EEVIEW OF THE YEAR. 59 



Temporary field trials are also under way at about 20 other branches 

 in the county, in tests of the adaptability of different varieties of 

 grasses and cereals to the various soil types. An expert from the 

 station is in charge of this work, and devotes his remaining time 

 to assisting the farmers of the locality in applying improved methods 

 of agi-icultural practice. Plans are on foot for the establishment of 

 similar demonstration farms in two other counties, in one of which 

 special prominence will be given to fruit and vegetable <Trowing. 

 There are now 92 cooperative experimental fields in ll-t counties of 

 the State. 



The Ohio Station has accepted an offer made by the vestry of a 

 church in Mahoning County of the use of a tract of 10 acres for field 

 trials, and a similar offer from the county commissioners and the 

 agricultural society of Hancock County, where 20 acres have been 

 provided. "Work in both places is already under Way. 



The Wisconsin Station has made arrangements to conduct sj^s- 

 tematic demonstration experiments at the farm of the state insane 

 asylum at Viroqua. It is planned to extend the work to the farms 

 of other state institutions, with a view to providing object lessons 

 for near-by farmers, as w^ell as establishing distributing centers for 

 improved seeds and other material sent out from the college and 

 station. The past year 13 county poor farms cooperated with the 

 department of agronomy of the station in grooving and testing pure- 

 l)red seeds for demonstration purposes. The Minne~ota Station has 

 leased a farm for five years for the purpose of carrying on experi- 

 ments in quack-grass eradication. 



The above shows the extent and variety of form which these popu- 

 lar efforts are now taking. They indicate the attempt made to reach 

 and assist the farmers, and the interest the latter take in agricukural 

 experimentation. 



Experimental unions, composed in some cases of the graduates of 

 an agricultural college and in others of any farmers interested in 

 the subject, are doing effective work in some half dozen States. 

 Such work is conducted in cooperation with the station, which acts 

 as the leader and often exercises supervision over it. Frequently 

 an annual meeting of the experimenters is planned to discuss the 

 results of the work. Such experiments and trials are in part a 

 demonstration of facts already ascertained, but in some cases have 

 real experimental features and serve the double purpose of securing 

 experimental results and of teaching the farmers how to experiment 

 for themselves. The scope of such work and its experimental value 

 are, of course, limited, but in instances where the station exercises a 

 supervision over the trials through an assistant who goes about among 

 the experimenters results of considerable value may be secured, and 

 the findings of the station on its own plats are given a wide test under 

 quite a variety of conditions. 



