842 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



u«;eiK-i('s; iiiid, on the other hand, directions arc g"iveii for funiisliinir 

 duplicate's of iiiodcls of fruits and vcj^cta])lc's to tlio stations as far as 

 pi-ac(i(iil)i('. for standardizini^- the naiuino- of varieties of cereals as a 

 ))asis for the ^Nork of the stations, for mailing the results of work in 

 ti()))ical agriculture available to the work of the stations, for aiding 

 in disseminating the I'csults of the stations' work by farmers"' institutes, 

 and for assisting the agricultural colleges and experiment stations in 

 disseminating Information on road ])uilding. 



The increasing need of larger funds for the stations is emphasized 

 bv the rapidly increasing funds of tlie Department for its work in 

 various lines, and the frequent inabilit}' of the stations with their 

 present funds to <30operate with the Department in extending its 

 work in their States, 



The interests of the Department and the experiment station,^ are 

 bound together by a connnon cause and a unity of purpose, which 

 places them in a position of reciprocal helpfulness. That this is appre- 

 ciated b}^ Congress is evidenced by the Avording of the appropriation 

 act, which suggests a closer bond of union than is indicated by the 

 Hatch Act. 



The establishment of a central experiment station in Cuba marks 

 the beginning of agricultural investigation in that island. Thus far 

 practically nothing has been done in the line of experimentation in 

 any branch of agriculture, and the conditions are in many respects 

 exceedingly primitive. Thi; modern methods of agriculture asTclated 

 to animal production, crop production, and soil fertility are practi- 

 cally unknown, and very little has been pu))lished regarding the plant 

 diseases of Cuba, which are numerous and troublesome. The move- 

 ment to establish sj'stematic experiments and investigation has come as 

 the result of a real need and of faith in the methods which have been 

 productive of such far-reaching results in this and other countries. 



The new station is located at Santiago de las Vegas, in Havana Prov- 

 ince, about twelve miles from the city of Havana. It is under the 

 general supervision of the secretary of public works, who is now also 

 acting secretary of agriculture, the secretary of agriculture appointed 

 when the department was established a few years ago having resigned. 

 The director of the station is Prof. F. S. Earle, late of the Kew York 

 Botanic Gardens, who has been associated with the work of the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry of this Department, and the experiment stations in 

 Mississippi and Alal)ama. Professor Earle brings to his work excep- 

 tional iitness for the direction of agricultural investigation in the 

 tropics, and a thorough knowledge of the methods of the experiment 

 stations of this country'. 



The station is located on a tract of 180 acres of land which is old 

 and worn, ])ut in nian}'^ respects is typical in character. The place was 

 origintdly a Spanish l)arracks, and has a large stone building with 



