CONVENTION OF AMERICAN AORK'ULTURAL COLLEGES. 259 



ileaol red further. That tliis Association indorses the scheme of tinancial statement 

 adopted by the Secretary of Agricnltiire, and will approve and welcome the closest 

 scrutiny of the work of the stations by the Department of Agriculture, either by 

 personal A'isitatiou of an agent of the Department or such other method as the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture may deem luost etticient. 



Hon. J. Sterling Morton, Secretary of Agrienltnre, attendtMl one ot 

 tbe meetings of the convention and delivered a brief address, in wliicli 

 he expressed liis hearty approval of the good work done by the agri- 

 cnltural colleges and ex})erinient stations. He urged the study f)f for 

 estry at all agricultural colleges; and announced his intention of recom- 

 mending to Congress an increased appropriation to each exi)eriment 

 station for the i)urpose of purchasing, testing, ami distril)utiug new 

 and improved varieties of seeds, plants, etc. In a resolutiou iutroduced 

 by President H. H. Goodell, of MavSsachusetts, the Association prom- 

 ised cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture in this matter. 



Dr. C. W. Dabney,Jr., Assistant Secretary of Agricultuie, addressed 

 the conA'ention briefly, referring to the i)roposed plans of the Depart- 

 ment relating to the sniiervision of station accounts, and calling atten- 

 tion to the new lines of investigation undertaken in the study of soils and 

 grasses, for which new divisions have been created in the De])artment. 

 Statistics were presented to show that a higher percentage of the total 

 expenditures of the Department is now being devoted to purely scien- 

 tific work than ever before in its history. Although m the fiscal year 

 ending June 30, 1894, the total expenditnres in the Department were 

 about $405,000 less than in the preceding year, the amount of money 

 devoted to scientific work in the Department was only -i*! ,oOO less. The 

 saving had therefore been made in administrative work. lint the 

 figures showed that, in spite of the great reduction in the expenses 

 of this feature of departmental work, its efficiency had not beenimpaired. 



Four subjects were presented by the section on agriculture and chem- 

 istry for discussion in general session. The discussion on the attitude 

 of agricultural colleges toward university extension was opened by Prof. 

 P^. B. Voorhees, of New Jersey, who explained the courses of university 

 f^xtensioii lectures given in that State. There are lectures each on 

 (1) soils and crops, (2) feeding of ])lants (use of fertilizers), and (3) ani- 

 mal nutrition. During the past year these lectures were delivered in 

 7 different sections of the State. The attendance varied from 2G to 

 109, the average being GO. Out of the 60, 22 took the regular work in 

 connecti(m with the lectuie course. It was found that those who began 

 with the first lecture were much more interested than those who started 

 in with later lectures. Men of 25 years and older "seemed to care 

 very little except to hear the lectures and to ]nck up information for 

 use in regular work." The lectures therefore ajipealed principally to 

 young men. The lectures have proved of great value in stirring up 

 interest and in bringing young men to the educational institutions of 

 the State. 



