Agricultural History Review, Volume 36 Part 2 (1988), pp. 172–187

During the agricultural depression of the late nineteenth century several Acts of Parliament, and the fortuitous 'whiskey money', laid the foundations for a new policy towards technical education. The South- Eastern Agricultural College (1894) was an example of this policy in action, for it represented an attempt to bridge the traditional chasm between practical and theoretical agriculture by means of public funding. Its staff quickly produced textbooks and research publications which summarized and promoted agricultural science, and the London University BSc in agriculture (1902) created a precedent by demanding the same standards as other natural science subjects. The new institution justified its support by placing a high proportion of its students in responsible posts in the agricultural industry and in teaching, and its reputation helped to establish the principle that only on the basis of state support could there be an effective national system of agricultural education and research. 

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