540 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. A^OL. XI. No. 275. 



ing and hauling done over these earth 

 roads by the people of Maryland costs them 

 annually not less than $3,000,000 more 

 than it would cost were the more important 

 of these roads transformed into well built 

 modern highways. 



That there exists to-day in so important 

 and intelligent a commonwealth, a condi- 

 tion of affairs so costly, and so unnecessarily 

 bad, a condition which greatly retards the 

 material, social and intellectual develop- 

 ment of its rural population especiallj', is 

 deplorable enough ; but a still more unfor- 

 tunate fact is that, looking over the whole 

 of this great country of ours, there are 

 scarce half a dozen states that claim a bet- 

 ter record. 



J. A. Holmes. 



WORK AND EXPENDITURES OF THE AGRI- 

 CULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS FOR 

 THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1S99. 



The report on the work and expenditures 

 of the agricultural experiment stations in 

 the United States for 1S99, prepared by Dr. 

 A. C. True, Director of the Office of Exper- 

 iment Stations, Department of Agriculture, 

 has recently been transmitted to Congress. 

 The general conclusions regarding the pres- 

 ent status of the stations are stated in the 

 report in substance as follows : 



The work of the stations during the past 

 year has for the most part been along the 

 same lines as heretofore, and in the aggre- 

 gate a large amount of useful work has been 

 accomplished. By their own efforts and 

 with the aid of the colleges of agriculture 

 and the State boards or commissioners of 

 agriculture, the stations are bringing their 

 work home more closelj' to the farmers 

 through publications, farmers' institutes, 

 agricultural associations, home reading 

 courses and the press. It is becoming evi- 

 dent that farm practice in this country is 

 being materially affected by the work of 

 the stations, and thej' are more and more 



relied upon by our progressive farmers for 

 advice and assistance. 



THE FINANCIAL BUSINESS OF THE STATIONS. 



The financial business of the stations is 

 now generallj' conducted systematically and 

 carefully, and with due regard to the limi- 

 tations of the Hatch Act and the State laws 

 governing their operations. The wisdom of 

 Congress in making the Hatch fund a re- 

 search fund is ever^' year becoming more 

 apparent. This Department is therefore 

 disposed to more strongly insist on a strict 

 interpretation of this act in this direction, 

 and to hold that it is not onlj^ in accordance 

 with the obligation, but also to the interest 

 of the States, to devote the Hatch fund to 

 investigations in agriculture and to supple- 

 ment this fund as far as may be necessary 

 to promote the interests of agriculture in 

 other lines. 



RELATIONS OF COLLEGES AND STATIONS. 



The movement for the improvement of 

 courses of agriculture in the colleges with 

 which the stations are connected is steadily 

 growing. The past year has witnessed many 

 changes for the better as regards specializa- 

 tion of the work of instruction and the de- 

 velopment of courses suited to the varied 

 needs of students. More then ever before 

 the colleges are reaching out bej'ond their 

 class rooms and are carrj'ing useful instruc- 

 tion to the farmers through farmers' insti- 

 tutes, correspondence courses, and other 

 forms of so-called university extension. As 

 this outside work becomes better organized, 

 it is more apparent that it belongs to the col- 

 lege rather than the station. At the same 

 time when properly managed it affords effi- 

 cient means for bringing the results of sta- 

 tion work home to the farnler, and thus 

 usefully supplements the publications of the 

 stations. AVith the return of financial pros- 

 perity the States are more liberally endow- 

 ing the colleges and providing them with 

 better buildings and equipment. As the 



