406 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD, 



studies he has made on the history of cattle. Types and breeds of 

 different classes of animals were treated by several lecturers with 

 numerous lantern-slide illustrations. 



A large variety of living animals, mainly belonging to the Iowa 

 State College, were also exhibited and discussed in the seminars given 

 in connection with this course. In this Avay beef cattle were discussed 

 by Dean Curtiss and Professor Dinsmore, of the Iowa College : horses 

 by Professor Kennedy, of the Iowa College, and Doctor Gay, of the 

 University of Pennsylvania ; sheep by Dean Skinner, of Purdue I'ni- 

 versity, and Professor Wentworth, of the Iowa College, and swine 

 by Professor Day, of the Ontario Agricultural College. In these and 

 other courses given at this session of the school there was an unusually 

 thorough treatment of scientific and practical matters. Much of the 

 work w^as of the best type of university grade, and in general it was 

 truly appropriate to a graduate school. 



A course in rural engineering was given for the first time in the 

 history of the school. Courses of lectures on irrigation were given 

 by Doctor P'ortier, of this Office ; on drainage by Mr. Elliott, of this 

 Office ; on water supply, drainage, and ventilation of farm buildings 

 by Professor King, formerly of the University of Wisconsin; on 

 power and machinery for farms by Professor Davidson, of the Iowa 

 College, and on the Iowa silo by Mr. King, of the Iowa College. 

 Methods of teaching agricultural engineering were also discussed. 



One of the most important enterprises of this session of the gradu- 

 ate school was the course in rural economics and sociology. The 

 broadening of public interest in the more general problems of country 

 life is leading the agricultural colleges to more active efforts to 

 establish adequate courses of instruction in farm management and 

 rural economics and sociology and to institute definite investigations 

 along these lines. In their present formative stage these matters are 

 of interest to all connected with our agricultural colleges and experi- 

 ment stations. It was therefore thought best to undertake at this 

 session of the school a general discussion of the field of teaching and 

 investigation in these lines. The result proved the wisdom of estab- 

 lishing such a course. It was largely attended, and great interest 

 was evoked by the lecturers. 



Doctor Taylor, of the University of Wisconsin, opened the course 

 with a discussion of the scope of agricultural economics and the 

 methods used in studying this subject. Afterwards he presented the 

 economic status of the American farmer and the issue betAveen the 

 farmer and the middleman. 



Doctor TTibbard, of the Iowa College, followed with a quite definite 

 treatment of agricultural cooperation and illustrated various phases 

 of the present cooperative movement by reference to the Grange and 

 to cooperative credit companies, grain elevators, and associations of 



