The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1912-04-01


has undergone considerable moditica-
tion and evolution since its organiza-.
tion some six years ago. AS the
various lines of work develop and farm
problems present themselves, the view
point and methods of investigation
change. The process by which this
line of investigation has developed
is concisely set forth by Mr.. Spillman
in the Country Gentlemen of Novem-
Der 25th as follows:
agricultural science had its in
ception in the work of the chemist,
the botanist and the devotees of other
fundamental or primary sciences.
These men viewed agriculture from
their laboratories, and hence looked
at the farm from the outside. They
saw only that agriculture involved
certain elements of their particular
sciences, and became interested in
farming only in so far as it had to do
with these sciences. First, the
botanist discovered that plants draw
part of their sustenance from the
soil. Then the chemist said: If
plants draw food from the soil, we,
by analysing the plant and the soil,
can prescribe fertilizers for the far
mer to use.' Upon this assumption,
which we now know to be true only
within extremely narrow limits, half
a century of soil chemistry was based.
"With the advent of agricultural
experiment stations came new type
of agricultural scientist The older
type we're followers of the more funda-
mental sciences; the new developed
series of secondary sciences, each of
which was in a certain sense an ap
plication of the principles of such
sciences as chemistry, physics, me-
chauics, botany, zoology and physi-
oIogy to some branch OF agriculture.
We now have the agrOnomist, who
deals with the problem OF growing
crops; the animal husbandry man,
who studies animal production; plant
and animal breeders, who apply the
principles of breeding and selection
to the improvement of farm crops
and farm animals; and long list of
other specialists, all of whom are try
ing to answer the question How In
some branch of agricultural industry
Splendid results have followed the in
vestigatioDs of these men, and agrl-
culture has received marked
stimulus. Farm animals are better
bred and more intelligently fed than
formerly; the yield of farm crops has
been increased. Farmers everywhere
are more prosperous.
THE NEW AGRICULTURAL
SCIENTIST.
'But even these men sometimes
took a laboratory view of farming.
Their insight was into the principles
and methods used in some department
OF agricultural production and tended
mainly to the production of a larger
yield to the acre, more meat to the
pound of feed and better quality of
product. I would not in the least
minimize their work; it is funda-
mentally important. wish only to
call attention to the fact that they
also look at the farm from the out
side, and then only at those aspects
of it that bear upon the particular
science in which their interest lies.
''In the last decade third type of
agricultural scientist has arisen. He
developed naturally out of the second
type. AS students of agronOmy,
animal husbandry and dairying got
out among the farmers they discover
ed not only that Cd many farms i'm
portant problems have already been
solved and await only Interpretation
from farm experience at the hands of
trained men, but that the farmer is
almost daily confronted with the
necessity of making decisions on ques
tiOnS that the agricultural scientist