 cultural knowledge is likely to have a tor- 

 rential influence and sweep many men ofE 

 their feet and even institutions off their 

 foundations. But such floods are short-lived. 

 After they subside it is often possible to ac- 

 complish greater things than were feasible 

 before they came. 



For a time we may expect that our agricul- 

 tural institutions will be so busy establishing 

 the extension system on a grand scale that 

 they may seem to be, and in some cases may 

 actually be, neglectful of the best interests of 

 their research and teaching divisions. And 

 the public will hear and think comparatively 

 little of any of their work except the extension 

 service. But no sooner will the extension serv- 

 ice be well established than it will be apparent 

 that it can not do what its enthusiastic pro- 

 pagandists have led the unthinking multitude 

 to believe it would straightway accomplish. 

 Here and there will be great and striking results 

 due to peculiar conditions. There may even 

 be some steady progress in agricultural better- 

 ment over wide areas. But in the main im- 



portant immediate changes in agricultural 

 practise will be relatively few and general 

 advancement will be slow. The reasons for this 

 will be many and complicated. But two im- 

 portant things affecting our agricultural in- 

 stitutions will be apparent. 



Pirst it will be clear that to many of the 

 agricultural problems which the extension 

 men will encounter in their work among the 

 farmers, no solution or at best a very imper- 

 fect solution is now available. The limita- 

 tions of our knowledge will be more and more 

 apparent as this knowledge is widely put to 

 the test. The need of further investigation 

 along many lines will therefore become clearer 

 and the demand for it will be much more 

 widespread and insistent. 



Secondly, it will not be long after the ex- 

 tension force is expanded to the extent per- 

 mitted by available funds before the defects in 

 the training of the field men and women will 

 be clearly revealed. A goodly number of 

 those who will enter with great enthusiasm on 

 this service will shortly be actually " prophets 

 without honor in their own country," not so 

 much because the people are blind to their in- 

 terests as because these prophets have not 

 foretold the things that should come to pass. 

 In some cases this will be because the exten- 

 sion agents have not properly improved exist- 

 ing opportunities for training and have gone 

 on presumptuously without regard to their 

 ignorance. But in most cases these agents 

 will be deeply conscious of their own lack of 

 knowledge and regretful that they have not 

 been better prepared for this special service. 

 And even those who have had the best train- 

 ing and experience and are most successful in 

 their work will have a keen sense of their 

 limitations and will realize the defects of their 

 training. We may therefore expect a demand 

 for better teaching at our agricultural col- 

 leges from two sources, (1) from the people 

 for whose benefit the extension service is estab- 

 lished and (2) from the workers in that 

 service. 



The development of the extension service 

 will therefore put an additional responsibility 

 and burden on the teaching force of our col- 



