278 DEPARTMENTAL KEPOBTS. 



NEEDS OF THE STATION. 



It is important that the Porto Rico station should undertake experi- 

 ments with live stock, but it will not be possible to do much in this 

 direction unless the resources of the station are increased. Addi- 

 tional funds will be required for the employment of a competent live- 

 stock expert, the purchase of animals, and the general expenses of 

 feeding experiments. In order to effectively conduct experiments 

 with fruits a horticulturist should be added to the station staff. 



Now that the Porto Rico station is permanently located, it should, 

 in my judgment, receive the same financial support from the National 

 Treasury as is given to the stations organized under the act of Con- 

 gress of March 2, 1887. Considering the large population to be main- 

 tained by agriculture in Porto Rico, every effort should be made to 

 develop the agricultural resources of the island. The station will be 

 called upon to aid in the solution of a great variety of problems. The 

 range and effectiveness of its work will necessarily be limited by the 

 funds at its command. When the nation does as much for the Porto 

 Rico station as for stations in the other States and Territories, there 

 will still be need for additional financial assistance from the insular 

 government. The cordial support which has been given the station 

 by the government and the substantial grant of money voted by the 

 insular legislature for the purchase of land for the station have given 

 evidence that the people and government of Porto Rico appreciate the 

 importance of this enterprise and are willing to supplement the efforts 

 of the National Government in this direction. As the work of the 

 station develops, additional buildings and equipment will be needed, 

 and it is confidently expected that these requirements will be met by 

 the local legislature. 



Nutrition Investigations. 



The investigations on the food and nutrition of man, carried on in 

 different parts of the country, have been continued during the past 

 year, with Prof. W. O. Atwater as special agent in charge. The head- 

 quarters for these investigations have remained at Middletown, Conn., 

 where the w^ork is carried on in cooperation with Wesleyan University 

 and the Storrs Experiment Station. Dr. C. F. Langworthy has had 

 charge of the work performed in the Washington office in connection 

 with these investigations. 



The appropriation for nutrition investigations for the fiscal year 

 ended June 30, 1902, was $20,000, an increase of $2,500 over that of the 

 preceding year. The increasing recognition of the importance of 

 these investigations, as knowledge concerning them becomes more 

 widely spread and the general public understands them more fully, is 

 especially gratifying. 



The investigations are carried on in different parts of the country. 

 With the aid of the increased appropriation of the past year it has 

 been possible to undertake work in some new regions. According to 

 the policy which experience has shown to be most effective, the work 

 has been done largely in cooperation with experiment stations, agri- 

 cultural colleges, and universities, some of the leading institutions in 

 the country being included in the list. By this cooperative method 

 of conducting the investigations in different localities the work is 

 given a broader scope and a wider influence than could otherwise be 

 obtained by the expenditure of the amount of funds appropriated for 



