314 REPORT OP OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



In the course in animal husbandry Dr. Castle gave most instructive 

 and inspiring lectures on the principles of heredity applicable to 

 animal breeding, which were illustrated by his own researches with 

 rodents. Dr. Ewart treated in a very clear and forceful manner a 

 number of breeding problems to the solution of which his own investi- 

 gations have notably contributed, such as transmission of acquired 

 characters, telegony, saturation, maternal impressions, influence of 

 environment, intercrossing, inbreeding, and prepotency. President 

 Waters, of the Kansas State Agricultural College, discussed the 

 factors affecting type, form, and quality of carcass, with special 

 reference to investigations conducted under his supervision at the 

 Missouri Experiment Station. Prof. Eckles, of the University of 

 Missouri, summarized the results of his investigations in feeding and 

 breeding dairy cows. Dr. Armsby, of the Pennsylvania State college, 

 gave an account of his recent investigations with the respiration 

 calorimeter on the maintenance requirements of farm animals, in 

 continuation of work presented at former sessions of the school. 

 Mr. E. W. Morse, of this office, gave two lectures embodying special 

 studies he has made on the history of cattle. Types and breeds of 

 different classes of animals were treated by several lecturers with 

 numerous lantern-slide illustrations. 



A large variety of living animals, mainly belonging to the Iowa 

 State college, were also exhibited and discussed in the seminars given 

 in connection with this course. In this way beef cattle were dis- 

 cussed by Dean Curtiss and Prof. Dinsmore, of the Iowa college; 

 horses by Prof. Kennedy, of the Iowa college, and Dr. Gay, of the 

 University of Pennsylvania; sheep by Dean Skimier, of Purdue Uni- 

 versity, and Prof. Wentworth, of the Iowa coUege, and swine by 

 Prof. Day, of the Ontario Agricultural CoUege. In these and other 

 courses given at this session of the school there was an unusually 

 thorough treatment of scientific and practical matters. Much of the 

 work was of the best type of university grade, and in general it was 

 truly appropriate to a graduate school. 



A course in rural engineering was given for the first time in the 

 history of the school. Courses of lectures on irrigation were given 

 by Dr. Fortier, of this office; on drainage by Mr. Elliott, of this office; 

 on water supply, drainage, and ventilation of farm buildings by 

 Prof. King, formerly of the University of Wisconsin; on power and 

 machinery for farms by Prof. Davidson, of the Iowa college, and on 

 the Iowa silo by Mr. King, of the Iowa college. Methods of teaching 

 agricultural engineering were also discussed. 



One of the most important enterprises of this session of the graduate 

 school was the course in rural economics and sociology. Owing to 

 the broadening of public interest in the more general problems of 

 country life and the more active efforts of the agricultural colleges to 



