4 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



Association. The first of these was on the general topic of the im- 

 provement of methods of agricultural investigation, with speakers 

 from the different societies who presented the subject from various 

 points of view ; and the second on the live topic of farm management, 

 what it is, and what will be its contribution to agriculture. 



These joint meetings were a marked success and met with very 

 general approval. They constituted a new feature in these gather- 

 ings. The papers and addresses were excellent, and were to a large 

 extent of interest to the various societies. They were reported by a 

 stenographer, which has not hitherto been the case at the independ- 

 ent sessions of the societies, and hence they are available for publica- 

 tion. The nature of the occasion may have led to special care in 

 their preparation, but at all events they are well worthy of preserva- 

 tion and comprise too valuable a group of discussions to be dissipated. 



The arrangements in this case were quite informal and were the 

 result of voluntary, and in a measure unauthorized, action on the 

 part of the secretaries of the societies, but another year the council 

 of the affiliation will supply an agency through which plans and 

 arrangements may be made, and may thus be expected to result in 

 some improvements. 



It is the belief of many that this union, if it can be properly 

 developed and extended, will strengthen the societies as a whole and 

 may do much for the position of agricultural science in this country. 



±i. iiighly important subject considered by the section on experi- 

 ment station work, and one which has not previously been on the 

 program of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and 

 Experiment Stations, related to the ethics of experiment station 

 work. This was treated under three heads: (1) As between institu- 

 tions, (2) as between the institution and the individual, and (3) as 

 between individuals. 



In discussing the ethics of station work as between institutions, 

 President Waters emphasized especially the importance of honesty 

 and fairness in the institution as well as the individual engaged in 

 research work, but expressed the belief that, on the whole, American 

 research institutions were singularly free from cause for criticism on 

 this account. He pointed, however, to a number of matters in which 

 the code of ethics was not always fully observed. 



The transfer of projects and results of investigation from one in- 

 stitution to another without mutual agreement, or the publication of 

 the results without full credit to the sources from which they were 

 obtained, was strongly condemned. " It should be well understood 

 by all station officers that the results of any research conducted by 

 any officer of a station under any circumstances, so long as these 

 researches have been conducted on station time, with station appa- 



