Agricultural Education In Canada

Excerpt from Agricultural Education and Research in Canada Though agriculture is not a science in the same sense that chem istry, biology and physics are sciences. There is in a very real and vital sense a'science of agriculture in which the basic sciences l have named and others are-called upon to contribute towards the solution of problems affecting farming and to establish the truth: which must furnish the foundation necessary for the rational coriact and develop ment of the art, To elaborate this thought somewhat: it is evident. In the first place. That agriculture is a vocation or occupation whereby men earn a livelihood and in which they till the soil. Sow and harvest crops, feed and raise livestock. It is an art or craft, therefore. Requiring skill and experience in manipulation for its successful prosecution. It is obvious that above all the farmer is a director of agencies (for he himself creates nothing). Agencies which involve the life of the soil. The life of. Plants. The life of animals. He ought to know how these agencies may best be directed and controlled From this view. And I believe it is the c'orrect one. The science of agriculture. As supplying the basis for all this work, is y largely a subdivision of our latest development in pure chemistry, bio-chemistry; i say largely, _ for it is not exclusively bio-chemistry; physics. Meteorology, economics and other sciences mast be called upon in the attempt to establish the truth and to mark the way for further progress in the art of farm mg. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

How has the Ontario Agricultural College contributed to Canadian education? What role has the college played in the development of agriculture since it was founded in 1874? This history of Canada's oldest agricultural college revolves around these two questions. It shows that the college's mandate has changed in its attempt to serve both education and agriculture. The Ontario Agricultural College was established to enshrine science in farming, but it also became the testing and extension arm of the provincial ministry of agriculture. Direct government control for ninety years provided financial resources not enjoyed by other post-secondary schools, but the results sometimes proved of greater benefit to agriculture than to education or science. Swept into the University of Guelph when it was created in 1964, the college rethought its role. It emerged as a centre for advanced scientific inquiry, for global agricultural programs, and for understanding rural societies. The controversies surrounding these changes and the evolving nature of agriculture and science are brought out fully in this account of the past century and a quarter.