STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 453 



institute lecturers, but more especially by county agricultural 

 agents, from whom the demand has increased to twice the supply 

 of available material. They were also increasingly in demand 

 from home-demonstration agents, club leaders, teachers of agriculture 

 in high schools and vocational educational schools, extension teachers 

 in agricultural colleges, grange lecturers, and other persons who de- 

 sired aid in presenting their subjects before audiences of farmers. 

 During -the j^ear illustrated lectures, each accompanied by a set of 50 

 lantern slides, were loaned to about TOO extension workers. 



Conferences were held during the year with farmers' institute 

 directors and lecturers in 13 of the States where farmers' institutes 

 are most successful. The methods used in these States were discussed 

 and a plan worked out for aiding the institutes in the less successful 

 States. 



The progress in agricultural extension in foreign countries was 

 reviewed and the results will be made available to extension workers. 



OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



E. W. Allen, Chief. 



The relation of the Office of Experiment Stations to the State 

 stations receiving the Federal appropriation of the Hatch and i^dams 

 Acts for agricultural experiment and research was maintained along 

 practically the same lines as heretofore, including administrative 

 and advisory functions as well as the publication of the Experiment 

 Station Kecord, the card index of American experiment station litera- 

 ture, and a report on the work and expenditures of the State and 

 insular stations. The object of this supervision is not only that the 

 provisions of the Federal laws ma}^ be carried out, but that the work 

 may be encouraged by advice and assistance, and the welfare of the 

 entire system promoted on the basis of broad study of conditions, 

 progress, and needs. As heretofore, each of the stations has been 

 visited during the year by a member of the office, detailed examina- 

 tion made of the work and relationships, and the opportunity em- 

 braced for discussion of questions of policy relating to this branch 

 of activity. 



RELATIONS WITH THE STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The conditions arising from the war and its results which have 

 been so universally felt throughout the country in all activities have 

 been reflected in the situation surrounding the experiment stations. 

 This has added materially to the problems of their administration 

 and to the attention which the office has been called upon to give in 

 the effort to maintain the standards, conserve the funds to the best 

 advantage, and uphold the position of tlie stations as the research 

 agency on which the success of other branches of the agricultural 

 work ultimately depends. 



With a view to setting forth from a national standpoint the actual 

 conditions which prevail, data have heen collected which liave been 

 presented to the Association of Land (irrant Colleges and to the 

 public generally. It was shown, for example, that for the fiscal years 

 1914 to 1919 there was practically no increase in the total Federal 



