2f,0 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



THE AGRICULTURAL. EXPERIMENT STATION. 



The next great educational movement in agriculture in this coun- 

 try was introduced just twenty-five years after the establishment 

 of the land grant colleges. I refer to the Agricultural Experiment 

 Stations which were organized by act of Congress of March 2, 1887. 

 Sixty of these institutions are now established, and almost 800 (795) 

 persons are employed in them in the work of administration and 

 research. 



Although they have been established only eighteen years, and 

 many of them more recently, their history and work are among the 

 most marvelous of the achievements of this wonderful age. Discov- 

 ery after discovery has marked their way until the most of that 

 which we as agricultural people have found most valuable in our 

 profession, has been discovered and prepared for us by the scientific 

 men that these Stations have had in their employ. Their bulletins 

 and reports are the most valuable contributions to agricultural 

 science of any other publications in the world. Congress gave them 

 each but |15,000 per year for carrying on their work. Two or 

 three times this amount ought to be at their disposal at once if they 

 are to be of the greatest service, and furnish to agriculture the in- 

 formation which, if adequately equipped, they could easily supply. 



THE NATURAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The month of July, 18G2, will go down to history as marking the 

 introduction into modern agricultural education of another force 

 that has grown to proportions that are not equalled by any similar 

 institution in the world. I refer to the great Department of Agri- 

 culture at Washington. In September, 18G1, what is now the De 

 partrnent of Agriculture for the United States, was a small sub- 

 ordinate division in the Department of the Interior, consisting of 

 about nine persons, and having almost no money with which to work. 

 On the 15th of May, 1802, Congress passed an act creating a Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, and on July 1, 1862, the act went into effect 

 and this new organization began its life, it has progressed and 

 developed from a minor place among the Departments of the Na- 

 tional Government to pre-eminence. From a Commissioner in 

 charge and an appropriation of $00,000 per year, to a cabinet officer 

 with a present force of 5,134 men, of whom over 2,100 are scientists, 

 scientific investigators and their assistants, with an appropriation 

 in 1905 of almost seven millions of dollars ($6,882,690) for its sup- 

 port. 



