STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 350 



OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



E. W. Allex, Chief. 



The Office of Experiment Stations continued to exercise its three- 

 fold function of administration, advice, and publication, with 

 reference to the experiment stations in the States sharing in the 

 Federal appropriations for experimentation and research in agricul- 

 ture. In discharging this function it not only exercised supervision 

 of the work and expenditures of the stations in order that the intent 

 of the Federal laws might be realized, but it aimed to stimulate and 

 assist the activity intended to be promoted by these laws. This >yas 

 done as heretofore by maintaining close contact with, the stations 

 through annual visits to the stations, correspondence, and the edi- 

 torial pages of Experiment Station Record. 



The publication activity of the office was represented by an annual 

 report to Congress on the work and expenditures of the State and 

 insular stations, the issue of Experiment Station Record, and the 

 preparation of the card index of American experiment-station liter- 

 ature, which has been in progress for nearly 30 years. 



RELATIONS WITH THE STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The needs arising under war conditions brought the work of the 

 State experiment stations and of this department and other Federal 

 and State agencies into closer and more intimate relationship, giving 

 rise to numerous cooperative endeavors. The stations were called 

 upon for unusual forms of service, which often required interpreta- 

 tion of the Federal acts in relation to such use of the funds. Under 

 the circumstances as liberal an attitude was followed as was felt to 

 be warranted, and in general it was maintained that as far as the 

 Federal funds were concerned the stations should continue to retain 

 their character of institutions for investigation and its interpretation 

 in practice. 



The disturbing influences of war conditions had a noticeable effect 

 upon the stations and their work. Aside from the unusual demands 

 upon them for various forms of service, they experienced considerable 

 difficulty in maintaining their staffs, heavily drawn upon for the 

 Army and for other work incident to the war. The reduction in the 

 total of station officers and assistants, even taking into account the 

 replacements, amounted to more than 15 per cent during the period 

 of the war. This unavoidably had an unfavorable effect on the sta- 

 tion work, leading in some cases to the abandonment for the time 

 being or modification of lines of study for which suitable workers 

 could not be secured. 



New administrative officers entered upon their work during the 

 year at several of the colleges and stations, and in a number of in- 

 stances the stations were in charge of acting directors during the ab- 

 sence of the station head on war-emergency or reconstruction duties. 

 Such changes, together with changes in the station personnel, called 

 for special attention to the details of administrative management and 

 policy, the proper safeguarding of the organization and the employ- 

 ment of funds, assistance in filling vacancies, and the like. 



The register of persons available for agricultural investigation 

 maintained by the office was of special value to the stations in se- 



