MARcH 14, 1884. | 
Tue notice in another column, of the pam- 
phlet by Mr. Frank B. Scott, calls attention 
to a class of publications which belong to the 
idiosyncrasies of scientific writings. The law 
of variation among men involves the occasion- 
al occurrence of an extreme departure in any 
_ given direction from the normal average ; and 
it is quite in accordance therewith that there 
should be from time to time a writer who seri- 
ously propounds startling views on a scientific 
subject about which he is ignorant. Such a 
person is one who is both very inexperienced 
and thoroughly unpractical, yet perhaps really 
intelligent. Something arrests his attention. 
He begins thinking about it, and finds a series 
of superficial or casual resemblances, which 
leads to a grand general conception. Startled 
and delighted, he eagerly hunts up some text- 
book : it contains no hint of the grand concep- 
tion. ‘The thought isthen new. With feverish 
excitement, a few facts are patched together out 
of a fragmentary and too often inaccurate knowl- 
edge, and the idea is confirmed. ‘The theory 
is then given to the world, condemned by the 
critics, laughed over as a choice bit by a few, 
and then forgotten according to its deserts. 
Fortunate is the author if he gains in experi- 
ence what he does not secure in fame. 
ATTENTION has recently been called to the 
bill for the establishment of ‘ national ex- 
periment-stations,’ now pending before Con- 
gress, by a circular sent out by President S. A. 
Knapp of the Iowa agricultural college, who 
is the chairman of a committee appointed in 
January, 1883, by the U.S. department of 
agriculture, to have the matter in charge. The 
most interesting portion of the circular is, of 
course, the text of the bill. This provides 
for the establishment, at every agricultural 
college which possesses an improved farm, of 
a ‘national experiment-station.’ These sta- 
tions are to be under the general control of 
the regents or trustees of the colleges where 
they are located; and the general character of 
the work to be done at each station is to be 
determined by the U.S. commissioner of agri- 
culture, the president of the college, and the 
SCIENCE 
301 
director or superintendent of the station. The 
sum of fifteen thousand dollars is to be appro- 
priated to each such station, but only so much 
of this sum is to be paid over to the station as 
will cover expenditures actually incurred. 
The objects aimed at in this bill appear to 
be twofold, — first, to promote the advance of 
a scientific knowledge of agriculture; and, 
second, to unify to a certain extent the work 
of investigation now carried on at scattered 
and independent centres. ‘To the first of these 
objects it would seem that no one could take 
exception. If it be admitted to be within the 
province of the national government to aid at 
all the advancement of science, it would cer- 
tainly seem that a branch of applied science 
which touches the every-day interests of fully 
half our people, and which deals with a call- 
ing which is one of the chief sources of our 
national wealth, might reasonably claim a 
portion of that bounty which is so freely ex- 
tended to other sciences, especially since the 
experience of Europe, and of several states 
in this country, has abundantly demonstrated 
the great utility of such stations. Certainly 
such an expenditure of the public money is at 
least as legitimate as river and harbor appro- 
priations or arrears of pensions acts. 
As regards the second object of the bill, 
while it may be desirable, it is not so certain 
that it can be readily attained. It may be 
lamentable, but it certainly is a fact, that scien- 
tific men do not work well in harness, and are 
apt to entertain extreme ideas of the value of 
personal independence in their work. Much 
would depend upon the character of the com- 
missioner of agriculture. No man fit for the 
position of director of an experiment-station 
would be likely to consent to conduct that 
station according to a plan laid out in Wash- 
ington. On the other hand, if the commis- 
sioner were a man whose personal character 
and scientific attainments commanded respect, 
he would have an opportunity which, if judi- 
ciously used, could not fail to bring honor to 
him, and profit to the interests of agriculture. 
