DEPARTMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT- 

 BREEDING. 



I. TEACHING. 



This department was organized primarily as an experimental 

 department of the Federal Experiment Station, and only such grad- 

 uate students were accepted as were sufficiently advanced to pursue 

 investigations under direction and tlius be of material aid in the 

 work of the department. During the past year, fourteen such grad- 

 uate students have been taking work in the department, and the in- 

 vestigations as a whole have been greatly furthered by their aid. 



Considerable demand has developed in the College, as the result, 

 partially, of the department's work, for courses of instruction in 

 plant-breeding for undergraduate students. This demand became 

 so keen that at the beginning of last year a course on the princi- 

 ples of plant-breeding was offered by the department and placed 

 in charge of Mr. A. W. Gilbert, who at that time held the Agri- 

 cultural Fellowship. During the first term of this work, over 40 

 students received mstruction. During the second term, a more 

 advanced course in breeding was given by Mr. Gilbert, in which 

 27 students were registered. This work was given without proper 

 preparation and announcement, but nevertheless attracted a con- 

 siderable number of students. There is no doubt that if such a 

 course is regularly given by a permanent professor, a very large 

 number of students in the College will take advantage of the oppor- 

 tunity. Beginning with the present year. Dr. Gilbert has been 

 made an assistant professor and placed in charge of the teaching 

 part of the work. No special laboratories, however, have been 

 provided for this department, so that only a limited number of 

 students can be accommodated. 



A very great demand for work of this nature exists among the 

 students taking the winter courses. These students, interested in 

 practical agriculture, are feeling the demand for knowledge of this 

 nature which cannot be obtained elsewhere, and which should cer- 

 tainly be given by the College of Agriculture. It is to be hoped, 

 therefore, that facilities will soon be furnished so that complete 

 courses may be offered to all students who apply. 



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