1882.] farmers' convention. 53 



safely; when he had continued his experiments twenty years, 

 he found it necessary to change his views as to what the ex- 

 periments proved ; and when he had gone on thirty years, he 

 saw reason for still further changing his views. So that this 

 matter of experimentation is not one that can be conducted 

 to a successful conclusion in a short time. It is a question 

 of time, patience, persistent effort. 



Mr. Hyde. I would like to hear from a distinguished gen- 

 tleman whom we have present. Major Alvord. 



Maj. Alvord. I did not intend to occupy any of your time 

 to-day, but upon this invitation, I will say a word. 



In connection with this subject of investigations and ex- 

 periments in agriculture, it has occurred to me that one of 

 the practical uses to which the experiment stations of the dif- 

 ferent states could be put would be to act as a sort of supreme 

 court to receive, digest, and to report upon, so far as time 

 permitted, outside of their own work, these various so-called 

 experiments that are being conducted, now more than ever, 

 all over the country, the reports of which are creeping into tlie 

 newspapers. We all recognize how much interest has lately 

 been developed in the line of agricultural experiment, and 

 the result of it is that here and there, and all around, we find 

 men who have given a little attention to some one thing, per- 

 haps very carefully, generally with a great deal of careless- 

 ness ; at all events, as a rule, for a very short time ; perhaps 

 upon a single piece of ground ; perhaps during a single sea- 

 son ; perhaps on animals for a very short time ; yet so ■ 

 anxious is every one to know the results of these experi- 

 ments or trials on the part of their neighbors or agriculturists 

 generally, that our agricultural press feels in duty bound to 

 give whatever it can find new in this line, and picks up these 

 so-called experiments that are spread over the country, and 

 the people, upon a very slight'basis, or no basis at all, are led 

 to undertake new methods. Now, if we could only have some 

 tribunal in every State which could take up these experiments, 

 as they are called, that creep into the public press, and give 

 an opinion, after examining the conditions under which they 

 are carried on, as to their value and reliability, what is worth 



