INDIANA HORTICULTUBAL SOCIETY. 365 



to bring forth a product. The teacher deals with the product when it is 

 brought forth. One who can rouse students to enthusiastic pursuit of 

 IvHowledge is a man of different type from the one who naturally delights 

 in digging at problems and searching for truths with patient zeal that the 

 boundaries of human linowledge may be thereby enlarged. 



While it is true that the Hatch act directs them to acquire and dis- 

 seminate useful information, yet th« great object for which these sta- 

 tions exist is not that they may assume the functions of educational 

 institutions, but rather to promote scientific investigation for the benefit 

 of agriculture. , Dr. Jordan once said, "An experiment station, chiefly as 

 an instrument of popular instruction, is an absurdity." In highly organ- 

 ized society there is division of laboi'. I.et the colleges chiefly instruct. 

 Let the experiment stations chiefly experiment. 



Beyond all doubt the instructional functions have thus far absorbed 

 much more of the time and of the energy of station horticulturists and 

 also of the funds assigned to horticulture in experiment stations than have 

 the functions of research and experiment. It becomes clear that the in- 

 structional functions are necessary when we consider the ways in which 

 they are exercised, which are chiefly these: 



1. Compiling bulletins which do not set forth results of original in- 

 vestigation, as, for example, bulletins upon such topics of general interest 

 as "How to manage an apple orchard," or "How to grow mushrooms." 



2. Replies to inquiries from persons interested in horticultural pur- 

 suits. In an important way the station thus serves its constituency in the 

 capacity of a bureau of information upon horticultural matters. 



3. Taliing part in farmers' institutes or other agricultural or horticul- 

 tural meetings. 



4. Contributing to periodical or other literature. 



5. Conducting illustrative experiments, that is, those which are carried 

 on primarily as object lessons. For example, after it has been demon- 

 strated that the mildew of grapes may be controlled by proper use of fungi- 

 cides, the horticulturist may test the treatment in some grape growing 

 locality, not to discover its value, but to demonsti-ate to the people the 

 benefits which follow proper treatment and to serve as a text for a 

 popular bulletin on spraying to prevent gi-ape mildew. It has already been 

 shown that the disease may be thus controlled. His object is simply to 

 bring this linowledge to the people and help them to take advantage of it. 



While it is conceded that giving instruction in ways lilie those above 

 mentioned is a legitimate and, in some part, necessary function of the 

 experiment station, yet such efforts should not absorb unduly the energies 

 of the station staff. There is other work to be done. The promotion of 

 scientific investigation is a far more important function because this tends 

 to increase the sum total of human knowledge. By helping to establish 

 fundamental truths it contributes to the permanent prosperity of horticul- 

 ture. The very name "experiment station" implies that these special in- 



