1917] EDITORIAL. 303 



through science, either in the elaboration of starch in the growing 

 plant or the benefits from fall plowing. 



In the attempt to understand science and its methods much in- 

 spiration and help, as well as subject matter, have naturally been 

 borrowed from the older sciences. But the process can not rest 

 there. Agricultural science must itself be productive of scientific 

 results and theories; hence the Adams Act. This Act sprung from 

 a realization that empirical facts and unproved theories were not a 

 safe or sufficient basis for guidance in agricultural teaching, but that 

 a more severe type of inquiry was necessary to develop both the 

 fact and the reason back of it. These and their relationships need 

 to be known before they can be understood and intelligently 

 employed. 



The Adams Act was not simply supplementary to the Hatch Act, 

 to enable more of the same kind of work to be done; it was this 

 fact that gave it directing power and has made it so potent in its 

 influence. It was, as its language tried to express, an act to provide 

 for investigation of a high and fundamental order, because progress 

 under the Hatch Act had established the necessity for fundamental 

 study and the activity had gone about as fai* as it could without 

 additional funds. 



The Hatch Act permitted such study and an important amount 

 had been done under it, but it did not limit the activities of the 

 stations to that grade, or so clearly and specifically aim at providing 

 for inquirj^ which should be original and searching, according to 

 the accepted standards of scientific research. When the Adams Act 

 passed it was characterized as being "the greatest opportunity for 

 continued systematic research along agricultural lines which has 

 ever been presented in any country," and time has borne out this 

 estimate of it. It has given a great impetus to investigation, and it 

 has transformed the American station from being a liberal bor- 

 rower to being a large and important producer in agricultural 

 science. 



The acceptance at the outset of the purpose of the Adams Act as 

 being the promotion of investigation and experiment of research 

 grade and original in character has tended to make the designation 

 "Adams fund project" a sort of hall-mark of quality in experiment 

 station activity. Because the act has consistently represented a high 

 standard, investigators have been ambitious to have projects ac- 

 cepted under it, and have felt a pride in being associated with, the 

 Adams fund. In a sense it has made the Adams fund roll regarded 

 as an honor roll. 



The necessity of making the investigations thorough and exact in 

 order that they might be dependable and capable of scientific inter- 

 pretation, has resulted in more care in the matter of methods. At 



