68 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



are both teachers and station workers is given to teaching ; 

 that an average of sixty-four public addresses was given 

 yearly by the staff of each station ; and, in general, that the 

 effort of investigation is being to some extent, at least, 

 buried in the effort of instruction. The comments upon this 

 report by the U. S. Office of Experiment Stations in a sub- 

 sequent number of the Experiment Station Record were to 

 my mind so able and convincing that I desire to present 

 them to you. 



Certainly the Hatch act makes it very plain that the prime 

 business of the stations is to investigate. Now, the investigator 

 may easily add to his primary functions those of a secondary 

 character, and act as a teacher, lecturer or ready-reference-infor- 

 mation monger. The real question is, how far can he go in this 

 secondary business without injuring his ability and success as an 

 investigator? After careful inquiry and personal examination of 

 the conditions existing at our stations, we are prepared to answer 

 this question so far at least as to affirm without fear of successful 

 contradiction that the investigator cannot act so much as teacher, 

 lecturer and information monger as he is actually doing at many 

 of our stations, without seriously impairing his usefulness as an 

 investigator. Four or five hours a week in the class room or 

 laboratory with advanced students may be a most inspiring thing 

 for a station investigator, but it is a far different matter when he 

 must follow the routine of more or less elementary instruction in 

 some general science twelve or fifteen hours a week. In the 

 latter case he will be a rare man indeed who is not so wearied 

 by his duties as a teacher that he will not be able to do his best 

 work as an investigator. He may accomplish considerable useful 

 work for the station, but it will probably be of comparatively low 

 grade. A half dozen lectures and quizzes at farmers' institutes 

 in a season may correct the theories of investigators, and reveal 

 to them in a new light the real problems of the farmers ; but a 

 three months' campaign in the lecture field is most likely to 

 seriously diminish the stock of energy which is necessary to solve 

 these problems by experimental inquiry, and seriously interferes 

 with planning and work. An occasional letter or leaflet on some 

 familiar topic, to satisfy the earnest desire of the fai'mer corre- 

 spondent for live information, may refresh our investigator's 

 mental powers, but the dull grind of a voluminous correspondence 

 or popular composition will most surely sap his alertness in the 

 pursuit of new truth. 



