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National Resources Planning Board 



some particular crop or particular phase of fertilizer 

 application were suggested to other colleges and agri- 

 cultural experiment stations. 



As the investigations proceeded, other interested 

 organizations — the American Society of Agricultural 

 Engineers, American Society of Agronomy, American 

 Society for Horticultural Science, and Farm Equipment 

 Institute — joined The National Fertilizer Association 

 in forming a National Joint Committee on Fertilizer 

 Application to assist in the program. The project has 

 grown from four experiments on two crops in 1929 to 

 152 experiments at 73 locations in 23 States on 29 crops 

 in 1939. Information of incalculable value to the 

 farmers of the Nation has resulted from this extensive 

 research project and has been disseminated to them 

 through all available channels. 



Governmental Research Agencies 



The Federal Government maintains a large number 

 of research laboratories from which help may be ob- 

 tained in conducting research along lines that promise 

 results redounding to the public good. For instance, 

 the laboratories of the Biu-cau of Agricultural Chemistry 

 and Engineering have been most helpful in working 

 out problems of general interest. The four new regional 

 research laboratories now under construction by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture will no doubt 

 be anxious to render similar assistance under suitable 

 cooperative arrangements. 



The Government agency most frequently called upon 

 to aid trade-association research is probably the Na- 

 tional Bureau of Standards. This agency, as its name 

 implies, is most important in standardization research, 

 but arrangements can bo made with it to supply re- 

 search associates for work on particular industrial 

 problems. More often, however, a grant in money is 

 made to the Bureau to provide funds for a specified task. 

 One particular!}' important phase of the Bureau's work 

 is the preparation and distribution of standard analyti- 

 cal samples and standard test specimens. The analyses 

 and physical properties are carefully determined by the 

 Bureau so that they can be used by individual labora- 

 tories to check the accuracy of their own methods and 

 determinations. 



For many years the National Sand and Gravel 

 Association has sponsored research in connection with 

 the use of the industry's products. Comprehensive 

 studies have been carried on concerning the size, shape, 

 porosity, and other physical characteristics of the aggre- 

 gates used in concrete, in order to determine 

 those qualities best adapted to particular types of 

 construction. 



The ever increasing importance of the construction 

 of concrete highways in the defense program of the 

 Nation undoubtedly would have made this particular 



research project one of public necessity if the trade 

 association had not already instigated it. The Public 

 Roads Administration and the Bureau of Mines are 

 Federal agencies that have cooperated extensively in 

 solving these research problems. The building indus- 

 try, the landlord, and the home-owning public have all 

 benefited in better, safer, and more economical buildings 

 as a result of this trade association research. 



Collection and Distribution of Data 



One very important research service that a trade 

 association can render to its industry and the public is 

 the collection and dissemination of research data per- 

 taining to the industry and its products. Thousands of 

 research organizations or workers are scattered over the 

 world. Often their findings are published only in some 

 foreign periodical or in some obscure or inaccessible 

 medium. Even if the work is mentioned in one of our 

 scientific abstract journals, the significance of the data 

 may be lost by an abstractor who is, himself, unfamiliar 

 ^vith the problems of the particular industry. Some 

 trade associations review all available domestic and 

 foreign publications that appear to have even remote 

 application to their industry and keep their members 

 advised of any new research data or developments that 

 seem worthy of consideration. 



In addition, experimental research agencies on occa- 

 sion make new data available even before publication. 

 Frequently the association is able to pass such informa- 

 tion on to the industry. An excellent example of this 

 type of trade-association research activity is a publica- 

 tion just issued by the Bureau of Raw Products 

 Researchof the National CanncrsAssociation. Thisbul- 

 letin of 143 pages summarizes the recent research work 

 done by all the State agricultural experiment stations 

 on all canning crops. Such subjects as cultural meth- 

 ods, varieties, fertilization, pest control and diseases are 

 included in the abstracts presented, bringing into one 

 book all the results of research along these lines from 

 the 48 stations. 



Financing Research 



The proljlem of financing a technical research pro- 

 gram for a trade association is often very difficult to solve. 

 The earlier research projects were usually financed 

 by voluntary subscriptions from the larger enterprises 

 in an industry. This sometimes proved unsatisfac- 

 tory, the donors often felt that the results should be 

 reported only to them and hence objected to noncon- 

 tributing members receiving the benefits of the research. 

 Such methods are still used in some instances, however, 

 where the contributing members have enough confidence 

 in the project to believe they will receive sufficient bene- 

 fit to warrant the expense, even though others also 

 benefit. In other cases, manufacturers of raw materials 



