542 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD, 



8 have a two-year course, 6 Lave a three-year course, 1 has a four-year course, and 

 5 are indefmite, merely reporting a sub-freshman class. . . . Institutions which 

 have no preparatory departments are chiefly the universities in the wealthy and 

 populous States where there are first-class high schools in all the cities and towns. 

 In the newer and less populous States a well-equipped preparatory school of high- 

 school grade with courses of studies covering a period of 3 or 4 years is a necessity 

 and will continue to he a necessity for many years to come." 



C. C. Georgesoii, of Kansas, preseuted a report from tlie section on 

 agriculture aud chemistry, in wliicli lie summarized tlie replies to a 

 circular of inquiry sent to the dilferent agricultural institutions of the 

 United States regarding education and experiments in agriculture and 

 chemistry. The data obtained indicate that <'03 per cent of the insti- 

 tutions which have agricultural courses in their curricula gave instruc- 

 tion in agriculture and agricultural chemistry in their restricted sense 

 to 3,888 students during the past year." 



The 38 experiment stations replying to the circular reported the 

 employment of 153 workers in agriculture, 8!) of whom are superin- 

 tendents or directors and 6t assistants, 100 performing college duties 

 in addition to station work. These 38 stations employ 107 workers in 

 agricultural chemistry, 47 of whom are superintendents or chiefs and 

 60 assistants, 47 having college work in connection with the station 

 work. A summary of the lines of work pursued at the diU'erent sta- 

 tions was also given. 



The rej)ort of the section on horticulture and botany was submitted 

 by F. W. Card, of Nebraska. Attention was called to the lack of 

 systematic courses of instruction in horticulture in the institutions 

 represented in the Association. Reports from these institutions indi- 

 cate that horticulture is often taught simply as a business, not as a 

 science. Station work has been devoted mainly to the growing of fruits 

 and vegetables, largely variety testing, although some attention has 

 been given to plant breeding, greenhouse construction and management, 

 the propagation of plants, and crossing. There is a marked tendency, 

 however, to make variety testing and similar work incidental rather 

 than a main feature, and a review of experimental work of the year 

 indicates that the stations are covering a much broader field than 

 formerly and that there is a growing appreciation on the part of the 

 public of these horticultural and botanical investigations. 



The report of the section on mechanic arts, by J. W. Lawrence, of 

 Colorado, discussed the character of the courses offered in the various 

 institutions represented in the Association. These were found to vary 

 from those scarcely better than the courses ottered in some high 

 schools to those requiring a iirst-class school training for admission. 

 Many institutions which undertook to raise the courses have been 

 forced to lower them because of the insufficient preparation of students 

 applying for admission, and have attemi)ted to ])artially overcome 

 the difficulty by the introduction of i)reparatory and sub- freshman 

 courses. It is insisted that the greatest advantage from the courses 



