96 BOARb OF AGRICULTURE. 



Whereas, There is a bill now ponding in Congress, called the 

 " Hatch bill," which provides for the establishment of Experiment 

 Stations, in connection with all Agricultural Colleges now or here- 

 after to be established by land grants from the United States ; 



And whereas. All Experiment Stations that are now in operation 

 by State legislation have proved of great value to the agricultural 

 interests of such States as have made appropriations for their main- 

 tenance ; therefore. 



Resolved, That the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture 

 approve the passage of said Hatch bill, provided that it be so 

 amended as to invest the Board of Control or Trustees of 

 Experiment Stations provided for by State legislation with the 

 appropriations made b}^ Congress ; also by providing that fifteen 

 per cent, of the appropriations made by the Congress of the United 

 States for the support of such Experiment Stations shall be ex- 

 pended, if needed, in conducting such experiments as the United 

 States Commissioner of Agriculture may direct. 



Resolved, That we do urge the United States Senators and Rep- 

 resentatives of Massachusetts to exert their best efforts to secure 

 the passage of said Hatch bill, with the amendments as above. 



Resolved, That our Secretary be and is hereby directed to serve 

 a copy of these Resolutions upon each United States Senator and 

 Representative from Massachusetts. 



Mr. Chairman, I move the adoption of these resolutions. 



Professor Goessmann. The Hatch bill was discussed a 

 year ago at Washington by the delegates of the Experiment 

 Stations and Agricultural Colleges, and was endorsed, with 

 some amendments. There are some objections to that bill 

 which it would be well to remove. I will point out one or 

 two. The bill provides that the Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture shall fix the price of fertilizing materials throughout 

 the country. It is impossible to give satisfaction in that 

 way ; each locality has its own price, and the local price can 

 be better determined in each particular locality than at 

 Washington. There are different prices in the Southern 

 States and the Western States from the Eastern States, and 

 to allow the Commissioner to fix the price, in my opinion, 

 would not be desirable. It would be better to leave it to the 

 local authorities. Here in New England the prices in the 

 markets of New York, Boston and Philadelphia might be 

 compared, and then the price fixed and communicated to the 



