CONVENTION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTUKAL COLLEGES. 881 



considered tlie .subject from the standpdint (if ( 1 ) insuniiice against failure, and (2) 

 securing maxinuim yields, as applied to humid regions and those of deficient rainfall. 

 The advantage of supplemental irrigation as a means of securing greater diversifica- 

 tion of crops was pointed out, and the quantities of water applied as related to the 

 kinds of (toi)s produced and the system of farming pursued were discussed. 



A pajjer on Experiments in Animal ]^reeding was read by F. B. Mumford, who 

 pointed out the m-ed of experiments where all the conditions can be controlled. He 

 gave illustrations of the kind of problems that needed to be studied in animal breed- 

 ing, among others questions of prepotency, an investigation of which should form the 

 foundation of the study of principles of breeding. Mendel's law, although it has 

 received much attention from plant breeders, has not been demonstrated as far as 

 animals are concerned. The need of a standard of measurements was pointed out, 

 and birth weight was suggested as perhaps coming nearer to representing the effect 

 of breeding than any other known standard. Experiments on the birth weight of 

 land)s were briefly mentionetl, whic-h showed that the size and breed of the male had 

 no relation to the birth weight, l)ut that the latter was intimately associated with 

 the weight of the female. A heavy birth weight was found to be intimately asso- 

 ciated with vigor, thrift, rapid growth after birth, and early maturity of the lambs. 

 If this is found to hold true the result is thought to be a very important one. The 

 studies are being continued. 



A paper on the same subject sent by C. 8. Plumb was read by title owing to the 

 lateness of the hour. 



SECTION ON HORTICULTURE AND BOTANY. 



In the absence of the chairman, H. L. Bolley, the sessions were presided over by 

 J. C. Arthur. 



Several papers dealt with the teaching of botany and horticulture in the agricul- 

 tural course. L. H. Pammel, in a paper on Botany in the Agricultural Course, 

 referred to the botanical work provided for in the syllabus for agronomy of the com- 

 mittee on methods of teaching agriculture, and reviewed the courses of required 

 botany in various agricultural colleges and other institutions. He recommended 

 that special courses in botany should be provided, as preparatory to courses in 

 theoretical botany and the practical application of botany to horticulture and other 

 sciences. 



F. A. Woods presented, for the committee on courses in botany, an outline of a 

 course in elementary botany, together with some suggestions as to more advanced 

 courses. This conunittee was continued, and was directed to fornuilate its courses 

 in reference to cognate courses on economic lines. The appointment of a committee 

 to act in conjunction with this committee and to report courses of study in horti- 

 culture was also authorized. 



The Foundation of Agricultural Teaching was the subject of a paper by H. Metcalf, 

 in which it was contended that a few subjects pursued for a long period give better 

 results than a larger number of topics covered in the same time. The speaker believed 

 that agricultural botany should be developed to occupy as important a position in an 

 agricultural course as mathematics does in mechanical or civil engineering. Plant 

 production being the object of agronomy, plant life should be the j^rimary study and 

 economic ])lantH should be the ones studied before all others. It was believed that 

 botany should be extended over the 4 years of the college course, even if the amount 

 of time devoted to it each year was relatively small. 



In a paper on Methods of Practical Instruction in Horticulture, H. L. Hutt described 

 the instruction in horticulture at the Ontario Agri(!ultural College, which includes 

 fruit growing, gardening, floriculture, and landscape gardening. Instruction is by 

 means of lectures, laboratory work, lil^rary work, observation excursions, and prac- 

 tical work in the orchard and garden. Each of these methods of instruction waa 



