Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-05-14
.EDUCAnONON
FARMING HAS
TAKEN A DROP
+. =. McVey, Former Presi.
dent Of N. D. u, gives Ad-
dress at Minnesota.

AA1Et4fs E4tA.- AH5EAt.- HNa.-E H.ff.l 10y . gttHtt
That a period Of depression has
been reached In agricultural educa-
ton all over the country was assert
ed by President Frank L. Mcvey of
the University OF Kentucky. formerly
head OF the University Of North Da-
kota in his address yesterday in con-
nection with the inauguration of
Lotus D. Cofman as president of the
University Of Minnesota. His subject
was: "The University and the De-
veiopment Of Agriculture" DR.. Nc
Vey was former professor Of political
science al the University of Minne-
sofa, next a member of the state tax
commission, and later president of the
University of North Dakota. +
Universities, he said. are not keep
Ing pace with the needs of agricui-
;ture in presenting scientific data and
in the teaching of principles.
An inquiry" he declared, among
those best informed on the status of
agricultural extension will disclose
the pretty general impression that
agricultural extension has slowed
down all W. the country. While
good results are being obtained they
are not fully commensurate with thu
time. or money expended. This COM
dttion is due. first. to the lack OF we'll
trained men to fill the positions Gre
Sated by the Smith-Lever Act, and,
second, to the absence of scientific
data needed to supplement the. work
in the extension field. The informa"
tional course of instruction has pretty
much spent itself and the extension
worker finds that he needs scientific
data lof a specific character if he is
to carry the interest of the farmer"
Agriculture In Constant F1ux.
."In no other industry" he eon-
tinued, "is there so clearly the appli-
!cation Of the idea Of a statewide
campus as to agriculture.
Agriculture Is in a constant 7ux;
with every crop, the population.
moves and shifts as the agricultural
basis Of national life Is modified. The
university must ever be on the alert
to ascertain the changes in the appli-
cation of nature to this great indus
try, and to bring to bear the re-
sources of its departments of botany,
physics, chemistry, biology, CO.
nomics and history so that in reality
the state is the campus of the uni
versity. E
"Such a result cannot be attained
by the present method of individual
effort here and there in the labora-'
tory, The industry must be taken as
q whole, it's needs studied and the re-
search definitely organized to meet,
first, the immediate requirements OF
the demonstration agents in the field
and the content Of course of study. IL.
the college, and second. to develop
genuine research In unknown fields
that will anticipate the requirements
of knowledge in the future.
Pioneer in Research. 4
'The University of Minnesota was
a pioneer in agricultural instruction
and research. The work of men like
Hays, Green, Synder, Hatcher and
Boss vas Outstanding in plant breed
ing, creating Of new varieties and de-
velopmsent Of the creamery industry.
Meantime other institutions have
come abreast of Minnesota and the
agricultural college does not stand
out as it did in the earlier days.
"It is not part of my function as a
participant in this program to tell
why this is so, but the probabilities
are that the same forces that have
restricted research and investigation
elsewhere have done the same tnlnS
here. The whole country has been
so busy with extension that research
has been neglected. Accumulated
knowledge was drawn upon and the
new sources were not kept up. There,
rests upon the university the very
clear duty to restore the experiment
station to It's real function. to enlarge
its vision OF the great service that
can be rendered to agriculture, raise
the instruction to higher efficiency
and recognize that the training of
men for this field is one of the great
est functions il can undertake."