1292 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters . 
recent development of all, though the tilling of the soil and 
animal husbandry were practiced as arts from very early times. 
It is true that for its development upon a thorough scientific 
basis agriculture must make use of the other natural sciences, 
particularly chemistry, botany, physics, bacteriology, zoology, 
and physiology. But this was really not recognized until re¬ 
latively recently. Indeed, agriculture was commonly regarded 
as a very ordinary, simple pursuit, calling for but very little 
knowledge. Moreover, this notion is still rather widespread, 
and the bulk of our farming is yet going on in an empirical 
way. There can be no question but that the fact that the tilling 
of the soil was looked upon as much lower in dignity than the 
practice of medicine, law, theology, engineering, teaching, trad¬ 
ing or manufacturing has stood against its development upon a 
scientific basis in the past, and indeed still stands against ‘t 
at the present time. The farmer works long hours to produce 
the food and other materials the world requires, and for his 
labors he is really not fitly compensated in money or the con¬ 
veniences and enjoyments of life. Labor saving machinery 
has helped greatly in doing the work of tilling the soil and 
thus the inventor, the manufacturer and laborer in the city 
have aided work in farming very directly. Nevertheless, when 
all has been said, the farmer still plods on with severe physical 
labor for long hours without receiving the compensation that 
is really due him. He cannot form combines and unions to 
raise his pay. The professional men, and particularly those 
engaged in the management of transportation, manufacturing, 
and other major business operations, acquire under existing 
conditions much more than their fair share of the world’s 
goods and conveniences. 
While the study of the progress of knowledge of the material 
things about us and the laws that govern the changes they un¬ 
dergo has contributed greatly to man’s physical well being, it 
has also had a most profound effect upon his ways of thinking 
and looking at things in general. It has emancipated his spirit 
by pointing out the errors of his preconceived notions of the uni¬ 
verse and the relative position of the earth and man therein, 
