REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF 

 EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Office of Experiment Stations, 

 Washington^ D. C.^ June 30, 1916. 

 Sir : I have the honor to present herewith the report of the Office 

 of Experiment Stations for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915. 

 Respectfully, 



A. C. True, Director. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The work of the Office of Experiment Stations during the year 

 ended June 30, 1915, as in previous years, dealt with (1) relations 

 with agricultural experiment stations, (2) relations with agricultural 

 schools and farmers' institutes, (3) maintenance of experiment sta- 

 tions in Alaska, Hawaii, Porto Rico, and Guam, (4) irrigation inves- 

 tigations, (5) drainage investigations, (6) home economics investiga- 

 tions, and (7) the preparation of publications relating to these lines 

 of work. The work of the office was, however, increased and its 

 functions materially modified as a result of the development of the 

 policy of more closely coordinating the department's activities, par- 

 ticularly in the line of extension work in agriculture and home eco- 

 nomics, with similar work by the State institutions, and by the 

 transfer April 1, 1915, of supervision of farm demonstration work 

 and farm home management work from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 to the office and of Irrigation and Drainage Investigations from this 

 office to the Office of Public Roads, these preliminary steps being 

 taken in anticipation of the reorganization of the office as the States 

 Relations Service July 1, 1915. 



RELATIONS WITH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The advisory and supervisory relations of the office with the agri- 

 cultural experiment stations in the several States were maintained in 

 accordance with provisions of the Hatch and Adams Acts. These 

 relations have been of an intimate character, with a view to con- 

 structive assistance and the general advancement of the system of 

 experiment stations. They have dealt with the work and general 

 conditions at the stations as well as the supervision of the Federal 

 funds. The activities of the office in this respect have been designed 

 to strengthen the organization and the working force of the stations 



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