64 



profei=!sors of mechanical enccinoorinfj, because it will enable them to show the 

 application of mechanical principles to the profit and loss of farm work. 



Similar resnlts are destined to follow the investigations of farm machinery now 

 beins inau.uurated by a number of the a.i^ricultural experiment stations and by 

 the Irrigation and Drainage Investigations of the Office of Experiment Stations 

 in the Depai-tment of Agricidtnre. We nmst in the near future begin to consider 

 as never before the economy of different types of farm machinery as compared to 

 hand labor, and the relative economy of machines operated by horsepower and 

 machines operated by gasoline, steam, or electricity. In determining this 

 economy in a practical way, the mechanical knowledge and skill of the farmer 

 himself are an important factor. Tests of pumping machinery show variations 

 in efficiency from 5 per cent to 80 per cent. In other words, the fuel used in 

 some engines gave sixteen times the service it did in othei's. A little of this 

 was due to superiority in types of machinery. The greater part was in knowing 

 how to keep it in proper working condition. In other words, there is the 

 same ojiportiniity for improvements in American farm practice in the line of 

 machinery that has already been achieved in the breeding and management of 

 plants and animals. This fact is being appreciated more clearly by the manu- 

 facturers of farm implements than by the farmers themselves. Every insti- 

 tution which has inaugurated investigations of farm machinery has been aston- 

 ished at the lilierality which the manufacturers of farm implements have shown 

 in doing this work. The spirit of these manufacturers was strikingly illus- 

 trated at their recent annual convention at Niagara Falls, where the following 

 resolutions were passed : 



"Er.'<olrc(1. That we indorse and commend the agricultural engineering inves- 

 tigations of the I'nited States Department of Agriculture, and believe their ex- 

 tension will benefit both the users and makers of farm machinery. 



"Rcfiolrcfh That a committee of three be appointed by the president to con- 

 fer and advise with the proper governmental auth(»rities alumt the conduct and 

 extension of these investigations. We also reconnnend as features of tliese 

 inevstigations the establishment of a laboratory and nmseum for the testing 

 and illustration of principles of farm mechanics. 



"Resolved. That we indorse and connnend the teaching of farm mechanics 

 and agricultural engineering in the various agricultural and other colleges, and 

 that we pledge to all of this work our cooperation and support." 



In conclusion, your committee expresses its belief that there is at the present 

 time an urgent need in this country for a few institutions to establish inde- 

 j)endent courses in rural engineering, to I'ank with those now existing in some of 

 the leading agricultural colleges of Europe, and that in order to do this these 

 courses should be independent departments of the college, with adequate facili- 

 ties for teaching and experimentation ; that the men engaged in teaching such 

 subjects should be classed as rural engineers and should have the same rank as 

 professors in other departments ; and that a vote of thanks be extended to the 

 National Association of Implement and Vehicle Manufacturers for the aid and 

 support they have already given to ex])erimental work in farm mechanics; and 

 that the efforts of the Secretary of Agriculture and Director True, of the Office 

 of Experiment Stations, to enlarge these investigations, be commended. 



AV. E. Stone, Clinirninii. 



The rejiort was accepted and the secretary was instructed to extend the 

 thanks of the association to the association mentioned in the report, in accord- 

 ance with the recommendations of the report. 



Ni'TRiTioN Investigations. 



A. C. True. As the work of the agricultural experiment stations developed, it 

 seemed clear that it would be unwise for either the experiment stations or the 

 Department of Agriculture to stop their studies of food products when they 

 had studied questions relating to their production and use for farm animals ; 

 and so, under authority of law passed by Congress, investigations relating to the 

 nutrition of man were antboiMzed in the Department of Agriculture and assigned 

 to the Office of Experiment Stations. At the same time, the agricultural experi- 

 ment stations were authorized to carry on investigations on this subject. That 

 was about twelve years ago. Since that time, especially under the direct 



