CONVENTION OF COLLEGES AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 409 



part of our general educational system. The desirability of enlarg- 

 ing the work of the Bureau of Education in its relation to the land- 

 grant colleges was urged and the need of a central office for the pro- 

 motion of various forms of vocational education was pointed out. 



On invitation of the association, T, C. Atkeson, representing the 

 National Grange, addressed the convention, discussing rural condi- 

 tions in general and the relation of the work of the association and 

 Ihe Grange to the improvement of these conditions. A committee 

 of three, consisting of J. L. Snyder, D, W. Working, and H, T. 

 French, was appointed to visit the Grange, then in session in Wash- 

 ington, 



A. C, True of this Office submitted a brief report for the special 

 committee on history of agriculture, reporting progress in collect- 

 ing data on this subject and asking the cooperation of the agricul- 

 tural colleges. 



The chief feature of the report of the bibliographer, A. C. True, 

 was a statement by the Superintendent of Documents, W. L. Post, 

 on the volume and character, and his methods of handling, cata- 

 loguing, and distributing government documents. The unfortunate 

 confusion and lack of permanency as regards designated depositories 

 for such documents was explained. Sale, at moderate prices, rather 

 than gratuitous distribution of government documents, except to 

 libraries, institutions of learning, and collaborators, was advocated. 

 " We want all the libraries, colleges, and schools to understand that 

 we stand ready to assist them in procuring either the information 

 contained or the public document itself; that our services to them are 

 entirely free and willingly bestowed, as are also the books when in 

 stock; and that their interest in our methods and their friendly co- 

 operation are what we need in order to continue to develop our plan 

 of a clearing house for government publications, and a bureau of 

 information regarding their contents," 



The standing committee on instruction in agriculture reported 

 progre:^;s of its subcommittee on domestic economy and gave an out- 

 line of a course in rural engineering prepared by another subcom- 

 mittee. 



The report of the standing committee on extension work made the 

 follow ing recommendations, which Avere approved by the association : 



(1) "That each institution represented in this association organize 

 as soon as possible a definite scheme of extension work in agriculture;" 



(2) " that the association favor increased appropriations for the 

 United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of making 

 investigations into all phases of the work of disseminating agricul- 

 tural information, and of assisting the States in every practicable way 

 to organize the work inider the best auspices;" (3) " we strongly urgQ 



05023— No. 5—09 2 



