212 uHroHT or office of expeuiment stations. 



lril)iil('(l $'2,(')S0 to each of (he last two cxliihits iiiul tests. It was soon 

 found that such trials wen* not only of hciu'lit to the fanners in choos- 

 in<r their inaehines. htit tliev were of <ri-eat value to i!ni)lenient nianu- 

 faeturers in that thev i)ointe(l ont defects in const I'uct ion and weak 

 points in the desi<»;n of the machines. The chief reason for the rapid 

 proirress which has been niach' in Sweden in the niannfacture of a<rri- 

 cultnral inij)leinents and dairy machinery is ascribed to the imi)etns 

 <2:iven throu<2:h these ollicial tests. The imjilement mannfacturers, 

 realizin": the importance of the investigations, uroed upon the Swed- 

 ish Government the establishment of jiermanent stations where such 

 investigations could be more scientifically conducted. 



A bill was introduced in the Swedish Kigsdag: which provided for 

 the establishment of two farm implement trial stations, with an annual 

 support of $2,680. The bill, however, failed to pass for the reason 

 given that the implement manufacturers would be the chief bene- 

 factors and they should therefor(> furnish the support of the stations. 

 The following year the problem was solved by a donation from a 

 dairy machinery company which, in 1896, presented to the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, $26,800, of which $2,680 was to be spent an- 

 nuall}^ in farm machinery investigations. Two experiment stations 

 were established in connection with the agricultural colleges at 

 Alnarp and Ultuna. To this sum was added, by private donations, 

 $4,020 for the construction of buildings for the investigations at 

 Alnarp, and with this sum a dairy machinery laboratory and a large 

 implement hall were constructed. Both of the buildings were pro- 

 vided with instruments used in the tests, and also with numerous 

 models used for exhibitional and instructional purj^oses. 



The methods of conducting these investigations in Sweden are 

 worthy of note. A committee of five was appointed, consisting of the 

 director of the experiment station as chairman ; the professor of farm 

 machinery instruction at the college, in charge of the experiments; 

 either the superintendent of the college farm or the i)rofessor of 

 dairying, and two outsiders chosen by the department of agriculture 

 for three years, " one of Avhom must possess technical and mechanical 

 training, and the other one be either an agriculturist or a practical 

 dairy expert." This committee had the right to call in other special- 

 ists in case of need, to assist in forming the conclusions. The trials 

 were conducted in the following manner: 



Invitations were extended to implement mannfactureis for the test 

 of a specific group of implements, or the tests were made at the 

 request of manufacturers. In order to prevent the manufacture of 

 implements especially for the trials, the committee reserved the right 

 to take out of the n'.anufacturer''s warehouse an implement from the 

 general stock. Not only were the implements tested for field work. 



