CONVENTION OJ^ AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. 409 



work; that in undertaking such work the autonomy of the stations 

 should be preserved, and the arrangements made between the stations, 

 as such, and the Department, as such, instead of through individuals; 

 that the cost of cooperation should be borne jointly by the station and 

 the Department; that the results of the investigation should be avail- 

 able to both institutions, priority of publication being a matter of 

 mutual agreement at the outset, and that reasonable mutual assurance 

 should be given of continuance until the work undertaken is completed. 

 "Your committee deems it very desirable that independent work be 

 not undertaken in the several States by the Department without the 

 knowledge of the station or consultation with the station, particularly 

 along lines of investigation in which the State station is engaged. 

 Whenever cooperation with practical men in the States is desired by 

 the Department in investigations, it is suggested that the State station 

 be the agency through which such cooperation is conducted." 



The day spent at Middletown was especially interesting and enjoy- 

 able. A general session was held in the chapel of Weslej'^an University 

 in the forenoon, at which the delegates were welcomed by President 

 Bradford Raymond, and interesting papers presented by W. H. Jordan 

 on American agricultv^ral experiment stations, and by W. O. Atwatcr 

 on the History of the Connecticut experiment stations. Lunch was 

 served in the gymnasium, after which the Atwater-Rosa respii-ation 

 calorimeter was viewed in operation and explained by Professor Atwater 

 and his assistants. Section meetings were held during the afternoon, 

 following which an informal reception was tendered the delegates at 

 Professor Atwater's residence. 



In his paper on the American stations Dr. Jordan reviewed the rise 

 and rapid growth of the experiment-station movement in this country, 

 and, after enumerating piany of the more important results of the 

 work of the stations, considered their general organization and the 

 relations of station workers to the colleges in the matter of teaching. 

 He pointed out ver}^ forcibl}^ the evils resulting to station work from 

 requiring excessive college duties, and urged the necessity for "a 

 station director who is that and nothing more. In the multitudinous 

 duties of administration, in the broad relations which he should sustain 

 with the agriculture of the State, in deciding upon the most useful 

 lines of work, in the sympathetic attitude of encouragement and if 

 possible of inspiration which he should maintain toward his associates, 

 there is abundant opportunity for the full exercise of the largest 

 ability and the most untiring energy. If there is any official in our 

 land-grant colleges other than the president who should not be halved, 

 it is the station director." He then considered the character of work 

 being conducted by the stations, as judged by their publications, 

 deploring the fact brought out that 41 per cent of the pages of the 

 bulletins issued in 1898 and 1890 "had no other purpose than the 



