4 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The planning and inauguration of work nnder the Adams Act will 

 require careful gauging of the abilities of different members of the 

 station staff, in order to select those best suited to undertake investi- 

 gations. It must recognize the advanced character of the work to be 

 undertaken and the special qualifications of the individuals compos- 

 ing the stall'. 



At many of the stations there is a (juite general demand from the 

 dilferent dei^artments for a share of the new fund to supplement 

 their resources, and the easiest method is naturally to divide it be- 

 tween the different departments of the station without a very critical 

 consideration of the proposed work. This will not meet the require- 

 ments, and will surely not yield the best results. It will include 

 work which does not belong under that fund, and it will usually 

 provide too many projects, reducing the means available for each so 

 that it will be impossible to do the thorough work which is contem- 

 plated. The projects need to be very carefully sifted, and those se- 

 lected which commend themselves especially by reason of their char- 

 acter, their ultimate importance, and the facilities of the station. 



In every station there are some men and some departments better 

 fitted to this higher work than others. In every case a process of 

 selection or elimination must be followed, and in some cases men 

 must be secured from the outside to plan and conduct the new lines 

 of investigation. At best only a few men in each station should be 

 selected at the outset. 



Not only does the new work raise the grade of requirements in the 

 personnel, but it calls for a differentiation in the station work as a 

 whole — for greater concentration upon investigation as distinguished 

 from other duties. Obviously a man engaged in such work should 

 not be hindered and burdened by elementary teaching or farmers' 

 institute work or answering miscellaneous correspondence or super- 

 vising control or police work. The college and station work should 

 be so organized as to free him from such interruptions and distrac- 

 tions, except on special occasions. Other men can attend to these 

 various duties, but the man with the genius for investigation is too 

 rare to be sacrificed to the duties more easily provided for. 



Already there has been considerable demand for new men with 

 good scientific education and capable of advanced work — usually for 

 men Avho have developed as experts in special lines. This will result 

 in a shifting of men from one institution to another, and the keen 

 competition for the men of established reputation will doubtless re- 

 sult in many of the institutions Avith smaller revenues losing their 

 most valuable men to the larger and more favored ones. This shift- 

 ing is a very serious matter, often resulting in much waste of time 

 and funds in incomplete investigations. Time is required for becom- 

 ing fainiliar with new conditions and for establishing the work in a 



