42 KEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



owners for the assessment of benefits and damages and for the levying 

 of taxes to pay for the works. The drainage experts of this Office 

 have rendered vahiable assistance to State legishitures in securing 

 laws which will successfully accomplish the objects sought. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1900, there were printed 

 three bulletins and one circular on irrigation and drainage. These 

 contained 089 pages of new matter. 



There were submitted for publication, but not printed during the 

 fiscal year, five bulletins, one Farmers' Bulletin, and one circular. 



PROMOTION OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 



The rapid growth of agricultural education in colleges and schools 

 and the rapid development of a sentiment favorable to the extension 

 of agricultural features of instruction in all rural communities have 

 been reflected in the increased demands made upon the Office of 

 Experiment Stations for advice and assistance. The work of the 

 Office in this connection has become so varied that it has been deemed 

 best to divide the educational work into two sections. One of these 

 deals with the agricultural colleges and schools, the other promotes 

 the interests of the farmers' institutes and other forms of itinerant 

 extension work in agriculture. In the appropriation act for this 

 Depai'tment for the current fiscal year Congress provided for an in- 

 vestigation and report u])on the organization and progress of agricul- 

 tural schools in this country and abroad, but did not provide adequate 

 funds for carrying on this work. Under such circumstances the edu- 

 cational work of the Office could not be developed in anywaj'^ pro- 

 portional to the increasing demands for this Avork. Arrangements 

 were made, however, to devote practically all of the time of the 

 Expert in Agricultural Education, I). J. Crosby, to this work, ami 

 to give him some additional clerical assistance. Tn this way it has 

 been possible to review the literature of agricuhure and prepare 

 125 abstracts of important text-books, manuals, and other jMil)liea- 

 tions on this subject for the de])arlment of agricultural education in 

 the Experiment Station Kecoi'd, to assist in outlining courses of study 

 for the Georgia and Maryland agricultural schools, to attend a 

 number of important conventions, take part in conferences on agri- 

 cultural edu(;ati()n and lecture at teachers' institutes on elementary 

 instruction in agriculture, and to coiuplete a few publications on 

 educational topics. The ammal summary of (he progivss of agri- 

 cultui'al education has been lufpared and is included in this report 

 (p. 213). 



