NEEDS f)F THE STATIONS. 31 



Main of these have had useful results, and the work of the stations 

 on this sul»j<'ct as a \vlu)U> lias done much to injpi'ove tlu^ practice of 

 fee<lers, hut it will l)c ini^jossihlc to ])ut this practice on a thoi'out^hly 

 rational l)asis until Ave know nuich more regarding- the physiolog-ical 

 re<(uiicmcnts of animals. Some j^ears ago one of the stations under- 

 took investij,'-ations looking to the improvement of the apparatus 

 necessary for the thorough investigation of the nutrition of man. 

 It soon appeared that it could not carry this work to a successful issue 

 without larger resources than it possessed, a'nd it therefore sought the 

 cooperation of the United States Department of Agriculture, with 

 whose aid a special fund was obtained from Congress for this investi- 

 gation. The work thus inaugurated and maintained resulted, after 

 se\('i-al years, in a more efficient apparatus than had hitherto existed 

 for this kind of inquiry. By its use our knowledge of the laws of 

 nutrition and the nutritive value of different foods has been materially 

 extended. After this apparatus had been completed, another station 

 undertook to adapt it to use in experiments with large domestic animals. 

 This enterprise proved too great for the limited funds of that station, 

 and again the Department of Agriculture was called upon to contribute 

 thousands of dollars to make the work a success. Through this coopera- 

 tion th(> ai)paratus was put in working order and a series of experi- 

 ments has been begun which promises to yield very important results. 



As lono- as the stations confined their studies of the varieties of 

 cultivated plants to simple tests of the varieties already produced, the 

 work was comparativelv inexpensive and ver}'^ largeh' unsatisfactory. 

 Now the breeding of varieties especially adapted to particular regions 

 and uses has been attempted, but only those stations which are supplied 

 with extra funds for this purpose can hope to accomplish nuich in 

 this line. 



\'eiy little has l>een done in this country in the scientitic breeding of 

 animals, and we are as yet largely dependent on importations of breed- 

 inti" stock fi-om foreiirn countries to maintain the (uialitv of our meat 

 and other animal products. The production of breeds of farm animals 

 especially adapted to the needs of different parts of our country has 

 hardly Iuhmi attempted. The stiitions are the public agencies to which 

 such work would naturally ))e entrusted, but, with one or two excep- 

 tions, they havt; no funds available for this purpose. 



In veterinary medicine ver}^ few of the stiitions have been able to 

 provide the e<iuipment necessary for the successful prosecution of 

 original researches. They have therefore been obliged to content 

 thi'mselvcs verv lar<relv with the diffusion of information derived 

 from investigations nuuh' elsewhere and the more superficial study of 

 cases of diseases brought to their notice. There is, of course, a large 

 Held lor the extension of the work of the stations in tiiis direction, 

 but it can not be done witliout increased funds. 



