ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND STATIONS. 53 



or vegetal)lG patholocry, rather than to make trained agriculturists. 

 It was urged that there should be a sufficient period of general study 

 before specialties are taken up, and that the paths of the specialist and 

 the agriculturist should early div^erge. The college course can not be 

 expected to fit men for expert work in this Department, the experi- 

 ment stations, and similar institutions, but for such work, at least, the 

 master's degree, and ere long the doctor's degree will likely be required. 

 This paper brought out much discussion, illustrating the marked 

 interest which has developed within the past few years in the matter 

 of courses of study and in agricultural education of different grades. 



There was considerable discussion of the subject of the graduate 

 school of agriculture, and the hope was expressed that it may be pos- 

 sible to arranofe for a session of this school next summer. This matter 

 was placed in the hands of the conmiittee on graduate stud}- at Wash- 

 ington, whose title was changed to the committee on graduate stud}^. 

 President Northrop withdrew from this committee, owing to his ina- 

 bilit}' to satisfactorily look after its interests, and President C. W. 

 Dabney was appointed chairman in his place, the vacanc}' on the 

 committee being tilled by the appointment of L. H. Bailey. 



The report of the standing committee on military instruction in 

 land-grant colleges was made by G. W. Atherton. The committee 

 reported interviewing the officials of the War Department and receiv- 

 ing from them an unfavorable report relative to any change being 

 made in General Orders 94, which increases the amount of military 

 instruction in the colleges and reduces the detail of officers to two 

 years. This order was characterized by the chairman and by other 

 speakers as impossible of execution, and called forth a vigorous dis- 

 cussion, which resulted in the adoption of a resolution requesting the 

 connnittee on military instruction to continue its efforts to secure a 

 modification of General Orders 94 and to formulate a practicable 

 scheme for military instruction at the colleges. 



The standing connnittee on agricultural engineering presented its 

 first report through W. E. Stone, chairman. The report pointed out 

 the increase in the number of engineering problems in agriculture 

 and their prominence, the enormous extent to which agricultural 

 machinery is being used by American farmers, the problems of irriga- 

 tion and of drainage, the terracing of hillsides, the construction of 

 roads, and other matters, as illustrating the desiral)ility of more 

 s^'stematic attention to instruction in these topics in connection with 

 the college courses and of extended scientific investigation. The com- 

 mitte<' declared in favor of separate departments of rural engineering 

 in the colleges, and the enlargement of the work of this Department 

 to includ(^ agricultural engineering in addition to irrigation, and rec- 

 onunendcd that the executive connnitte(r of the jissociation aid in 

 securing the increa.sed appropriation ask<Hi from Congress for the 

 latter [)urpose. This icport wiis iidopted. and the association also 



