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708 
 
 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
 
 OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 
 
 A. C. TRUE, Director. 
 
 Xo/ 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND WORK 
 
 OF 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS 
 IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 BY 
 
 DICK J. CROSBY, 
 
 0/ i]ie Office of Experiment Stations. 
 
 WASHINGTON- 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 
 
 1904. 
 
^x^ 
 
 ^l^ 
 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
 
 Scientific Bureaus and Divisions. 
 
 Weather Bureau — Willis L. Moore, Chief. 
 Bureau of Animal Industry — D. E. Salmon, Chief. 
 Bureau of Plant Industry — B. T. Galloway, C]def. 
 Bureau of Forestry — Gifford Pinchot, Forester. 
 Bureau of Soils — M. Whitiaey, Chief. 
 Bureau of Chemistry' — H. W. Wiley, Chemist. 
 Bureau of Statistics — John Hvde, Stafisficiaii. 
 Division of Entomology — L. O. Howard, Entomologist. 
 Division op Biological Survey* — C. Hart Merriam, Chief. 
 Office of Public Eoad Inquiries — Martin Dodge, Director. 
 Office op Experiment Stations — A. C. True, Director. 
 
 OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 
 
 STAFF. 
 A. C. True, Ph. D., Director. 
 
 E. W. Allen, Ph. D., Assistant Director and Editor of Experiment Station Eecord. 
 W. H. Beal, B. a., M. E., Chief of Editorial Division. 
 W. H. Evans, Ph. D., Chief of Division of Insular Stations, 
 John Hamilton, Farmers' Institute Specialist. 
 Mrs. C. E. Johnston, Chief Clerk. 
 Sarah L. Sommers, Eecord Clerk. 
 
 editorial departments. 
 
 E. W. Allen and H. W. La.wson, B. S., Chemistry, dairy farming, and dairying. 
 
 W. H. Beal, Agricultural physics. 
 
 W. H. Evans, Botany. 
 
 C. F. Langworthy, Ph. D., Food and nutrition. 
 
 J. I. Schulte, B. S., Field crops. 
 
 E. V. Wilcox, Ph. D., Entomology and veterinary science. 
 
 C. B. Smith, INL S., Horticulture. 
 
 D. J. Crosby, M. S., Agricultural institutions. 
 AViLLiAM Henry, Indexing and proof reading. 
 G. A. Harlow, Librarian. 
 
 .\LASKA experiment STATIONS. 
 
 C. C. Georgeson, M. S., Special agent in charge, Sitka. 
 
 HAWAII experiment STATION. 
 
 Jared G. Smith, Special agent in charge, Honolulu. 
 
 PORTO RICO experiment STATION. 
 
 D. W. May', Special agent in charge, Mayaguez. 
 
 nutrition INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
 W. O. Atwater, Ph. D., 'Chief of nutrition investigations, Middletown, Conn. 
 
 irrigation INVESTIGATIONS. 
 
 Elwood Mead, M. S., C. E., Chief of irrigation investigations. 
 
OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES 
 AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 
 
 President, 
 AV. O. Thompson, of Ohio. 
 
 Vice-Presidents, 
 
 D. F. Houston, of Texas. J. H. AVorst, of North Dakota. 
 
 J. C. Hardy, of Mississippi. H. J. Wheeler, of Rhode Island. 
 
 B. C. BuFFUM, of Wyoming. 
 
 /Seer eta ry- Treasurer, 
 E. B. YooRHEEs, of New Jersey. 
 
 Bibliographer, 
 A. C. True, of Washington, D. C. 
 
 Executive Committee, 
 
 H. C. White, of Georgia, Chairman. J. L. Snyder, of Michigan. 
 
 G. W. Atherton, of Pennsylvania. W. H. Jordan, of New York. 
 
 C. F. Curtiss, of Iowa. 
 Kv officio The President; the Junior ex-President (J. K. Patterson ) ; the Secretary. 
 
 Chairmen of Sections, 
 
 Section on College Work and Administration, W. E. Stjone, of Indiana. 
 Section on Experiment Station Work, E. H. Jenkins, of Connecticut. 
 
 Chairmen of Standing Committees, 
 
 Indexing Agricultural Literature, A. C. True, of Washington, D. C. 
 
 Methods of Teaching Agricultui-e, A. C. True, of \Vashington, D. C. 
 
 Graduate Study, C. W. Dabney, of Tennessee. 
 
 Uniform Fertilizer Laws, H. J. Wheeler, of Rhode Island. 
 
 Military Instruction in Land-Grant Colleges, G. W. Atherton, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Cooperation Between Stations and U. S. Department of Agriculture, E. A. Bryan, of 
 
 Washington. 
 Pure-Food Legislation, W. A. AVithers, of North Carolina. 
 Animal and Plant Breeding, W. ]\I. Hays, of Minnesota. 
 Cooperative Exhibit at St. Louis Exposition, AV. H. Jordan, of New York. 
 Agricultural Engineering in Land-Grant Colleges, AV. E. Stone, of Indiana. 
 
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 
 
 IT. S. Departmext of Agriculture, 
 
 Office of Experiment Stations, 
 
 ^Vashhgton, D. (?., May ^7, 1901^. 
 Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith and recommend for 
 publication a brief general account of the organization and work of 
 the agricultural experiment stations in the United States, including 
 also brief statements regarding the income, equipment, and result 
 of the work of these stations. This article has been prepared by 
 Dick J. Crosby for distribution at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition 
 in St. Louis. 
 
 Kespectfull}^, 
 
 A. C. True, 
 
 Director. 
 Hon. James Wilson, 
 
 • Secretary of Agriculture. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Pagb. 
 
 Organization of the stations 7 
 
 Officers and employees 9 
 
 Income in 1903 9 
 
 Equipment 10 
 
 Lines of work of the stations 11 
 
 Investigations involving original features 11 
 
 Verification and demonstration experiments 18 
 
 Studies of natural agricultural conditions and resources . 19 
 
 Inspection and control work 20 
 
 Dissemination of information 20 
 
 General results of the work of the stations 22 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page. 
 Plate 1. Fig. 1. — Nebraska Station, experimental plats. Fig. 2. — Kentucky 
 
 Station, main building 10 
 
 II. Fig. 1. — Ohio Station, insectary. Fig. 2. — Utah Station, cattle and 
 
 sheep barns 10 
 
 III. Fig. 1. — Maine Station, poultry houses and runs. Fig. 2. — Mis- 
 
 souri College and Station, laboratory for animal 
 breeding 10 
 
 IV. Fig. 1. — Vermont Station, sprayed and unsprayed potatoes. Fig. 
 
 2. — Tennessee Station, cowpeas and sorghum for silage. . 12 
 V. Fig. 1. — Tennessee Station, lettuce under glass. Fig. 2. — West 
 Virginia Station, apparatus used in experiments in pre- 
 serving milk under pressure 14 
 
ORGANIZATION AND WORK OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT 
 STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. « 
 
 By Dick J. Crosby, 
 
 Of the Office of Experiment Stations. 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF THE STATIONS. 
 
 The agricultural experiment stations in the United States are State 
 institutions supported in part b^" funds given by the National Govern- 
 ment to the States to be used for their maintenance. The direct man- 
 agement of the stations is whoU}^ in the hands of State officers, but 
 the}^ sustain certain definite relations to the Federal Government, and 
 the Congressional appropriations for their support are included in the 
 annual appropriation acts for the United States Department of Agri- 
 culture. The money thus appropriated is paid to the stations quar- 
 terly in advance by the United States Treasur3^ Regulations governing 
 the use of the franking privilege by the stations are made b}^ the 
 Post-Ofiice Department. As departments of the colleges receiving 
 the benefits of the land-grant act of 1862, reports of the stations are 
 annuall}" sent to the Secretar}^ of the Interior, who is represented in 
 his relations with these institutions hj the Bureau of Education. 
 
 The stations have much more intimate relations with the Depart- 
 ment of Agriculture than with any other branch of the Federal Gov- 
 ernment. The act of Congress (Hatch Act) of March 2, 188Y, under 
 which the stations have been organized, provides "that in order to 
 secure, as far as practicable, uniformity of methods and results in the 
 work of said stations it shall be the duty of the United States Com- 
 missioner (now Secretarv) of Agriculture to furnish forms, as far as 
 practicable, for the tabulation of results of investigations or experi- 
 ments; to indicate from time to time such lines of inquiry as to him 
 shall seem most important, and in general to furnish such advice and 
 assistance as will best promote the purposes of this act." In accord- 
 ance with this provision, the Office of Experiment Stations was estab- 
 lished in 1888 to represent the Secretary of Agriculture in his relations 
 with the stations. 
 
 "Adapted and brought up to date from Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 80. 
 pp. 45-78. 
 
 7 
 
Beginning- with the year 1894, Congress has each year inserted in 
 the appropriation act for the maintenance of the stations a provision 
 that "the Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe the form of the 
 annual financial statement [required by the Hatch Act], shall ascertain 
 whether the expenditures under the appropriation hereby made are in 
 accordance with the provisions of said act, and shall report thereon to 
 Congress.'' Thus, virtually, the Secretary of Agricultvire now has 
 general supervision of the expenditures of the stations under the Hatch 
 Act. In this, as in other matters relating to the stations, he has been 
 represented by the Oflice of Experiment Stations. 
 
 The United States Department of Agriculture, from the ver^- begin- 
 ning of its existence, has been engaged in the investigation of agricul- 
 tural problems, and at the present time it emploj^s several hundred 
 scientists, field agents, and specialists who devote their time almost 
 exclusively to the investigation of problems in meteorology, animal 
 industry, plant industry, forestr}^, chemistry, entomology, and biology. 
 The Department is thus primarily a great research institution, or 
 experiment station, dealing with nearl}" all branches of science. It 
 also receives from Congress funds for special investigations, with the 
 provision that it shall as far as practicable cooperate with the experi- 
 ment stations in carrying on these investigations. Notable instances 
 of such appropriations are those for nutrition and irrigation investiga- 
 tions, which have been in charge of the Office of Experiment Stations; 
 the inquiries conducted by the Office of Public Road Inquiries, and 
 pomological, botanical, and grass and forage investigations in charge 
 of the Bureau of Plant Industry. There is also a large amount of 
 cooperation between this Department and the stations in other wa}^, 
 including all the general lines of work in which the scientific divisions 
 of the Department ai'e engaged. The Department has also afforded 
 to station officers the privileges of its laboratories, collections, and 
 librar}^ to an increasing extent from year to year. 
 
 Agricultural experiment stations are now in operation under the 
 Hatch Act in all the States and Territories and under special appro- 
 priation acts in Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico. The stations organ- 
 ized under the Hatch Act are b}' law departments of the colleges 
 receiving the benefit of the land-grant act of Jul} 2, 1862, and supple- 
 mentary acts relating to similar colleges established in the States 
 which have been admitted to the Union since the passage of that act, 
 as well as to those in the Territories. The Hatch Act, however, made 
 an exception in favor of State agricultural experiment stations which 
 had been established separate from the land-grant colleges prior to 
 the passage of this act. In this wa}^ State stations are maintained in 
 Connecticut, Louisiana, New York, and Ohio which are not connected 
 with colleges and j^et receive, in whole or in part, the benefits of the 
 Hatch Act. In New Jerse}" there is a station which is supported by 
 
9 
 
 State funds, as distinct from the station which receives the Hatch 
 funds, but both stations are located at the land-g-rant college, and have 
 the same director. There are also stations maintained wholly bv State 
 and local funds in Alabama, Hawaii, and Missouri, and in a number 
 of States substations are maintained. Excluding- the substations, the 
 total number of stations in the United States is 60, of which 55 receive 
 appropriations provided for b}' acts of Congress. 
 
 OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES. 
 
 The stations which are departments of the colleges are, as a rule, 
 under the general management of the governing boards of these 
 institutions. The separate State stations have their own governing 
 boards. The station stafi" usually consists of a director and several 
 scientitic experts in charge of special lines of work. In a few 
 instances the president of the college is also director of the station 
 connected with it, but in a far greater number of instances the 
 director is a separate officer responsible to the president. There are 
 757 station officers in the work of administration and inquirv. The 
 number of officers engaged in the different lines of work is as follows: 
 Directors, 54; assistant and vice directors, 19; special agents in charge, 
 3; chemists, 160; agriculturists, 54; agronomists, 27; animal hus- 
 bandmen, 39; poultry men, T; horticulturists, 79; farm and garden 
 foremen, 39; dairj^men, 34; botanists, 56; plant pathologists, 4; 
 entomologists, 50; zoologists, 6; veterinarians, 31; meteorologists, 
 10; biologists, 6; plwsicists, 6; geologists, 4; mj^cologists and bacte- 
 riologists, 23; irrigation engineers, 11; in charge of substations, 16; 
 secretaries and treasurers, 27; librarians, 12; clerks and stenographers, 
 34. There are also 50 persons classified under the head of "Miscella- 
 neous," including superintendents of grounds and buildings, apiarists, 
 herdsmen, and other emploj^ees. 
 
 INCOME IN 1903. 
 
 The total income of the stations during 1903 was $1,427,237.73, of 
 which $720,000 was received from the National Government and the 
 remainder, $707,237.73, from State governments, individuals and com- 
 munities, fees for analyses of fertilizers, sales of farm products, and 
 miscellaneous sources. In addition to this the Office of Experiment 
 Stations had an appropriation of $161,000 for the past fiscal year, 
 including $15,000 for the Alaska Experiment Stations, $12,000 for the 
 Hawaii Experiment Station, $12,000 for the Porto Rico Experiment 
 Station, $20,000 for nutrition investigations, and $65,000 for irrigation 
 investigations. The 'total value of additions to the equipment of the 
 stations in 1903 is estimated to be $236,370.61. 
 
10 
 
 EaXJIPMENT. 
 
 The stations connected with land-grant colleges have, to a large extent, 
 been provided with land and buildings for experimental purposes by 
 the colleges. Sometimes the land thus furnished has been definitely 
 turned over to the stations for their exclusive use and sometimes it 
 has remained under the control of the colleges, the stations making- 
 use of such areas as are needed for experimental purposes. (PI. I, 
 
 Most of the buildings used b}^ the stations have been supplied by the 
 colleges or by the States through special appropriations for their con- 
 struction, and many of these are occupied jointh" b}^ the college and 
 station. These buildings are in many cases substantial structures of 
 brick or stone and are provided with steam heating apparMus, gas or 
 electric lights, and often with steam or electric power for running 
 light machinery. There are usually at each station an administration 
 building (PI. I, fig. 2) and cheniical, botanical, bacteriological, and other 
 laboratories, museums, and libraries. Vegetation houses are quite 
 common, and insectaries have been erected at a few of the stations. 
 (PI. II, fig. 1.) The stations generall}^ have one or more barns (PI. II, 
 fig. 2), and some of them have very complete equipment for experi- 
 mental work in dairjang. Silos of different forms are quite generally 
 a part of the equipment of the stations, and piggeries and poultr}'^ 
 houses are not uncommon. (PI. Ill, fig. 1.) Special laboratories for 
 experiments in particular lines, such as breeding of animals (PI. Ill, 
 fig. 2), diseases of animals, sugar making, tobacco curing, etc., have 
 been built at some of the stations. 
 
 The stations are, as a rule, well equipped with scientific apparatus, 
 some of which has been devised b}^ station workers. In man}^ instances 
 a large amount of apparatus belonging to the different divisions of the 
 colleges is available for the use of the station officers. The stations 
 have made or purchased quite large collections of specimens for use in 
 their work, especially in the departments of entomology, botany, 
 vegetable pathology, and horticulture. The}^ also have at their com- 
 mand the general collections of the land-grant colleges, which in some 
 cases are among the most extensive in this countr3^ Many of the 
 stations maintain separate libraries, which usually consist of a limited 
 working collection of reference books, scientific and agricultural jour- 
 nals, the publications, of American and foreign experiment stations 
 and departments of agriculture, reports of scientific associations, and 
 miscellaneous Government and other documents on scientific and other 
 subjects. In a number of cases books for general station workers are 
 merged with the college library, the privileges of which, however, the 
 station officers full}' enjo}'. To a limited extent also station workers 
 are able to avail themselves of the large agricultural library of the 
 Department of Agriculture at Washington through loans for special 
 
U. S. Dept. of Agr , Office of Expt. Stations, 708. 
 
 Plate 
 
 Fig. 1.— Nebraska Station— Experimental Plats. 
 
 Fig. 2.— Kentucky Station— Main Building. 
 
U. S. Dept. of Agr., Office of Expt. Stations,. 708. 
 
 Plate II. 
 
 Fig. 1.— Ohio Station— Insectary. 
 
 Fig. 2.— Utah Station— Cattle and Sheep Barns. 
 
U. S. Dept, of Agr., Office of Expt. Stations, 708. 
 
 Plate III. 
 
 Fig. 1.— Maine Station— Poultry Houses and Runs. 
 
 FiQ. 2.— Missouri College and Station— Laboratory for Animal Breeding. 
 
11 
 
 purpo^^es under certain restrictions. The libraries are generall}^ pro- 
 vided with card catalogues, and with the card index of experiment- 
 station literature issued by the Office of Experiment Stations. 
 
 The business offices of the stations are provided with typewriters, 
 duplicating machines, and other improved appliances, and filing and 
 mailing devices. The live stock kept by the stations varies greatly 
 with the needs of the different stations, some of which maintain con- 
 siderable herds, while otheis procure only a few animals as they are 
 needed for experimental purposes. It includes herds and flocks of 
 dairy cattle, sheep, swine, horses, mules, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, 
 ducks, geese, and other poultry. Most of the stations are well pro- 
 vided with farm machinery and implements of the latest types. 
 
 LINES OF WORK OF THE STATIONS. 
 
 Broadly speaking, the work of the experiment stations in the United 
 States corresponds in scope and extent with the complexity of their 
 organization. In a general way this work may be classified under the 
 following heads: (1) Investigations involving original features; (2) 
 verification and demonstration experiments; (3) studies of natural 
 agricultural conditions and resources; (4) inspection and control work, 
 and (5) dissemination of information. 
 
 It will, however, readily be understood that most of the enterprises 
 of the stations are of a mixed character. Originality will, as a rule, 
 be found only in some particular features of an investigation or in the 
 adaptation of well-known facts or principles of special conditions. In 
 the following outline the investigations of the stations which on the 
 whole have most generally contained original features are grouped 
 together, though in many cases they might with equal propriety be 
 classed as demonstration experiments. 
 
 INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING ORIGINAL, FEATURES. 
 
 These investigations may be classified in a general way on the basis 
 of the different divisions found in the organization of the stations, 
 and comprise studies in physics, chemistry, botany, zoology (espe- 
 cially entomology), geology, meteorology, plant production (agronomy, 
 including horticulture and forestry), physiology (of man and domestic 
 animals), zootechny (animal industry), veterinary science, agrotechny 
 (agricultural technology), including especially dairying, and rural 
 engineering. 
 
 In most of these lines the investigations have included studies with 
 reference to the improvement of methods of research, devising of new 
 apparatus and appliances, the relation of scientific principles to the 
 science and practice of agriculture, the working out of new practical 
 applications on the basis of well-known facts and principles, or the 
 
12 
 
 solution of special problems. The following statements ma}^ serve to 
 indicate in what directions the investigations have chieflj^ been 
 pursued. 
 
 Under the head of phj^sics considerable attention has been given in 
 recent 3"ears to studies on soils, especialh' as regards the methods for 
 the phj'sical examination of soils, the movement of soil water, and the 
 apparatus required for such investigations. 
 
 In chemistr}", the improvement of methods of analyzing soils, fer- 
 tilizers, plants, foods, feeding stuffs, and other materials has occu- 
 pied the attention of a considerable number of stations. This work 
 has been done quite largely in connection with the Association of Offi- 
 cial Agricultural Chemists. The stations have also cooperated with 
 this association in determining food standards as a basis for the deter- 
 mination of adulteration. A number of pieces of special chemical 
 apparatus have been devised. A verj^ large number of analj'ses of 
 economic plants, foods and feeding stuff's, dairj" products, fertilizers, 
 and other agricultural materials, especially those distinctiveh' Ameri- 
 can, have been made for the first time in the chemical laboratories of 
 the stations. A considerable number of pureh" chemical investigations 
 have been conducted, such as the isolation of different proteids and 
 their examination as to properties and elementary composition; stud- 
 ies of the development of the constituents of crops during growth and 
 storage; investigation of the constituents of the nitrogen-free extract 
 of feeding stuff's; a stud}" of the status of phosphorus in vegetable and 
 animal feeding stuffs; an investigation of the chemical changes taking 
 place in cheese during the process of ripening; studies of the compo- 
 sition of crops as influenced by environment; and systematic chemical 
 studies of a considerable number of staple crops, such as alfalfa, corn, 
 cotton, tobacco, and wheat. Chemistry has, however, usually been an 
 adjunct to investigations along various lines of plant and animal pro- 
 duction. For instance, the composition of corn has been thoroughly 
 investigated, the object being to increase the protein and oil content 
 by selection and crossing. 
 
 In botan}" considerable sj^stematic work has been done, especiall}' in 
 the newer States. New species of useful and injurious plants have 
 been discovered and described; herbaria of the economic flora of indi- 
 vidual States have been collected, and new light has been thrown on 
 the botanical relations of species of economic plants. The botanical 
 work of our stations has, however, been most largely along the lines 
 of vegetable physiology and pathology and bacteriology. The studies 
 in vegetable physiology have included investigations of special prob- 
 lems and the devising of methods and apparatus for such studies. In 
 vegetable pathology much has been done in working out the life his- 
 tories of fungi injurious to cultivated plants and in devising methods 
 and apparatus for the repression of diseases of plants. The bacterio- 
 
IJ. S. Dept of Agr., Office of Expt. Stations, 708. 
 
 Plate IV. 
 
 Fig. 1.— Vermont Station— Sprayed and Unsprayed Potatoes. 
 
 Fig. 2.— Tennessee Station— Cowpeas and sorghum for Silage. 
 
13 
 
 logical work of the stations has included the isolation, culture, and 
 description of many species of useful and pathogenic bacteria in air, 
 soil, fertilizers, plants, food, feeding' stuffs, and other agricultural 
 products, and those affecting useful and injurious animals. Methods 
 and apparatus for bacteriological investigations have been devised, and 
 means for the repression of pathogenic bacteria have been worked out. 
 Among the diseases of plants which have received most attention at 
 our stations are those affecting potatoes (PI. IV, tig. 1), cotton, cereals 
 (especially smuts), sweet potatoes, beans, celery, grapes, and pears 
 (especially blight). 
 
 Among investigations in vegetable physiology which have been 
 undertaken by the stations, mention may be made of those on the cause 
 and prevention of sun scald of fruit trees, the effect of arc and incan- 
 descent electric lights on plant growth, and the influence of various 
 forms of electricity on §eed germination, and the influence of various 
 enz3'ms upon the germination of old seeds of various kinds. Investi- 
 gations have also been conducted upon the effect of alkali upon ger- 
 mination. Again, extensive series of investigations have been made 
 on the flow of maple sap. The distribution of the roots of different 
 plants in the soil has been studied at several stations. Weed distribu- 
 tion, jjropagation, seedlings, seeds, etc., have been studied by numerous 
 station botanists. 
 
 In zoology by far the most important work of the stations has been 
 along the lines of economic entomology. This has included the col- 
 lection of large numbers of specimens of insects; the description of 
 new species, and the working out of their life histories; studies in the 
 breeding of insects, especially as a means for their investigation: the 
 discovery of methods and appliances for the repression of injurious 
 insects, and for the study of insects. Among the insects on which the 
 station entomologists have made extensive studies, resulting in the 
 development of effective methods for their repression, are the follow- 
 ing: The codling moth, plum curculio, San Jose scale and other scale 
 insects, chinch bug. Rocky Mountain locust, woolly aphis, cotton 
 worm, boll weevil, forest insects, and insects affecting stored grains. 
 In other lines of zoological investigation sj^stematic and other studies 
 have been made of injurious mammals (especially gophers, prairie 
 dogs, rabbits, and woodchucks) and birds. There have also been 
 special investigations relating to oysters and nematodes. 
 
 Under the head of agronomj^ a large amount of work has been done 
 in the introduction of new varieties of crops and in the improvement 
 of varieties by selection and breeding. Fertilizer and tillage experi- 
 ments have been conducted, drainage and irrigation problems investi- 
 gated, and metho<Js of harvesting and storage studied. 
 
 Many of the crop introductions have been made by the United 
 States Department of Agriculture, while their general use has been 
 
14 
 
 accomplished largely through the cooperation of the stations. Thus 
 Kafir corn has been found a most valuable drought-resistant forage 
 and food plant in regions of the Southwest where maize is an uncer- 
 tain crop, and the macaroni wheats are greatly extending the area 
 of profitable wheat production in the semiarid regions. In the 
 same wa}^ the adaptabilit}^ of different parts of the United States to 
 the culture of beets for sugar has been definitely established. The 
 introduction and increased culture of grasses and leguminous plants 
 for forage and green manuring, especially in the Southern States 
 (PL IV, fig. 2), promises to become a factor of far-reaching importance 
 in the agricultural development now taking place in those States. 
 The rape plant has been successfully introduced in a number of States 
 as an adjunct to sheep husbandr}^, and alfalfa has been shown to be 
 a useful and successful crop in man}'^ regions where it was not for- 
 merly grown. The improvement of wheat by selection and cross 
 breeding has resulted in the establishment of varieties of wheat of 
 better milling qualities and increased yield. Similar experiments 
 with other cereals, flax, sugar cane, sorghum, cotton, and grasses are 
 in progress. Experiments for the increase of the protein and oil con- 
 tent of maize are being conducted with promising results. 
 
 The experiments with fertilizers have included tests of a large 
 number of different forms of commercial fertilizers and farm manures 
 for different crops, the kind of plants best adapted to green manuring 
 and the methods of their management, the forms of fertilizers (e. g. , 
 potash salts) best adapted to the production of high quality in the 
 product, the application of fertilizers to hasten growth and prolong 
 ripening, the rendering of fertilizing material (e. g., leather refuse 
 and fish) available to plants, and the economic utilizTation of refuse 
 materials (e. g., seaweed) for fertilizers. 
 
 Tillage experiments with the farm crops have included deep and 
 shallow cultivation, frequent cultivation, subsoiling, fall and spring 
 plowing, summer fallowing, planting winter catch crops, turning 
 under green crops. In this connection thick and thin seeding, plant- 
 ing at different depths, use of light and heav}^ seeds and seeds from 
 different parts of the fruit, distance experiments, intercultural experi- 
 ments, and the growing of crops (especially tobacco) under shade have 
 been tried. 
 
 Irrigation problems in arid regions have been investigated with 
 special reference to the amount of water required for various crops, 
 the effects of applying water at different stages of growth, and the 
 best methods of appl3dng water and of preventing losses from ditches. 
 In semiarid and humid regions the cost and methods of securing water 
 and the profits from its use have been studied, as well as methods of use. 
 
 There have also been investigations in the harvesting of wheat, oats, 
 and barley at different stages of growth and at different periods of 
 
U. S. Dept. of Agr., Office of Expf. Stations, 708. 
 
 Plate V. 
 
 Fig. 1.— Tennessee Station— Lettuce Under Glass. 
 
 Fig. 2.— West VirginTa Station— Apparatus Used in Experiments in Preserving 
 Milk Under Pressure. 
 
15 
 
 ripening; curing of ha}' at different stages of development; the econ- 
 omv of different methods of harvesting maize; the shredding of maize 
 stalks, and the storage of maize as silage. Much valuable work has 
 been done on the curing, fermenting, and storing of tobacco. Inves- 
 tigations of harvesting sugar cane at different times, both before and 
 after freezing, have given valuable results. 
 
 In horticulture most attention has been given to testing the adapta- 
 bilit}' of varieties to different regions. In addition to this there have 
 been studies of the selection and breeding of horticultural plants and 
 the methods of culture, grafting, and pruning. Considerable attention 
 has been given to questions relating to the growing of horticultural 
 plants under glass, includmg the construction of houses, heating, irri- 
 gating, manuring, culture, etc. A leading feature of the horticultural 
 work has been that with orchard fruits on a commercial scale. Valuable 
 introductions of new and hardy fruits have been made. Native fruits 
 have been studied and improved and wild species brought under culti- 
 vation. The Japanese plums have become wideh^ distributed as far 
 north as Michigan and are the most valuable fruit introduction of 
 recent 3'ears. Native plums have been studied and nearl}" three- 
 fourths of the present 200 named varieties brought into cultivation 
 within the life of the experiment stations. Careful work has been 
 done in the selection and cross breeding of native varieties of grapes. 
 Superior varieties for certain localities have alread}" been obtained. 
 Dewberries, juneberries, and sand cherries are other native fruits 
 which have been brought under cultivation and made permanent 
 features of our fruit resources. Among the important fruit introduc- 
 tions may be noted the date palm, which is found to be well adapted 
 to some localities in the Southwest. The introduction of the Japanese 
 persimmon and the improvement of our native varieties b}" selection 
 and grafting seem likely to result in placing this fruit among the per- 
 manent orchard crops of certain Southern localities. Extensive inves- 
 tigations of Russian fruits have been made. The uufruitfulness of 
 man}' varieties of orchard fruits has been shown to be due to self- 
 sterility. 
 
 The winter forcing of vegetables has become a profitable commer- 
 cial industry (PI. V, fig. 1). Combinations of forcing-house and field 
 methods of culture of a number of American garden crops have been 
 introduced. This has proved especially valuable in the culture of 
 onions. The value of irrigation as a feature of truck gardening and 
 fruit growing in humid regions, and of subirrigation in greenhouses 
 with certain forcing crops, has been thoroughl}^ demonstrated. Fer- 
 tilizer experiments with numerous horticultural crops have thrown 
 much new light on the subject of intensive manuring. The utilization 
 of fruits, more especially the unmerchantable fruits, in the making of 
 
16 
 
 jelly, preserves, fruit sirups, and cider has been investigated and val- 
 uable suggestions given to this industry. Some of the stations have 
 given considerable attention to the beautif3dng of home and school 
 grounds by the introduction of ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, etc., 
 not previously used in their localities. 
 
 The forestr}^ work of our stations has been principally confined to 
 the testing of diflerent varieties of trees with reference to their adapt- 
 abilit}" to particular regions and problems connected with the refor- 
 esting of our treeless regions. 
 
 In the physiolog}^ of man and the domestic animals the work of the 
 stations has been largely along the line of nutrition. The most impor- 
 tant piece of work in this line has been the devising of a special form 
 of respiration calorimeter for experiments with men in which the 
 Sforrs Experiment Station in Connecticut has cooperated. This 
 calorimeter has now been adapted to investigations with domestic 
 animals at the Penns^dvania Experiment Station. The experiments 
 with the respiration calorimeter already made with men have brought 
 strong evidence that the law of the conservation of matter and energy 
 holds good in the animal bod}" and have added important data to our 
 knowledge of other laws of nutrition. Other studies have had to 
 do with the substituting value of different nutrients and the proper 
 combination of nutrients in the diet. Many dietary studies have 
 been made with men and animals, under different conditions and 
 performing different amounts of work, in various regions of the 
 United States. A number of stations have made digestion experi- 
 ments with men and animals, and as a result the coefficients of digesti- 
 bilit}' for a considerable number of American foods and feeding stuffs 
 have been determined. Many metabolism experiments have been 
 made with men and farm animals. In most of the experiments the 
 balance of income and outgo of nitrogen has been determined; in a 
 smaller number the balance of carbon or carbon and energ}" has also 
 been determined, and in a few cases the balance of ash or certain ash 
 constituents has also been studied. Very extended studies have been 
 made of the composition of beef, mutton, poultry, and pork produced 
 under different conditions. The effect of cooking on different foods 
 and the losses during cooking have also received attention. Physio- 
 logical studies of digestibility and digestive ferments and of the milk 
 glands have been undertaken. Much time has been devoted to the 
 elaboration of experimental methods, the testing of methods already 
 known, and the devising of new methods. 
 
 The work in zootechny (in the restricted sense of animal production) 
 has principally consisted of feeding experiments with farm animals, in 
 which various combinations of feeding stuff's have been tested with 
 reference to maintenance, growth, or the production of meat or milk 
 (PI. V, fig. 2). In this way the nutritive value of a large number of 
 
17 
 
 feeding stuffs has been worked out, largely on a practical basis. Im- 
 portant studies have been made on the nutritive value of crops of 
 recent introduction or crops which have recently as-iumed importance, 
 such as alfalfa, rape, and Kafir corn. Many feeding experiments have 
 been made with silage made from a single crop cut at different stages 
 of growth and from mixtures of two or more crops; also many studies 
 of the feeding value of milling products and by-products, and studies 
 to determine the cause of cotton-seed poisoning, the cost of producing 
 meat or milk, and the proximate cost of rearing young animals. Man}^ 
 studies have been made with poultry, including the effect of different 
 rations on egg production, tests of incubators, and the breeding, feed- 
 ing, and marketing of geese. 
 
 Digestion experiments have been conducted with horses, cattle, sheep, 
 goats, and pigs. Attempts have been made at several of the stations 
 to formulate feeding standards more suitable for American conditions 
 than the German standards commonly in use. Tests of breeds of 
 different kinds of animals have also been made, sometimes on a rela- 
 tivel}' large scale, and studies of types of animals best adapted to 
 particular purposes have in some cases been made. The studies in 
 rootechny have, to a considerable extent, been connected with the 
 investigations in animal physiology. 
 
 The stations have taken up under veterinary science the studies in 
 bacteriology above referred to, and investigations regarding the causes, 
 nature, and treatment of various diseases of domestic animals. The 
 subjects to which most time and attention have been devoted include 
 anthrax, Texas fever, hog cholera, swine plague, sheep scab, mange 
 of cattle and horses, tetanus, milk fever, rabies, glanders, colic of 
 horses, infectious abortion, actinomjxosis, foot-and-mouth disease, 
 and tuberculosis; dehorning; spaying; effects of poisonous plants, 
 including the effects of smuts, ergot, and mildews on fodder; and the 
 relation of water supply to diseases. 
 
 In agrotechn}^ (agricultural technology) the most important work of 
 the stations has related to dairying. Besides the chemical and bacte- 
 riological studies of milk and dairy products, referred to under the 
 head of chemistr}^ and bacteriology, the stations have made nian}^ 
 studies relating to the methods of manufacture of dair}" products. 
 
 Under the head of dairy bacteriology the studies have included the 
 extent and sources of infection of milk, means of avoiding infection 
 by cleanly methods and by pasteurizing and sterilizing, the use of 
 pure cultures for ripening cream in butter making, raid the nature 
 and cause of the changes in the ripening of cheese. 
 
 The business relations between the milk producer and creameries or 
 cheese factories hav6 received attention. Various kinds of dairy and 
 creamer}^ apparatus have been tested to a considerable extent, and in 
 31243—04 2 
 
18 
 
 some cases demonstrations have been made of the method of conduct- 
 ing- a hygienic dairy and milk route. Nearly every step in the han- 
 dling of milk and in the manufacture of butter and different kinds of 
 cheese has been investigated. In this connection considerable work 
 has been done in studying methods of investigation and devising 
 special apparatus and appliances for such work. 
 
 Other important investigations in agricultural technology have been 
 those in sugar making; the pickling of olives; the manufacture of 
 unfermented grape juice, wine, olive oil, cane sirups, fruit sirups, 
 cider, and maple sugar; the evaporation of fruit and vegetables, and 
 the preservation of fruit and milk under pressure. In these investi- 
 gations the devising of new methods of manufacture and special 
 apparatus and appliances has received large attention. 
 
 The American stations have as j^et given comparativel}^ little atten- 
 tion to problems in rural engineering, but are now undertaking more 
 work along that line. Studies of the form and construction of barns, 
 silos, and other farm buildings have been made, as well as of the con- 
 struction and heating of greenhouses and the construction of cold- 
 storage plants and cheese-curing rooms. Questions relating to 
 methods of drainage, irrigation, road making, and the construction of 
 dams, canals, ditches, and other irrigation works havQ been studied. 
 The draft of farm vehicles, especiall}^ as related to the comparative 
 merits of l)road and narrow tires, has been tested. A considerable 
 number of practical tests have been made of implements and machin- 
 er}' used on farms or in dairying, including windmills and engines for 
 pumping and grinding. 
 
 VERIFICATION AND DEMONSTRATION EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 A considerable share of the work of American stations has thus far 
 consisted of the verification of results obtained elsewhere and the dem- 
 onstration of the practical usefulness of these results. This work has 
 been partly carried on at the stations and partly in different localities, 
 largely in cooperation with farmers. It has included a wide range of 
 subjects along most of the lines in which the stations have attempted 
 more original investigations, such as experiments with fertilizers, 
 tests of methods of cultivation, and practical tests of different ffeld 
 crops and horticultural plants, the adaptability of which the stations 
 have determined on a small scale. 
 
 Many of the experiments in the feeding of animals and in dairying 
 have been made by the stations for the purpose of confirming the 
 results obtained through previous investigations. Often the chief pur- 
 pose of these investigations has been to convince farmers that the 
 results which have been obtained elsewhere were equally applicable to 
 their local requirements. In a similar wa}^ many investigations in 
 chemistry, botany, entomology, and veterinar}^ science have been 
 
19 
 
 repeated either for the purpose of verif \nng the correctness of the 
 results previousl}^ obtained or of demonstrating their practical appli- 
 cation. Thousands of such experiments are now annuall}' conducted 
 in cooperation with farmers; and while it is clearly recog-nized that 
 many of them are very imperfectly carried out, yet it is believed that 
 they have been a ver}^ important element in the success of the stations. 
 Without doubt there has thus far been considerable duplication of 
 work b}- the stations; but when we consider the wide agricultural areas 
 for which manj' of our individual stations work, the varjdng natural 
 conditions in the different States, and the comparative unfamiliarity of 
 our farmers with the results of agricultural investigations, it will be 
 realized that whatever incidental losses there have been through unnec- 
 essary duplication of work on the part of the stations have been more 
 than overbalanced by the benefits which have accrued from a repeti- 
 tion of investigations until their results have been verified under a 
 variety of conditions and have become a part of the farm practice. 
 
 STUDIES OF NATTJIIAL AGRICUL.TURAL CONDITIONS AND 
 
 RESOURCES. 
 
 Closely related with the demonstration experiments of the stations 
 have been those studies which have had for their main object the gain- 
 ing of definite information regarding the natural agricultural condi- 
 tions and resources of the different States. While our stations were 
 not established for the making of agricultural surveys or the collection 
 of agricultural statistics yet in many cases, especially in the newer 
 States and Territories, the absence of accurate information has made 
 it necessary for the stations to do more or less work of this character 
 as a preliminary to the scientific investigations and practical experi- 
 ments which it is their real business to make. In this categor}" may 
 be included the collection of general meteorological data, studies of 
 geologic formations, soils, water supply for household use, for live 
 stock, or for irrigation, botanical survevs, and studies of life zones 
 and the suitability of varieties of crops to these zones. The largest 
 enterprise of our stations which may be said to have been essentially 
 a study of the natural agricultural conditions has been the determina- 
 tion of the regions in which sugar beets ma}^ be grown with a suf- 
 ficiently high peTcentage of sugar to make it probable that they might 
 be utilized in sugar making, provided the economic conditions were 
 favorable. This investigation was carried on by the stations very 
 largel}' in cooperation with the United States Department of Agricul- 
 ture and farmers. Thousands of experiments were made for several 
 years, covering the entire countr}^ and in this wa}- the capabilities of 
 the United States with reference to the growing of sugar beets were 
 quite definitely established. • 
 
20 
 
 INSPECTION AND CONTROL WORK. 
 
 The experiment stations in 36 States and Territories are doing 
 more or less work of inspection, either under special State laws 
 or as a voluntary enterprise. The nature and amount of this serv- 
 ice varies greatly in different States. Sometimes the station con- 
 ducts a complete inspection and control, sometimes it makes the 
 chemical or other examinations for some other organization which 
 exercises the control, or it may simply make the examinations and 
 publish the results for the information of the public, no system of 
 control being provided by law. The fertilizer inspection was the first 
 line of station work established in this country, is most thoroughly 
 organized, and is most intimately connected with the other work of our 
 stations. More recently inspection of dairy products and other foods 
 for man has been undertaken in a number of States and the stations 
 have been called upon in various wa^^s to promote this work. In 
 some of the Eastern States, where concentrated feeding stuffs are 
 largel}" used, laws for their inspection by the stations have been 
 enacted within the past few years. Inspection for the prevention of 
 diseases of animals and plants and the repression of injurious insects 
 and weeds has been begun in a number of States. Dair}^ apparatus 
 and Paris green are required to be inspected in a few States, and there 
 has been considerable voluntary inspection of seeds by the stations in 
 different parts of the country. 
 
 The Hatch Act makes no provision for regular inspection work hy 
 the stations. The stations supported exclusively by this fund have 
 therefore undertaken such work only incidentally with a view of show- 
 ing its usefulness. Wherever it has assumed importance and the 
 necessit}" for its regular performance has been made apparent, the 
 States have made provision for its maintenance. 
 
 DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION. 
 
 The Hatch Act requires that each station shall publish bulletins or 
 reports of progress at least once in three months, and a full and 
 detailed report of its operations, including a statement of receipts and 
 expenditures, once a year. Most of the publications of the stations 
 may therefore be divided into two general classes — annual reports and 
 bulletins. 
 
 The annual reports of the stations vary greatly as regards the char- 
 acter of their contents, their size, and the number of copies printed. 
 In a number of States the annual report is a large document containing 
 detailed statements regarding the administration, finances, and inves- 
 tigations of the station; in some States it is a brief document contain- 
 ing onlv short statements regarding administrative matters, finances, 
 
21 
 
 investigations, and publications, and in others it contains an adminis- 
 trative report and all the bulletins issued b}' the station during the 
 3^ear. In a number of States the annual report is printed at the 
 expense of the State. The annual report may be sent out to the entire 
 mailing list, or it ma}' have a very restricted distribution to educational 
 institutions, experiment stations, libraries, oificials. and individuals 
 known to be specially interested in the details of station administra- 
 tion. The Hatch Act provides that this report shall he made primarily 
 to the governor of the State or Territory in which the station is located, 
 and that a copy shall be sent to each of the experiment stations, to the 
 Secretary of Agriculture, and to the Secretary of the Treasury of the 
 United States. v 
 
 The bulletins of the stations are of different descriptions and can 
 not be definitely separated into classes. All of the stations have, how- 
 ever, a regular series of bulletins, usually numbered consecutively, 
 which comprise the greatest part of their publications. These bulle- 
 tins contain a great variety of information. Some of them consist 
 wholly of compiled matter, some are popular accounts of station 
 investigations, and others contain quite technical and elaborate descrip- 
 tions of their investigations. Some stations have attempted to sepa- 
 rate their technical and popular bulletins into different series, and in 
 some cases new series have been begun after the station has been in 
 operation a number of years. As a rule, however, the stations issue. 
 their regular bulletins in a single series. Many of the stations 
 annually issue more than the four bulletins required b}" the Hatch 
 Act. The number of annual reports and bulletins published by the 
 stations in 1903 was 371. The bulletins are sent out to mailing lists 
 containing from 2.500 to 43,000 addresses, the aggregate number of 
 addresses being about 621,000. The stations endeavor to send their 
 bulletins to all applicants within their own States and to satisfy outside 
 demands for them as far as their means will allow. This outside 
 demand has, however, grown to be so large as alread}' to cause embar- 
 rassment. Each station has a considerable number of foreign corre- 
 spondents to whom the bulletins are regularly sent. 
 
 In a number of the States the stations prepare press bulletins, river 
 bulletins, postal-card bulletins, hints to farmers, etc., which are either 
 resumes of the station work or contain information of more general 
 character. In cases in which the station receives a large number of 
 requests for information on any topic, it has been often found conven- 
 ient to have answers distributed through the press or b}' means of 
 emergency bulletins rather than by correspondence. 
 
 At the New York State Station a special officer is employed to edit 
 the publications of 'the station, and one of his duties is to prepare 
 brief, popular bulletins based on the longer and more technical publi- 
 cations of the station. These popular bulletins are sent to the mailing 
 
22 - 
 
 list generally, which in that State numbers 42,000 addresses, while 
 the larger publications are issued in more restricted editions. 
 
 Some of the stations have from time to time issued charts and 
 posters illustrating special features of their work. Some of these 
 have been made up in the same manner as advertising posters, with 
 illustrations and displa}" type. Such posters are placed in railroad 
 depots, j)ost-offices, and other public places where they will attract 
 the attention of farmers who are not already familiar with the work 
 of the station. 
 
 The attendance of station officers at farmers' institutes and other 
 meetings of farmers is another means of disseminating the results of 
 their investigations, and this method is especialh^ valuable in reaching 
 farmers who do not read the station publications. 
 
 The correspondence carried on by station officers is very large, 
 aggregating hundreds of thousands of letters annually. A large part 
 of these are replies to inquiries by farmers, which cover almost every 
 topic related to the theory and practice of agriculture. 
 
 A considerable number of stations make exhibits of their work at 
 State and other agricultural fairs. 
 
 GENERAL RESULTS OF THE WORK OF THE STATIONS. 
 
 During the past fourteen years the expense of operating the experi- 
 ment stations in the United States has amounted to $14,000,000, an 
 average of $1,000,000 a 3'ear. This is equivalent to a tax of $1 on 
 each $20,000 worth of farm property in the United States — not a very 
 heavy burden, and 3^et sufficiently heavy to justifj" careful supervision 
 of expenditures and an occasional inquiry into the value of results 
 attained. 
 
 While it is a well-known and generall}^ accepted fact that many of 
 these results are of great economic importance, it is extremel}" difficult 
 to estimate the cash value of them. In a general wa}", however, an 
 idea can be given of the value of some of the more important and 
 striking results. Thus the investigations of the stations have revolu- 
 tionized and developed the dairy industry, and the total value of dairy 
 products in 1899 amounted to $472,000,000. Closel}^ connected with 
 the improvement of dairjdng have been the investigations on nutrition, 
 which have widel}' changed the practice of feeding farm animals. One 
 very important result of investigations along this line has been the 
 demonstration of the feeding value of corn stover and other by-prod- 
 ucts of corn, wheat, cotton, and other farm crops. It is estimated 
 that the feeding value of corn stover is not less than $100,000,000 per 
 annum and that the combined feeding and fertilizing value of cotton 
 seed is $150,000,000. The stations have shown that cheese can he 
 cured in cold storage with resulting improvement in the quality and a 
 
23 
 
 vast saving- on the annual product valued at 1300,000,000, Similarly 
 their experiments in the cold storage of fruits are giving results of 
 great economic importance. They have also contributed greatly to 
 the success of growing vegetables and flowers under glass. The com- 
 mercial greenhouses in 1900 covered over 22,000 acres. 
 
 The improvement of farm crops by breeding and selection and the 
 introduction of new crops are items of great importance in estimating 
 the success of the stations. It is estimated that the general use of 
 improved strains of wheat developed by the stations would increase the 
 total annual yield of this cereal over 50,000,000 bushels, and that in the 
 same waj' the yield of oats might be increased 30,000,000 bushels. 
 The introduction of Manshury barley by the Wisconsin Station has 
 been worth millions of dollars to the farmers, and the Kafir corn 
 brought in by the United States Department of Agriculture, but intro- 
 duced to practical use by the stations in California, Kansas, and Okla- 
 homa, was valued at over $5,000,000 in Kansas alone in 1899. Other 
 valuable introductions made in the same way are sugar beets, estimated 
 at $6,000,000 in 1901, and macaroni wheats, worth 14,400,000 in 1903. 
 The stations have promoted the general use of alfalfa, the product in 
 1899 amounting to over 5,000,000 tons. 
 
 The investigations on fertilizers have not only served to protect 
 farmers from fraud, but have led them cpiite generally to recognize 
 the desirability of a discriminating use of fertilizers. It is estimated 
 that if farmers generally Avould practice home mixing of fertilizers, as 
 many of them have been taught to do in New Jersey and some other 
 Eastern States, a saving of $13,500,000 per annum would result in 
 this one item of farm expenditures. The work of the stations in com- 
 bating the diseases and insect pests of plants and animals has been of 
 inestimable value to the farmers. In many lines it has made all the 
 difi^erence between success and failure. Without systematic use of 
 insecticides and fungicides — largely worked out by the stations — com- 
 mercial orcharding would be impossible and a source of income worth 
 184,000,000 a year to American farmers would speedily disappear. 
 
 The examples cited above are merely samples of what the stations 
 have done for the American farmer. There are thousands of other 
 results, less palpable, perhaps, but iust as far-reaching in their influ- 
 ence. No account has been given of the educational influence of tlie 
 stations, which is even more important than this other work. They 
 have been a powerful aid in breaking down the popular prejudice 
 against agricultural colleges and the whole scheme of agricultural 
 education; have furnished the material for the formulation of a science 
 of agriculture, and have done much to place agricultural courses on a 
 par with other courses in work for advanced degrees. 
 
 As regards the stations themselves, we may confidently assert that 
 their past history gives great assurance of increasing strength and 
 
24 -^- 
 
 efficienc}" in the future. While the_y have encountered man}" difficul- 
 ties in their development, and there has necessaril}" been much of 
 crudity in their work thus far, they have ever}'^ year secured a better 
 equipment and more thorough!}" trained officers. With increasing 
 resources they have been able to specialize their work more thoroughly 
 and to increase its scope. They have succeeded in securing, to a 
 remarkable extent, the confidence of the people for whose benefit they 
 were primarilj- established, and have thus had no difficulty in obtain- 
 ing financial support from Congress and the State legislatures. The 
 people generally have come to regard the stations as permanent insti- 
 tutions, and are convinced of the usefulness of their work. 
 
 o