374 ANKUAL REPORT 



CO-OPERATIVE EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 



a plan for which I wish to outline to you, and if it meets your appro- 

 val, to give it your endorsement and support. 



I would propose the selection of one or more persons in each county 

 in the State who are well qualified to undertake the work in their 

 special lines of agriculture and horticulture, who should be invited to 

 become correspondents and observers for the central experiment sta- 

 tion. To these assistants the station would furnish free of cost col- 

 lections of seeds, plants and cuttings, for trial and dissemination in 

 their several localities, instruments for making observations of tem- 

 perature and rainfall, blanks and instructions for their reports, and 

 such other assistance as might be required, only asking in return that 

 they would render a report of their work and send back to the station 

 any new varieties of trees, plants or shrubs, which they might find in 

 their sections of the State for further examination and distribution. 

 Those reports would be collected and arranged by the scientific force 

 at the central station and published for the benefit of the whole State. 

 Such in brief is the plan I would propose for the organization of this 

 experimental work. Does it meet your approval? 



President Elliot. We will take up this subject this afternoon. Dif- 

 ferent ideas are entertained in regard to this work. Let us take time 

 to consider this matter and give it such endorsement as we think it 

 best to give. 



The meeting then adjourned till 1 o'clock p. m. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Friday, Jan. 20, 1888. 



The meeting was called to order at 1 o'clock p. m. by President 

 Elliot. 



Mr. Smith moved as the sense of this Society that the plan of co- 

 operative experimentation, as outlined by Prof. Porter, be heartily 

 approved, and that we pledge him our i.ctive assistance and support. 



Mr. Cutler. Mr. President, I think it would be well enough for the 

 Society to understand this question before voting upon it. There are 

 some matters in reference to it that I don't fully understand. If this 

 money is to be expen-led it seems to me it ought to be used so that every 

 part of the State will receive the benefit, and if there is to be a divis- 

 ion of the work why should not the fund be divided? I understand 



