EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. XII. No. 10. 



The question of the establishment of experimental farms in connec- 

 tion with the experiment stations is being- ag-itated to considerable 

 extent in Germany. This plan of carrying on a small farm in connec- 

 tion with the station, where field and feeding experiments are conducted 

 on a more or less practical scale, is referred to as the "American sys- 

 tem." Sev^eral years ago Professor Maercker, of the Halle Station, 

 made a tour of the American stations, and was much impressed with 

 the value of the farm portion of the station equipment as an accessory 

 means of studying certain problems closely related to practice, and of 

 verifying and testing the practical application of laboratory inves- 

 tigations. 



The Lauchstildt Experimental Farm, which is connected with the 

 Halle Station, is an outgrowth of Professor Maercker's American 

 trip, and is the only German representative of the so-called American 

 system. This farm was started about five years ago. In addition to 

 its fields and plats, where experiments in culture, fertilizing, and 

 management of field crops are carried on, it has a herd of cattle which 

 are used for feeding and dairy experiments. Several annual reports 

 of its operations have been reviewed in the Record as they appeared. 

 The farm has evidently attracted a good deal of attention in Germany 

 during the few years it has l)een in operation, and has appealed 

 strongly not only to practical farmers and agriculturists, but to higher 

 officials as well. 



As is generally known, the German stations do not have any con- 

 siderable area of land or conduct what we understand as field experi- 

 ments, except as they may do so in cooperation with farmers, their 

 culture work being carried on for the most part in vegetation pots or 

 small plats and quite restricted. The same is true of their feeding 

 experiments, which are made with a small number of animals and 

 usually cover only short periods. While their strictly scientific experi- 

 ments have taught us much regarding the nutrition of annuals and 

 the utilization of food, as well as the methods of investigation, their 

 more practical experiments must be regarded as quite inferior in point 

 of method to their research work. 



The Lauchstadt Experimental P^irm was in a sense a new departure 

 in experiment station work in Germany. Although it has been in 



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