STATE BOAED OF AGRICULTURE 165 



relinquisliment of outside activities his health was not 

 fully restored. 



In 1872, the time seeming to have arrived when 

 organized effort for the establishment of experiment 

 stations in this country might meet with success, Pro- 

 fessor Johnson, in addition to giving his regular 

 courses of lectures and recitations in the Sheffield 

 Scientific School, devoted much strength to the sys- 

 tematic agitation of that matter, so near to his heart. 

 A national agricultural convention was held in Feb- 

 ruary at the Agricultural Bureau in Washington, on 

 call from the Commissioner of Agriculture ; among the 

 hundred or more delegates were Professor Gilman and 

 Professor Johnson, representing the Sheffield Scien- 

 tific School. Professor Johnson wrote home from 

 Washington on February 15, 1872: 



Came in yesterday with a jolly company. Pres'd't Clark 

 of Amherst, Mr. Goodale, Mr. Gold, Gov. Hyde, etc. etc., — 

 arrived here safely at 5 P.M. Found the hotels crammed and 

 jammed, but by heavy play on dignity got a good 5 story room 

 and now at 8 A.M. shall br'kfast after writing you a line or 

 two more, and then to Uncle Frederick "Watts. Gen'l Eaton 

 invited me to dinner this evening. Shall go of course. 



This agricultural convention was effective in placing 

 the experiment station movement before the people 

 as a question of national policy, and the publicity given 

 to its discussions aroused a mder interest in the mat- 

 ter. From far and near came letters asking Professor 

 Johnson for advice as to methods to be pursued to gain 

 the best results — how should legislation be framed to 

 secure an institution suited to the needs of our people? 

 Late in the year he was appealed to by President Clark 



