17 



(2) The progress of agricultural knowledge now demands that 

 agricultural research agencies shall deal as largely as possible with 

 fundamental problems, confining attention to such as can be ade- 

 quately studied with the means available. 



(3) The work of research in agriculture should be differentiated as 

 fully as practicable, both in the form of organization and in the relations 

 of the individual investigator, from executive work, routine teaching, 

 promotion and propaganda, and should be under the immediate direc- 

 tion of an executive trained in the methods of science who should not 

 be hampered by other duties of an entirely unlike character. 



(4) The investigator should be free from all coercion whatever. 

 In reaching his conclusions he should be equally free from the prescrip- 

 tion of received opinion and the temptation to exploit his results for 

 the purpose of obtaining future support. To this end, his work should 

 be as far removed from immediate dependence upon legislation as is 

 consistent with due responsibility to the public, and his relations to 

 the public and to the organization of which he is a member should be 

 such as to promote individual initiative and not interfere with freedom 

 of conclusion or utterance on scientific questions. 



(5) There should be a clearer definition of the relative fields of 

 work of the United States Department of Agriculture and the experi- 

 ment stations. The dominance of the stations within their respective 

 fields should be preserved and their growth fostered, as agencies for the 

 investigation of local questions and of the more individual scientific 

 problems. The federal agency, on the other hand, should cultivate 

 the almost limitless field offered by questions having national or inter- 

 state relations and by those broad scientific problems requiring heavy 

 expenditures, elaborate equipment, long continued study and the corre- 

 lation of the results of many investigators, which efforts are usually 

 beyond the means of an individual station. On many questions the 

 harmonious co-operation of the two agencies is essential to the high- 

 est efficiency of effort. 



(6) Any research agency charged with a single main line of investi- 

 gation should be so organized that it may employ within itself all 

 necessary processes in any branch of science. The cooperation of any 

 or all the departments of an experiment station on a single problem, 

 when necessary, should be a fundamental requirement. 



(7) Research work, both national and state, should be provided 

 for by separate, lump-sum appropriations, to be distributed accord- 

 ing to the discretion of the responsible executive head of each agency. 



(8) Investigation into the business, economic, social and govern- 

 mental conditions affecting agriculture should be undertaken and 

 should be maintained on a permanent and effective basis. 



