REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. LXVII 



has shown conclusiv' ely that by far the largest part of the work of our 

 stations has direct relation to the important agricultural interests of 

 the communities in which they are located. It has also shown that 

 the nature of the operations of the stations is becoming better under- 

 stood by our farmers, and that the desirability of more thorough and 

 far-reaching investigations is much more appreciated than formerly. 

 A broader and deeper foundation of scientific inquiry is being laid each 

 3^ear, and there is a constant accumulation of data regarding the gen- 

 eral agricultural conditions of the different regions of the United 

 States. The climate, soil, water supply, native and cultivated plants, 

 injurious insects, fungi, and bacteria are being studied in more detail 

 and with greater thoroughness than ever before. Best of all, this 

 scientific work is having a beneficial effect on more practical opera- 

 tions of our stations. These are assuming a more substantial and sys- 

 tematic character, and are being conducted with more definite relation 

 to actual conditions. They have, therefore, a- greater assurance of 

 successful practical outcome. 



Questions relating to the introduction of plants or to the improve- 

 ment of the live-stock industry in any region, for example, are now 

 being investigated with a strict relation to the real requirements of 

 the agriculture of that region, which would have been impossible 

 a few 3"ears ago. Public attention has recently been strongly and 

 favorably attracted to the successful results of the work of our stations, 

 in cooperation with this Department, in making it possible for our 

 farmers to have an abundant supply of forage for their live stock under 

 varied regional and climatic conditions. The relatively large use which 

 is now made of such crops as alfalfa, kafir corn, cowpeas, and rape is 

 generally acknowledged to be due to the persistent and well-directed 

 efforts of the stations and this Department. This is a matter of very 

 great importance to our agriculture when we consider the vast inter- 

 ests involved in the animal husbandry of the United States. 



In some ways the past year has been notable in the progress of agri- 

 cultural research in this country. The results of practical importance 

 already attained have inspired the public with such confidence in the 

 value of this kind of investigation that Congress and State legislatures 

 have been unusually liberal to this Department and the experiment sta- 

 tions. At the same time business enterprises requiring scientific and 

 expert knowledge and skill for their successful management have been 

 unusually prosperous. The managers of these enterprises have awak- 

 ened to a much clearer appreciation of the value of the services of such 

 men as are most successful workers in our institutions for agricultural 

 education and research. An increasing number of our best workers 

 in these institutions have therefore been given very attractive offers 

 from the business world. So many public and private positions for 

 well-trained and experienced workers in agricultural science and 



