AGRICULTURAL SCILXCE AT THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION 



MEETINCx. 



Although the American Association for the Advancement of Science 

 contains no section for agriculture or agricultural science, it is doubt- 

 ful if any other organization contributes so large a number of papers 

 bearing directly and indirectly on that suliject. The meeting in Wash- 

 ington during convocation week was especially rich in this respect. 

 It brought together over 1,350 scientific men who are members of the 

 association or some of its numerous affiliated societies, among them 

 many who are active workers in the special fields of agriculture. 

 It furnished the occasion for presenting the latest progress in the 

 sciences on which agriculture is based, and held much of interest to 

 every agricultural investigator. 



This fact emphasizes the intimate relation of the work of the experi- 

 ment stations to the work of this great association as a whole, and to the 

 progress of science in general. From present indications the winter 

 meetings of the American Association and its affiliated societies may be 

 regarded as a scientific center for the presentation of technical papers 

 in agricultural science, and as such of the greatest importance to the 

 experiment station worker. The scope of the association is sufficiently 

 broad to take in all lines of agricultural investigation; and the inspi- 

 ration gathered from coming in contact with so large a body of men 

 whose lives and interests are allied with the advancement of srience in 

 various directions, is far reaching and can not fail to be most helpful. 

 This is especially true now that the economic and applied phases of 

 science form so conspicuous a feature of the meetings. 



It has been thought a matter of interest to bring together, as far as 

 possible, those papers which related quite directly to agricultural 

 science. No such grouping is otherwise provided for, and as they are 

 so widely scattered through the proceedings of at least twelve difi'erent 

 sections and societies many of them are likely to be lost sight of. 

 The selection of these papers from the scores which are of undoubted 

 interest to agriculture in the broader sense is often somewhat embar- 

 rassing, but the scope of this journal has been taken as a general guide. 

 The aim has l^een to group the papers by subjects, regardless of the 

 section or society before which they were presented. No attempt is 

 made to give a complete report for any of these bodies, as that is 

 done through other agencies. 

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