Pb REPORT OF 'THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
to be met with in adjusting beet machinery to the uses of the sor- 
ghum plant and in the manipulation of its juices as in any other 
radical change. However many mistakes were made, however much 
sacrifice of time and money and thought were involved, whoever may 
be entitled to criticisms for temporary failures or plaudits for suc- 
cesstul experiments, one thing seems sufficiently assured to outweigh 
all other considerations as to how the victory was accomplished, 2. e., 
the solution at last of the problems which are involved in the eco- 
nomical and successful manufacture of sugar from sorghum. It is 
yet too early to make to you an official report of the results, in de- 
tail, of the present year’s experiments in this direction, but enough 
is known already, I think, to enable this country to anticipate, at an 
carly day, the production of a sugar supply from a plant as easy of 
cultivation as corn, but little circumscribed by climatic influences, 
and one whose by-products have a value equal to the cost of raising. 
In my first annual report I referred to the gratifying results of a 
convention, composed of delegates from agricultural colleges and ex- 
periment stations, called by me for the purpose of developing a sys- 
tem for the unification of the results of experiments and reports by 
them. The succeeding year i devoted a goodly space in my report 
to you to a survey of the field of experimental agriculture. Iam 
happy to say that Congress, at its last session, enacted a law provid- 
ing for governmental aid in this direction, through the respective 
experiment stations of the country, and another meeting of the dele- 
gates referred to was held at this Department in October last, to dis- 
cuss the adaptation of the measure to the respective stations and to 
agree upon a uniform plan of operation. The meeting was an emi- 
nently successful one; it was fully reported for the Department, and 
its proceedings will be published as a special report. The result of 
the meeting was moreover a most gratifying outcome of my efforts 
to establish relations which ought long ago to have existed between 
this Department-and the several colleges and stations. Happily the 
bill in question will result in much good, and much more can be ac- 
complished if Congress will recognize the necessity, which has become 
quite imperative xi this stage in the progress of scientific experiment 
in aid of practical agriculture, of the establishment, under the im- 
mediate supervision of this Department, of a central experiment 
station, with proper accessories, for the investigation of questions 
affecting large areas, and such as relate to the whole country. This 
should constitute, in connection with a properly organized clerical 
force, a division of the Department, charged with the duty of collat- 
ing and consolidating the main resulis of work of all experiment 
stations, of co-ordinating their work, and disseminating the resuits 
obtained, and of presenting also the results of similar research in 
other countries. J] recommend the establishment of such a station 
and division in this Department. 
