332 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



be an educational function and to belong properly to the extension 

 departments of the colleges. Prof. T. F. Hunt urged that more atten- 

 tion should be given to the study of agricultural economics, so that 

 there will be a better basis for advice as to business methods and man- 

 agement on the farm. 



Prof. W. J. Spillman maintained that the purpose of demonstration 

 farms should be to teach profitable methods of farming, based upon 

 scientific investigations and the experience of successful farmers. 

 Demonstration work is a necessary supplement of the present system 

 of investigation and dissemination. He briefly explained some features 

 of the work of the Department in farm management. Dr. H. P. 

 Armsby warned against encouraging exaggerated expectations on the 

 part of farmers from experiment station work. The farmer should 

 be encouraged as far as possible to work out the problem of farm 

 management for himself, a view which was concurred in by others. 



A report on the federation of agricultural organizations in different 

 States of the Union was submitted by Dr. H. J. Wheeler. This 

 paper showed that in 12 States federation has already been secured and 

 that other States are contemplating federation. The report was 

 accepted and the committee continued. 



A preliminary report on the unification of terms for reporting 

 analytical results was submitted b} T Dr. C. Cx. Hopkins, chairman of 

 the committee on this subject. The report contained unanimous 

 recommendations with regard to terms to be used in reporting analyses 

 of feeding stuffs, foods, sugars : and insecticides, but the committee 

 was unable to agree as to terms to be used in soil and fertilizer analy- 

 sis, the disagreement being with regard to the use, proposed b} r Dr. 

 Hopkins, of the " element" system of nomenclature. 



Prof. H. Snyder presented the report of the committee on testing 

 cereals, which noted the limited character of the literature relating to 

 the testing of wheat and flour for industrial purposes, and discussed 

 briefly some of the factors which have been shown to control flour 

 yield and bread-making quality. Flour yields have been shown to 

 be directly proportional to weight per bushel, but bread-making qual- 

 ity does not follow the same rule. Color and hardness are controlling 

 factors in determining commercial value of wheat for milling pur- 

 poses. There are many unsettled points in connection with the rela- 

 tion of the amount and character of the protein to bread-making qual- 

 ity. The committee proposes to take up first methods of preparing 

 flour for test. The report was accepted and the committee continued. 



The main general topic proposed for discussion by the section at the 

 next convention was Animal Nutrition, but the opinion seemed to gen- 

 erally prevail that the officers of the section and the programme com- 

 mittee should be left free to change the topics if contingencies should 

 arise which would make it desirable to do so. 



