CONVENTION OF ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL 

 COLLEGES AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 1908. 



The twenty-second annual convention of the association, held at 

 Washington November 18-20. 1908. was characterized by good at- 

 tendance and by an unusually interesting programme of papers, ad- 

 dresses, reports, and discussions. Over 200 delegates and visitors 

 representing 48 States and Territories were in attendance. Among 

 the visitors in attendance to whom the privileges of the floor were 

 granted were F. B. Smith, Director of the Department of Agriculture 

 of the Transvaal, Pretoria, South Africa ; G. C. Creelman and C. A. 

 Zavitz, of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario, Can- 

 ada ; J. W. Eobertson, of McDonald College, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, 

 Province of Quebec, Canada ; Edwin Hall, Secretary Auckland Agri- 

 cultural Association, Auckland, New Zealand; and M. C. Rankin, 

 Acting Commissioner of Agriculture of Kentucky. The large attend- 

 ance was due in part to the fact that a number of other agricultural 

 organizations, including Farmers' Institute Workers, National Asso- 

 ciation of State Universities, Society for the Promotion of Agricul- 

 tural Science, American Society of Agronomy, and National Grange, 

 were in session, and that the Country Life Commission held several 

 hearings in Washington at the same time. 



GENERAL SESSIONS. 



The general sessions were presided over by President J. L. Snyder, 

 Avho, in his presidential address, discussed Agriculture and Democ- 

 racy, laying emphasis especially upon the relation of agriculture to 

 other productive industries and the dependence of other industries 

 upon agriculture. He pointed out that agriculture fosters a spirit of 

 true democracy and developes character and provides conditions which 

 are the true measure of the greatness of a nation. The growing needs 

 of the future must be met by increased production by lands already 

 under cultivation, not by increase of productive area. With the 

 present rate of increase of population every State in the Union must 

 practically double production within 50 years. Our democracy de- 

 pends upon thus increasing production. Provisions for the main- 

 tenance of agencies for promoting agricultural production are there- 

 fore contributions to democracy, and this does not concern the farmer 

 alone but every citizen of the Commonwealth. The scope and activi- 

 ties of educational agencies such as the agricultural colleges and the 

 Department of Agriculture should be enlarged to meet the needs indi- 

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