928 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 441. 



farmers to a progressive attitude of mind, 

 and put the center of interest of the vast 

 and fundamental industry, agriculture, in 

 the future, they will accomplish a work of 

 incalculable importance— a social revolu- 

 tion the like of which has never before been 

 seen. This subject is well worth the earn- 

 est consideration of students of economic 

 and social science. The important thing 

 to note here is that it is the present policy 

 of the Department of Agriculture to aid 

 broadly in the education of the farmer 

 along the lines of agricultural science, in 

 the belief that the broadening and deepen- 

 ing of the intellectual life of our rural 

 population are as important, 'to say the 

 least, as the improvement of their material 

 conditions. 



The Oifice of Experiment Stations pro- 

 motes the general interests of the American 

 system of agricultural education and re- 

 search in several ways : (1) It collects and 

 diffuses information regarding the progress 

 of agricultural science the world over 

 through a monthly journal called the 

 Experiment Station Record and through 

 numerous technical and popular bulletins ; 



(2) it seeks to formulate the principles on 

 which institutions for agricultural research 

 should be organized and managed, and 

 exerts its influence to secure the practical 

 application of those principles in the man- 

 agement of the state experiment stations; 



(3) it aids the movement for the technical 

 education of the farmer by encouraging 

 the formulation of a distinct science of 

 agriculture and its reduction to 'pedagogic 

 form' — to meet the requirements of dif- 

 ferent classes of students. It is now 

 especially promoting the establishment of 

 secondary courses in agriculture and the 

 extension of farmers' institutes. 



Besides its general functions, the office 

 has at present certain special duties. It 

 has organized and directly manages agri- 



cultural experiment stations in Alaska, 

 Hawaii and Porto Rico, and in cooperation 

 with agricultural colleges, experiment sta- 

 tions, state officials and private organiza- 

 tions in different parts of the country, it is 

 conducting investigations on the food and 

 nutrition of man and on irrigation. 



Its nutrition investigations have a broad 

 economic bearing as affecting the food 

 habits of our people and as contributing to 

 the scientific basis of the teaching of home 

 economics in our schools and colleges. 



Its irrigation investigations deal with the 

 laws and institutions of communities whose 

 agriculture is wholly or in part dependent 

 on irrigation, and treat of social and 

 economic problems of fundamental im- 

 portance to such communities. 



The office is also beginning studies re- 

 garding the use of various kinds of power 

 in agriculture and other subjects in the 

 domain of agricultural engineering, hoping 

 to lay the foundation for a broad treatment 

 of this hitherto neglected branch of agri- 

 cultural science by the department. 



Economic Work of the Division of Ento- 

 mology: Dr. L. 0. Howard, chief of 

 Division. 



The work of the Division of Entomology 

 is to investigate insects directly or indi- 

 rectly injurious to man, and to endeavor 

 to lessen the damage which they bring 

 about. It also includes an investigation 

 of beneficial insects. It has been estimated 

 that insects injure the agriculture of the 

 United States to an extent of more than 

 three hundred millions of dollars annually, 

 and it is further estimated that were it 

 not for the continued investigations and 

 suggestions of economic entomologists, this 

 money loss might any year reach the sum 

 of four hundred and fifty millions to five 

 hundred millions of dollars. The sum ex- 

 pended by the government for investiga- 

 tions of this character, whether under, the 



