ABSTRACT
The early English colonists, while benefitting from the agricultural techniques of the native Indians, were quick to improve upon them. By 1800, with the new federal government still defining its role vis-a-vis agricultural science, information and impetus for experimentation continued to be provided by the scientific agricultural societies. The Agricultural Report of the Patent Office had become immensely popular, with printings going from 15,000 in 1843 to 270,000 for both 1855 and 1856. The agricultural work of the Office was popular and important enough to draw nationwide citizen participation in a workshop held in 1859. Upon passage of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, the basic structure for federal participation in the research and dissemination of agricultural science was in place. Agricultural science had evolved from the genteel hobby of prosperous, well-educated Americans to a pragmatic research and development partnership between government and a thriving industry.
