IN 1870 JOHN CARLING, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Works and Agriculture, repeated one of most persistent ideas of nineteenth century: what this country needed, he said, was some kind of agricultural education in the science of farming. (1) There were several reasons for Carling's concern for systematic agricultural education. One of most significant was rising prestige of science. Even clergymen were asserting that nineteenth century was eminently age of science, (2) and there was ample evidence to support such a claim. An obvious illustration was number of institutes and societies formed to celebrate scientific spirit. One of oldest of these, Canadian Institute, was established in 1848 to provide a forum for discussion of all branches of natural sciences, and before many years had passed societies dedicated to study of virtually every aspect of natural history and natural sciences sprang up in all provinces. (3) At this time also practical and natural sciences were entering country's universities. But science was not to be contained by walls of erudite institutes nor her application reserved for study of natural phenomena; her spirit imbued many of intellectual disciplines with her characteristics, real or imagined. The scientific method was infused into literature to produce literary genres of realism and naturalism, and a science-inspired theory of causation,