54 EEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The amount of work done over the several States is constantly in- 

 creasing. A part of this is through branch stations maintained by 

 State appropriation, a part through temiv)rary stations, and a great 

 deal through direct cooperation with farmers. In Illinois investi- 

 gations on soil fertility problems are conducted at no less than 25 

 places. The Indiana Station carries on cooperative experiments with 

 over 700 farmers, representing each of its 92 counties. In Missouri 

 corn improvement work is conducted with over 100 farmers, and in 

 Nebraska there is cooperative work with about 1,800 farmers. In all 

 the States the stations are working in direct contact with their con- 

 stituents and are having a great influence on the improvement of their 

 practice. 



DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION. 



During the year the stations published 418 circulars and bulletins, 

 and 45 annual reports, aggregating 17,501 pages, and amounting to 

 y,000,000 copies. In addition to this, a large number of more fugitive 

 publications Avere issued, i^opular articles prepared for farm papers, 

 and the like. The stations, as a rule, report rapidly growing mailing 

 lists and increasing correspondence, and in some cases the demands 

 of this nature have been more than they could meet. The publica- 

 tions of the stations are widely referred to in the agricultural press 

 and in modern books on agricultural topics, so that the station, work 

 as a whole is being given wide publicity and is exerting a widespread 

 and potent influence. 



The special train continues to be an import^int means of reaching 

 the farmer and teaching better methods. This has been operated 

 extensively in the Middle Western States for several years, notably in 

 Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, niid during the last 

 year or two lias been introduced in llic Kast. in Maryland and in 

 New England. The ])opularity of tlu>se (rains has been as great in 

 the East as in the West, and the results i)r()bably equally important. 



But to adequately j^rovide for (he wieler dissemination of infor- 

 mation among the farming i)e()])le and (he introduction of improved 

 methods, earnest efl'orts are being niadi' to establish agricultural 

 extension woi-k, organized as a special branch of the agricultural 

 work and on such a liasis as to relievi' (he stations of nnieh of the 

 burden which- now rests n|)on them. This t'xtension work is recoo-- 

 nized as strictly <'(luea(ional in chai-acter. and heiire not coming prop- 

 erly within tlie -colic of the elation when carrieil on svstematicallv ; 

 and its grade and methods di tlerent iate it Irom that of (he colleo-e 

 work projHT. 



In Iowa an e.\(ension department lias been organized unclei' a 

 State appropriation and is in acti\e operation. It has a corps of 



