NOTES. 197 



Farm Management Association. In the symposium on the subject of Improve- 

 ment in the Methods of Agricultural Investigation the society was represented 

 by Dr. T. L. Lyon, who discussed Methods of Eliminating Error in Field Experi- 

 ments, and E. G. Montgomery on Methods of Studying the Relation of Water 

 to Plant Production. 



The independent sessions of the society were given chiefly to the reading of 

 papers, some of them along the line of standardizing field experiments, which 

 had been the general program theme at the annual meeting in 1910. 



The society is now conducting investigations looking to the standardization 

 of various phases of agronomic research, through committees on soil classifica- 

 tion and mapping, standardization of field experiments, terminology, and a 

 newly appointed committee on varietal nomenclature. It is also turning its 

 attention to methods of instruction in agronomy. Two papers along this line 

 were presented at the meeting and sentiment favored devoting the next meeting 

 largely to papers on this subject. 



The following officers were chosen for the ensuing year: President. R. W. 

 Thatcher; vice presidents, C. A. Mooers and L. A. Clinton; secretary, C. R. 

 Ball ; and treasurer, A. G. McCall. 



American Society of Animal Nutrition. — The annual meeting of this society 

 was held at Columbus, Ohio, November 13 and 14. The address of the presi- 

 dent, Dr. H. P. Armsby, was uiX)n Some Unsolved Problems. Among the prob- 

 lems mentioned were those relating to the digestive processes, and it was 

 pointed out that current data are based largely on work with Carnivora and 

 man. In attempting to transfer or apply these to Herbivora, where the food 

 elements are quite different and where the enzym action may not be the same, 

 unknown errors are introduced. The energy content of feeds is inadequately 

 known, and the expenditure of energy in digestion is very imperfectly under- 

 stood. It was believed that physiological studies would bring out much valuable 

 data bearing on the chemical compounds of feeds, which would be of permanent 

 practical value. The protein requirements for growth and other functions were 

 stated to need revision. The imperfect condition of the theory of nutrition in 

 the days of Wolff was held responsible for the importance laid on high protein. 

 Such problems as these call for a high grade of scientific investigation, and can 

 not be solved by the so-called practical feeding experiments. 



Doctor Armsby believed that the progress in the field of animal nutrition 

 was not comparable with the progress of science in other departments. There 

 is a gap between the expert in the art of feeding and the student in the science 

 of nutrition — our work has been too practical on the one hand and too scien- 

 tific on the other. The two points of view have not been sufliciently united. 

 The department of animal husbandry should be the best market for the fruits 

 of the investigator ; these departments should do more than breed and feed fine 

 animals. They should apply the scientific work in practice, and not be merely 

 sympathetic with it. 



The means by which the society might promote scientific work were discussed, 

 and it was pointed out that the ideals and conceptions must depend for success 

 on the society which stands behind that particular branch. An important part 

 of scientific societies was held to be to foster such work and to make favorable 

 conditions for it. 



The standing committee on experiments reported progress. Two schemes for 

 cooperative studies have been drawn up and submitted to the members of the 

 society during the year, but as yet neither of these has been entered upon. 



Mr. George M. Rommel, of this Department, described the animal nutrition 

 investigations in the Bureau of Animal Industry. These include the work car- 

 ried on by the Bureau in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Institute of Animal 



