OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 195 



meetings is increasing and appropriations are becoming more liberal. 

 Indiana's appropriation for the current year is double what it was last 

 year; Montana has made its first appropriation for institutes, 12,000; 

 Tennessee, Maryland, and Missouri have increased their appropria- 

 tions by 11,000 to 82,000 a year, and other States have made minor 

 changes for the improvement of their institute systems. 



The farmers' institute movement has now reached such a stage of 

 its development as makes it apparent that the comparatively simple 

 methods liitherto followed in the organization and maintenance of the 

 institutes are not adequate for an enterprise of such magnitude as 

 this has become. Many problems regarding better organization and 

 further development of the institutes liave arisen, the solution of 

 which will require much study involving the comparison of methods 

 employed in different States and countries. In its national and inter- 

 national aspects there is room for much useful work by this Depart- 

 ment, which may well aid in this as in other movements for the edu- 

 cation of our farmers and the improvement of our agriculture. As 

 the farmers' institutes are already closely identified with our agricul- 

 tural colleges and experiment stations, it seems to me that it would be 

 entirely proper for this Office as the central agency for the promotion 

 of the interests of these institutions to also undertake the active promo- 

 tion of the interests of the farmers' institutes. In this way the Depart- 

 ment might accomplish much useful work in aiding to extend the 

 institutes to regions where they have not liitherto been held, to 

 strengthen the movement where it is weak, and to secure more effi- 

 cient organization where its value is already appreciated by the peo- 

 ple. I have therefore recommended (see p. 1 77) that Congress be asked 

 for an appropriation of $5,000 to enable this Office to undertake this 

 w^ork. For this i)urpose there should be attached to this Office an 

 officer who can devote his time to conferring with the institute man- 

 agers in the different States, attending representative institutes in 

 different parts of the country, studying the problems of institute 

 organization at home and abroad, and giving advice and assistance 

 wherever opportunity offers. 



ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES AND EXPERI- 

 MENT STATIONS. 



The fourteenth annual convention of this association was held at 

 New Haven and Middletown, Conn., November 13-15, 1900. The 

 Director of this Office was a delegate and was also reelected bibliog- 

 rapher of tlie association. The Office was further represented by the 

 assistant director, Dr. E. W. Allen. The stenographic report of the 

 proceedings w^as prepared under the supervision of the Director, and 

 has since been edited by him and Mr, W. IT. Beal, of this Office, and 

 the chairman of the executive committee of the association, and issued 

 as Bulletin No. 99. 



The committee on the collective experiment station exhibit at the 

 Pan-American Exposition made its final report, in which it was recom- 

 mended that the exhibit be kept intact and installed as a permanent 

 exhibit at some place in the city of Washington. 



Reports were made by the committees on methods of teaching agri- 

 culture, indexing agricultural literature, and graduate study at Wash- 

 ington, D. C. Tlie Director of this Office has performed a consider- 

 able amount of work during tlie past year as a member of the four 

 committees above mentioned. 



