(X)NVENTION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL C(>LLK(}ES. 819 



Section on Jmrl icnlin r<^ <iii<1 Jxihinij. — Chairman, II. L. Px) I lev, of 

 North Dakota; secretary, II. M. Iluine, of Florida. 



Si-ction OK ciifoiiiohxi!/. — Cliairinan, A. L. Quaintaiif(\ of Alarvlsind: 

 secretary, \ . II. Lowe, of New York. 



Section on 'inechanicartx. — Chairniaii, F. P. Anderson, of Kentucky; 

 secretary, W. M. Riggs, of South Carolina. 



Section on college ny)7'k. — Chairman, E. II. Nichols, of Kansas; sec- 

 retary, J. W. lleston, of South Dakota. 



MEETIN(;S OF SECTIONS. 



SECTION ON AfiRICUI/rUKK AND CHEMISTRY. 



In this section the investigation of feeding prot)lems was discussed 

 from two points of view. H. P. Armsby discussed the practical 

 value of respiration calorimeter experiments, and C. F. Ciirtiss the 

 scientihc value of large-scale feeding experiments. The former took 

 the position that the question as to the practical value of experimental 

 work is a pertinent one and that the experiments should show indica- 

 tion of ultimate practical liearing. In this broad sense he considered 

 experiments with the respiration calorimeter practical. In his opinion 

 eA'ery experiment should be scientific in methods and practical in aim. 

 Some of the things that he considered possible to determine with the res- 

 piration calorimeter were (1) what relation does extra energy (over 

 maintenance ration) bear to energy stored up, (2) proportion of avail- 

 able energy in different classes of feeding stuffs, (3) influence of age 

 and condition of animals, and (4) influence of varj'ing the amount of 

 food given to a dairy cow. He thought there was urgent need of col- 

 lecting data on the available energy in different feeds, and emphasized 

 the general importance of more scientific station work — of getting at 

 principles. C. F. Curtiss agreed with the former speaker that it is 

 important to arrive at scientific principles first, but contended that these 

 principles should then l)e applied. In the application of these prin- 

 ciples he had found that some difficulties attending experiments with 

 the respiration calorimeter, such as individual variation, could be over- 

 come b}" means of experiments on a large scale. He noted a dangerous 

 tendency on the part of the public to accept the results of experiments 

 too readily — before they had been veritied. His experience had taught 

 him that the theories of stock feeders are not all reliable when applied 

 to farm practice, and he emphasized the importance of experimenting 

 with large numbers and verifying ffrst results by repetition of the 

 experiment if necessary. 



Some of the beef proVjlems of the South and what the stations can do 

 toward solving them was discussed by A. M. Soule, C. W. Burkett, 

 D. W. May, and J. C. Robert. All of the speakers agreed that beef 

 production in the South can be made both feasible and profitalile; some 



