304 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.38 



deemed entirely unmerited. It is shown that farm work is now re- 

 quired of every student and that a summer session has been intro- 

 duced whereby such work can be carried on more readily. Of the 

 total hours assigned to work in the divisions of agriculture and 

 horticulture over two-thirds are given to laboratory and field work. 

 Though the commission sees no necessity for imposing any arbitrary 

 requirement of farm experience upon faculty members, a great ma- 

 jority of the instructing force in these departments have had such 

 experience. " The lack of practical farmers, therefore, among the 

 graduates does not appear to be due to a lack of practical work in 

 agricultural instruction and can be more readily explained from 

 other causes. 



" Practical farmers the college does educate. They are found in 

 all parts of the State, and they are conducting farms which are 

 profitable to themselves and are profitable as object lessons. The im- 

 portant consideration, however, is that the college should train men 

 who by their superior education and intelligence can make valuable 

 contributions to the agricultural interests of the Commonwealth." 

 The showing made by the college in this respect is commended as 

 highly creditable. 



The commission was apparently little impressed with the some- 

 what provincial complaint presented that many graduates from the 

 Massachusetts College settled outside the State, which thereby lost 

 the benefits of their work. It points out how largely the State col- 

 lege is indebted to the Federal Government for its support, so that 

 " if its graduates enter into the service of other States it is only re- 

 paying the Federal Government for the aid it has received. All of 

 the States are mutually indebted to each other for scientific knowl- 

 edge, and it should be a source of congratulation rather than of 

 complaint that the agricultural college here can pay to the other 

 States something of its indebtedness to them." While the first and 

 constant care of the college is the promotion of the welfare of agri- 

 culture in Massachusetts, there should be " the closest affiliation be- 

 tween the Federal and State agencies for the advancement of com- 

 mon interests, and every State college should work not only for the 

 interests of its own State, but also for the promotion of agriculture 

 throughout the United States." 



The commission went quite fully into the administration and op- 

 eration of the exepriment station, having before it some criticisms 

 as to the technical character of its work and publications, alleged 

 delay in meeting popular requests for assistance in combating insect 

 pests and plant diseases, and laxity in enforcing State control laws. 

 The intelligent and broad-minded manner in which these matters 

 are handled in the report speaks for the study given them and the 

 generally creditable condition found to prevail in the station. 



