302 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.43 



of views as to what a project is or ought to be, and of the method of 

 carrying it out. Witli some it is a definite, limited undertaking, 

 aimed at a specific point; with others it represents a broad line or 

 even a field of work; while with still others it is a less definite 

 basis for tlie allotment of funds. Manifestly it is not a thing to be 

 standardized, but on the other hand it ought clearly to conform to 

 certain essentials as far as experience and good usage have disclosed 

 them. 



According to the dictionary, a project is an undertaking — some- 

 thing j)rojected, designed, or intended to be accomplished; a purpose, 

 a plan, a course of action marked out to attain a definite end. 



As it has come to be employed in research, it is an ordered effort at 

 the solution of a problem or the securing of exact information on a 

 particular topic; but since in practice many of the existing projects 

 are of long standing they represent a considerable variety of views 

 in their nature and range, and embody some practices which it is 

 desirable to avoid. It may be profitable to consider the more essen- 

 tial elements and attributes of the project, as applied to such condi- 

 tions as obtain in an experiment station supported by the public 

 and founded on certain expectations as to practical advantage. 



Viewed from the standpoint of research especially, leaving aside 

 the less formal or intensive types of effort, a project in agricultural 

 inquiry is first of all a scientific undertaking. It aims to advance 

 science and through it the art, and it is conducted in accordance with 

 the method of science. It is subject to the same critical test and re- 

 view that is applied to work in other branches of science. It implies 

 accuracy and precision, and completeness as far as it goes. 



Its purpose is " finding out and learning how " ; it is " to seek out 

 wisdom and the reason of things." Hence it must be dominated by 

 the spirit of inquiry. A project in research will seek to understand 

 the purport of the result — what does it mean, why is it so, and what 

 does it help us to understand? 



A research project deals with things that are fundamental — it 

 may be a rule, a principle, a law, a relationship ; something that ap- 

 plies generally or may be expected to follow under a given set of 

 conditions. It does not stop with superficial observations or facts ; 

 it aims to disclose the underlying principle or condition of relation- 

 ship. Instead of being satisfied with the purely empirical, it at- 

 tempts to trace findings back to science or theory. It does not end 

 Avith the gathering of observations and data, or those which are 

 merely comparative, but it seeks to develop basic facts and to estab- 

 lish their universality. Experimental data and routine observations 

 are means and not themselves the ends in research. They are de- 

 signed for use and it is their use which makes them a part of re- 



