EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. XXXII. January, 1915. No. 1. 



The annual convention of the agricultural colleges and experiment 

 stations is always an event of national importance, for it concerns 

 the welfare of a system of public-service institutions representing 

 every State, and bearing an unusually close relation to the people. 

 But the convention of 1914 was of uncommon significance, marking 

 as it did the beginning of a great new phase of their work, which for 

 the time being naturally occupied the center of the stage. It was 

 essentially an extension convention, considering not only the scope, 

 purpose, and methods of that division of activity, but its relation- 

 ships to the other agricultural work and other agencies. 



The new extension work has brought with it, not only an enlarged 

 field of operation but many incidental changes and adjustments, 

 which make its effect far-reaching. "^^Hiile it is a type of teaching, 

 it involves new methods and new relationships, and hence it con- 

 cerns the college organization as a whole, its attitude, and its out- 

 side connections and influence. The people are its pupils, and the 

 benefit to them will be proportional to the extent to which they are 

 led to enter into the new enterprise. 



Another new or closer relation developing out of this latest expan- 

 sion is that with the Federal Department of Agriculture, which was 

 a matter of comment at the meeting. Thus, the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture in his address before the convention spoke of the increasing 

 realization of the unity of interests of the Department and the agri- 

 cultural colleges, the widened opportunities for cooperative service, 

 and the additional responsibilities incurred. And the president of 

 the association in referring to the matter said : " The chief importance 

 of the new policy of the Department of Agriculture in its relations 

 with these colleges is the recognition that this national institution, 

 founded also in 1862 primarily for research and instruction in agri- 

 culture, is reall}^ a part of our national system of agricultural educa- 

 tion, represented in the States by the land-grant colleges, and that 

 therefore it should work not alongside of them but in close interlock- 

 ing alliance with them." 



These things all contributed new lines of interest to the Washing- 

 ton meeting, and served to give it unusual importance. The dis- 



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