Abstract
AN English farmer remarked that, when he arrived in Honolulu in 1907, he was surprised to find two experts on the spot, ready to advise on forestry and agriculture, supply seeds and lend money on small holdings. This is one result of the far-flung enterprise of the United States which appears in “The Landgrant Colleges”, a paper-covered monograph prepared for the Advisory Committee on Education appointed by the President in 1936 (Washington, D.C.: G.P.O. 25 cents). The authors trace the rise and broadening of the movement from its beginnings in 1862. They do not give instances of the actual working of the scheme in any particular case, but its development as a whole is clearly indicated with tables of statistics and comments. As the Acts which control the working of the colleges are no fewer than nine, a certain amount of friction with the State authorities is inevitable. States differ in their resources and needs. But the authors agree that some Federal control of the research to be made is wise. An Act of 1935 arranged that Federal funds need not be “matched” by the State contributions—a sensible provision. Agriculture is the main subject. Home economics appear to languish, from a table of time spent from 1928 until 1936. Experimental stations, as in agriculture, can scarcely be arranged. But Merrill's initiative in 1862 has certainly proved fruitful for the farmer, if it has not provided the liberal education he contemplated. One difficulty to be faced is the duplication of work already being done by schools and colleges.
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Land-grant Colleges in the United States. Nature 144, 828–829 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/144828d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/144828d0