Committee any preponderating sentiment one way or the other. 

 At most, one-half of the votes could be counted as favoring in a 

 general way the amendment proposed. About one-third were 

 opposed and some responses made new proposals without com- 

 mitting the authors definitely to any program. In general it 

 may be said that the method proposed by the resolution above 

 cited brought to the Executive Committee very little information 

 or guidance. After correspondence and some discussion at a 

 meeting held in Washington, June 30th, it was agreed that the 

 Chairman of the Committee should prepare a report and print 

 it for distribution at the meeting, August llth. 



This report is therefore submitted with a definite understanding 

 that the Chairman alone is to be held responsible for its contents 

 since it was impracticable to submit it for amendment and approval 

 to the several members. 



I. SOME HISTORICAL DATA. 



The Honorable Norman J. Colman, Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture under date of May 6th, 1885, issued a call for the first 

 convention which assembled in Washington July 8, 1885. At 

 this convention there were present representatives of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Boards of Agriculture, the Agricultural 

 Press, persons representing agriculture in foreign countries, the 

 Agricultural Colleges, the Experiment Stations and individual 

 delegates representing agricultural interests, in all seventy-eight 

 persons. This convention of delegates made provision for per- 

 petuating the existence of the body not yet organized under a 

 definite plan. 



In the proceedings of the Second Annual Convention of the 

 Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment 

 Stations held at Knoxville, Tenn., January 1, 2, and 3, 1889, 

 there appears a brief Constitution. In the Proceedings of the 

 third Annual Convention held in Washington, November 12-15, 

 1889, the Constitution appears with an amendment providing 

 for permanent committees. The following sentences are quoted 

 from the Constitution: "The Association shall be organized into 

 permanent committees upon the several classes of special subjects, 

 the consideration of which shall become desirable. Provision 

 shall be made in the programme for conferences of each of the 

 Committees, either simultaneously or consecutively as the Execu- 



