EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. A^III. No. 



The Secretary of Agriculture recently transmitted to Congress a 

 report on the work and expenditures of the agricultural experiment 

 stations for the fiscal year ended June 30, 189G. Tliis report, prejiared 

 in this Office under instructions from the Secretary in accordance with 

 the act of Congress making* appropriations for this Department, con- 

 tains brief statements and statistics regarding the work and expendi- 

 tures of each of the stations. The following paragraphs, taken from 

 the introduction to the report, may be of interest, especially in connec- 

 tion with the account of the convention of the Association of American 

 Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations given in this number 

 of the Record. 



The general causes which have hitherto weakened the operations of 

 our stations have of course still continued to work to tlieir disadvan- 

 tage, and will undoubtedly hamper them more or less in the years to 

 come. There have, however, been many encouraging indications during 

 the past year that clearer notions of the proper functions of experiment 

 stations as organizations for the apidication of scientific research to the 

 practical needs of agriculture are beginning to prevail, even in quar- 

 ters where hitherto there has seemed to be the most misapprehension 

 regarding their rightful work. As new officers are ai)pointed in the 

 stations, there is a closer scrutiny of tht'ir previous training and experi- 

 ence as related to the work they are expected to undertake. lu secur- 

 ing chief officers to plan and conduct the more important researches 

 there is a growing competition to have the best men. While this is 

 bringing into bolder relief the scarcity of the thoroughly competent 

 material for this purpose, it is stimulating the ambition and activity of 

 station officers, who can now more confidently look forward to a rea- 

 sonable degree of success if their efforts in agricultural research are 

 strenuous and well directed. We can thus hope that the ranks of well- 

 trained and efficient administrators and investigators will more speedily 

 be filled. 



There are evidences that the wisdom of concentrating the work of 

 individual stations on a few subjects which can be thorouglily treated 

 is being more deeply impressed on station managers. During the ])ast 

 year the establishment of substations, to be supported with tlie national 

 funds, has been st()i)ped, a number of those already organized have 

 been closed, and arrangements are being made to withdraw from others 



539 



