840 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



It is not contended, of course, that the work of the central station is 

 to be confined to its locality, cither in specific problems or in applica- 

 tions. In every State there are numerous agricultural problems 

 demanding solution which can best be studied in the midst of their 

 local surroundings. To attack these problems the central station 

 should reach out to the point of greatest interest, and establish, if nec- 

 essary, temporary stations under the direct supervision of the experts 

 at the central station. This has always been held a legitimate use of 

 the Hatch Fund and an important function of the station. It enables 

 the work to be accomplished at the minimum expense, and it confines 

 the operations of the temporary branch station to the special problems 

 in hand. It does not call for a duplication of the scientific force and 

 equipment of the central station, but utilizes these facilities in work- 

 ing out the technical phases of local problems. In this it broadens the 

 outlook and the experience of the men connected with the central sta- 

 tion, and it provides for the local problem facilities which it would 

 otherwise be entirely impracticable to furnish. 



In illustration of the economy of this method, Director Henry cites 

 the extensive cranberry studies which are being conducted by the 

 Wisconsin Station at Cranmoor, on rented lands in cooperation with 

 the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers' Association. He also mentions 

 the tobacco experiments which are in progress in several counties, 

 and the experiments on peat and muck soils, which have involved 

 much preliminary laboratory study. In this way, and through indi- 

 vidual cooperators, the work of the station is spreading well over the 

 State, and accomplishing a vast amount of good at comparatively very 

 small expense. 



The experience of Wisconsin is duplicated in a majority of other 

 States, where the stations are reaching out to the specific local problems 

 to the greatest extent practicable with their limited funds. In order to 

 extend this feature of their work, some twenty States have made pro- 

 vision for maintaining local or branch stations, or in two or three 

 cases independent stations for special problems. We have, therefore, 

 a considerable number of branch stations maintained by State funds, 

 but these are usually on a different basis from the original substations, 

 in that they bear a very close relation to the central station and are an 

 attempt to make local application of the station's findings. 



In North Carolina, for example, four stations have been established 

 under the State department of agriculture upon typical soils of the 

 State, in order to study the soil and farm management of those locali- 

 ties, so that an intelligent application ma} T be made of the principles 

 worked out at the central station and in other States. The same has 

 been done in Ohio and Mississippi. In Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah 

 branch stations or farms have been provided for studying dry or arid 

 farming; in South Dakota for studying forage plants; in Texas for 



