6 EXPEBIMENT STATIOX RECOED. 



of information through publications. In addition to the thirtY-t"wo 

 volumes of the Record, the many farmers* bulletins, special lists, 

 indexes, reports, etc., already referred to, nearly three hundred buUe- 

 tLQs, mainly of a scientific and technical nature, one hundred and 

 twenty-five circulars, and many other documents of miscellaneous 

 nature have already appeared. 



Considerable attention has been given from the first to means for 

 bringing to public notice the "work of the stations as a whole. An 

 extensive collective exhibit of the methods and results of experiment 

 station work was prepared for the World's Columbian Exposition 

 in Chicago, in 1893, and a similar exhibit for most of the subse- 

 quent expositions in this country, as well as for the Paris Exposition 

 of 1900. In connection with these expositions much bibliographical 

 material relating to the stations has been collected and published by the 

 Office, such as Bulletin 15, a handbook of experiment station work; 

 Bulletin 80, an elaborate report on the history and status of each 

 station in the United States; and Bulletin 112, a similar report on 

 the experiment stations in foreign countries. 



One of the first projects to be undertaken was the assembling of the 

 library of station publications, now believed to be the most complete 

 collection of these publications in existence. A collection has also 

 been attempted of the books published by college and experiment 

 station workers, with a view to illustrating the marked influence of 

 these institutions in this direction. 



With each succeeding year the Office has come into more intimate 

 relations with the various experiment stations as regards the super- 

 vision of their expenditures from federal funds, and in an advisory 

 capacity with their general management and development. An an- 

 nual inspection has been made of ^ach station since 1894. Following 

 the passage of the Adams Act in 1906, the duties of the Office in 

 relation to the use by the stations of the federal funds were much 

 increased. Inasmuch as the legality of the expenditures is so largely 

 dependent upon the character of the investigation, the supervi- 

 sion of the funds becomes in a large measure a supervision of the 

 investigations and experiments as far as their character, original 

 features, and continuity are concerned. The passage of the Smith- 

 Lever Act in 1911 added similar duties as to the administration of 

 funds for extension work. 



The Office has also conducted negotiations between the various 

 bureaus of the Department and the stations with reference to the 

 large amount of cooperative work which has been undertaken, and 

 has likewise exerted its influence through the Association of Ameri- 

 can Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations and a large num- 



