178 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



Relations with American and Foreign Institutions for Agri- 

 cultural Education and Research. 



The general features of the work of the Office involved in its rela- 

 tions with American and foreign institutions for agricultural educa- 

 tion and research, in immediate charge of the Director, have remained 

 essentially as heretofore and may be conveniently described under the 

 following heads : (a) Agricultural experiment stations in the United 

 States; (b) American institutions for agricultural education; (c) Asso- 

 ciation of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations ; 

 and, (d) foreign institutions for agricultural education and research. 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. 

 ADVISORY RELATIONS WITH THE STATIONS. 



The functions of this Office in its advisory relations with the stations 

 in the different States and Territories continue to grow in importance 

 and to involve a larger amount and variety of work. The importance 

 attached to the advice and assistance of this Office in many matters 

 relating to the business of the stations is shown not only by an increase 

 in the correspondence on these subjects, but also by more frequent 

 calls for personal conferences between station officers and representa- 

 tives of this Office. Through the regular annual visitation of the 

 stations, the meetings of the Association of Agricultural Colleges and 

 Experiment Stations, and the increasing number of visits of station 

 officers to this Department the relations between this Office and the 

 stations are becoming more and more intimate. While this makes it 

 necessary to devote a larger amount of time and energy to this branch 

 of our work, it is believed that the importance of the service thus ren- 

 dered fully justifies all the attention given to it. Indeed, it would 

 undoubtedly be still more profitable if more time could be given to 

 visiting the stations and studying the problems which they respec- 

 tively have to meet. In particular, recent experience has shown that 

 it would be well if the representatives of this Office could come into 

 closer touch with the governing boards of the stations. 



If an arrangement could be made by which a representative of the 

 Office could attend at least one meeting of the board of control in each 

 State and Territory each year, it is believed that much good might 

 result. This could not, however, be accomplished without an arrange- 

 ment of our business which would involve the devotion of consid- 

 erably more time than is now taken for the visitation of the stations. 

 This would carry with it some addition to our working force. As it 

 is, the boards of control of a considerable number of our stations are 

 not thoroughly acquainted with the views of this Department regard- 

 ing the management of the stations, and do not clearly understand 

 the relations of the individual stations to the system of agricultural 

 research in this country. This is a great hindrance to the progress of 

 our stations and at present constitutes one of the most serious diffi- 

 culties in their management. 



With a view to bringing out more clearly the results of experience 

 in the planning and conducting of different lines of station work, this 

 Office proposes to take up from time to time special features of station 

 work and make a report thereon, which will bring out the different 

 methods of operation pursued at different stations. For example, 

 data are now being collected respecting the operations of the stations 



