312 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, 



to the elucidation of the laws of plant growth. Now, those laws, 

 as he is bringing them out, we consider contributions directly to 

 botany ; but sooner or later they will be incorporated into the very 

 substance of what we call American Agriculture. So it is with 

 Zoology. We have very able workers in that department of science. 

 I will mention three, sons of Maine, Prof. Morse and Prof. Pack- 

 ard of the Peabody Academy of Science, at Salem, Mass., and 

 Prof. Verrill of Yale. These gentlemen are studying zoology ; 

 their contributions are given to zoology directly, but indirectly 

 they are to aflect the progress of agriculture. 



Whatever these gentlemen have done in these collateral sciences, 

 they have done through experiment and observation, and whatever 

 contributions they make to botany and zoology must be made 

 through similar means. Prof. Verrill is carefully studying the laws 

 that govern the reproduction of domestic animals ; Prof. Packard is 

 studying those insects prejudicial to your crops and those insects 

 beneficial to them ; and Prof Morse is studying certain great laws 

 of classification bearing upon the improvement of varieties, and 

 hence bearing directly upon the improvement of breeds of cattle. 

 In chemistry there are also many able experimenters, as Johnson 

 of Yale, and Lea of Philadelphia. 



These are some of our American workers in the collateral 

 sciences. Now if I should ask the question, ".Who are experi- 

 menting in Agriculture?" I should leave the question for you to 

 •answer. There are many who are performing what they call ex- 

 periments, but to-day we have in this country very few who are 

 able and are willing to devote the time, the money and the labor 

 ^necessary to thorough agricultural experiments. This is not yet 

 to our discredit, but it soon will be. Thus far we have simply 

 been obliged to modify European agriculture to meet wants exist- 

 ing here, but the day has now dawned when we must begin to 

 experiment for ourselves, and have an independent American agri- 

 culture. This can be brought about only through experimenting. 



Now, what is an experiment ? It is necessary, of course, that 

 we should have this plainly and fairly understood at the very out- 

 set. What is an experiment? How mnch is involved in that 

 word ? I know no bettor definition than one which has been given 

 by a German writer: "An experiment is a question put to 

 nature." An experiment in physiology is a question which you 

 put to nature througli physiology ; it is a question put by the 

 physiologist. A philosophical experiment is a question put in 



