1889.] MICEOSCOPICAL JOUKNAL. 117 



EDITORIAL. 



Agricultural Experiment Stations. — These institutions are be- 

 ginning to make themselves heard in reports, some of which are of 

 practical value to agriculturists and others will delight the specialists 

 who clamor for " original research." Some of the matter published is 

 not entirely new and some that is new will interest only specialists. 

 Now all this is well enough. We have seen no bulletins that were 

 worthless nor deserving of ridicule, since it is to be remembered that 

 the agriculturists themselves are the ones to be most benefited. It is 

 entirely proper to refresh their minds or to teach them anew some 

 things that have been long known to a few scholars or experts. 



The constituency in one state will need more rudimentary instruction 

 than that in some other state. We must therefore not pronounce too 

 hastily upon the reports issued. 



Although it is entirely fair to expect abstract research at each station, 

 it is not to be regretted if the workers keep the practical and economic 

 questions to the front and endeavor first of all to supply the agricultur- 

 ists' needs, be it in a way that interests specialists or be it disgusting to 

 them. The people's money is being used and the people (not the 

 scientists) are the ones to be most benefited. 



These stations were established not with the primary view of ad- 

 vancing biology, botany, chemistry, or other sciences. Incidentally 

 they will sooner or later make acceptable contributions to our knowl- 

 edge there is no doubt, but their primary function is economic. They 

 are to be serviceable to farmers first of all in their task of coining money 

 out of the soil. They must economically prove their right to exist, and 

 to do this must meet first of all the demands of agriculturists. Now, 

 if people who are not in contact with economic questions but who are 

 absorbed in botany, biology, and chemistry, as taught in the schools, 

 undertake to criticise the work of these stations from their personal 

 horizon, they will be in danger of saying some very unjust and unkind 

 things. Furthermore, as they have access to the columns of scientific 

 periodicals, they can create an amount of feeling entirely injurious to 

 the cause. One such man, skilled in the methods of the press, may 

 accomplish more than the thousand farmers might accomplish if they 

 felt that their interests were neglected. Which, then, would the station 

 people listen to, — the scientific specialists clamoring for abstract re- 

 search, who can do much harm if they do not get it, or the multitude 

 of agriculturists who are not so able to assert their rights? We sin- 

 cerely trust that it may not come squarely to such an alternative and that 

 our scientific friends will give the stations a fair chance to carry out the 

 purposes of the Hatch law, and that they will avoid every suspicion of 

 there being a feeling of jealousy or lack of confidence on the part of 

 those outside the stations against those who are inside. 



The Relation of Bacteria to Puerperal Fever. — A very inter- 

 esting paper with the above title, by Dr. F. S. Johnson, is published 

 in the Western Medical Reporter for March, 1S89. From it we 

 gather that the phenomena of puerperal fever may be produced by the 

 ravages of either the streptococcus erysipelatosus, or streptococcus 

 pyogenes aureus. 



