Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-05-13
|M'VEY DISCUSSES
FARM SCIE nee
State University Head Talks on
Scientific Agriculture at Un-
iversity of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Mimi, May 49,
The problem of scientific agricul-
ture is the problem OF every de-
partment of the great universities
of the country and not solely that
if the agricultural departments
and experiment stations, DR..
Frank L. McVey, president of the
University of Kentucky, declared
in an address here today at the
inauguration Of l.. d. Coffman as
president of the University Of
Minnesota. He spoke on The In
iversity and the Development Of
Agriculture"
Asserting that he was not Ger
tain that agricultural education
had been received into full fellow
ship Of the University faculties
due to their failure to appreciate
It's problems and feeling that it
emphasizes the practical and loses
sight Of the principles Of science,
DR.. McNcy asserted that it was
time it was realized that agricul
ture is the problem of every de-
partment of the university.
Dir. McNcy skctched the history
OF agricultural education from the
time Of the act giving to agricul-
tural universities large tracts Of
land which he said they frittcred
away. This was followed in 1887
by formation of the experiment
stations designed to work out ag-
ricultural problems, but which
have been saddled with many
other duties that have taken their
work off scientific problems to a
great extent.
The question OF saving food
stuffs, destruction Of animal para
sites, productivity of soils and
such matters are laboratory ques
tions. Breeding, he asserted.
stands about where it did fifteen
years ago.
Declaring that although the
government sends out informa-
tion on the condition of crops. the
farmer is meagerly supplied with
price information, he voiced the
need Of some medium for aiding
the farmer to get the value of his
products. Telling OF the effort to
reduce the acreage of tobacco.
which he said was hampered by
the lack of information. he said:
"A solution can be worked out
and probably will be. but it is nee
csaary to have the cooperation.
of economists. botanistas an(
plant experts, the press. the farm
ers and the buyers. What am
trying to intimate is that the uni
vcrsitics would have proved the
we'll as others. a real duty to sup
ply the technical knowledge"
Foresight on the part Of uni
vrslties would have provided the
needed information. he said, but
the very restrictions upon eXper-
imcnt stations in the lack of funds
and extraordinary duties in many
fields have acted as checks III the
presentation of the information
now 50 greatly valued
Agriculture, he continued, can
not be developed i'll short periods.
The problem is a long time one.
Research work done i'll the past
has been along narrow laboratory
lines with individual problems
This touches only the fringe and
is necessary. but "the larger as
poets Of agriculture as a whole
must be graspcd by the university
and research conducted as whole
and not by the piecemeal plan"
DR.. McNcy said that he did not
mean that the University must or
ganize agriculture or conduct the
business side but that it must pro-
vide the scientific data.
There rests upon the rmivcr-
Sity,' he concluded, the very
clear duty to restore the expert
ment station to its real function,
to enlarge its vision of the great
service that Gan be rendered ag-
riculturc, raise the instruction to
higher efficiency and recognize
that the training of men for this
field is one of the greatest func-
tions it can undertake :"