THE AQBI G U LT U BAL JOURNAL. 



saddling tests, should surely be the means 

 of assisting "gates"; and, should it be 

 desired to combine instruction with en- 

 tertainment, an exhibition of breaking 

 unmanageable horses miglit be appreci- 

 ated by a good number of visitors whose 

 duties bring them into collision with 



evil-tempered beasts. Then the parades 

 of cart horses in gears might be increased 

 and enlist the interest of the users of 

 horses in towns and lead to further emu- 

 lation amongst them, with the result that 

 tbey desire to possess superior teams. 



American Experimental Farms, 



THAT the experiment stations in the 

 United States have wrouglit a great 

 change in the agricultural conditions in 

 that country, is apparent in practically 

 every State and territory. At the same 

 time there is opportunity for much im- 

 provement in the methods and ways in 

 which experimental work is conducted. 

 In some States where the federal appro- 

 priation is supplemented by State appro- 

 priations, the stations are extending their 

 work beyond the boundary limits of the 

 station larm. Too many station workers 

 seem to have settled down to work out 

 great agricultural problems under the 

 ceiling of an eight- by-teu office. Along 

 some iines the book-worm and the labora- 

 tory grub can do their work satisfactorily 

 willim the narrow limitation of an office 

 building, but with the rank and file of 

 station workers, the State should be the 

 laboratory, and farms with local condi- 

 tions the textbook. It is painful to know 

 that some men are retained upon experi- 

 ment stations stalls and pay rolls on ac- 

 count of political or personal influences, 

 rather than because of merit. In several 

 instances such men have apparently done 

 no original work, judged from the bul- 

 letins and reports of the station, for years, 

 and their only published matter has been 

 compilations of current knowledge. Such 

 men' detract from the position and use- 

 fulness of the many capable men who are 

 devoting tlieir whole lives to 

 agricultural progress. On the other 

 hand, there is a tendency for 

 some station directors to take 

 advantage of their positions and assume 

 authorship of articles in practically every 

 department pertaining to agriculture and 



its allied branches. Such a policy cannot 

 fail to create strife and contention among 

 individual members of the station, and 

 personal animosity against such a direc- 

 tor by the public. Where specialists are 

 employed on a staff, these men alone 

 should be responsible for statements on 

 topics relative to their respective depart- 

 ments, subject, of course, in all instances, 

 to the approval of the director. No sta- 

 tion director has ever placed himself in 

 the front rank and secured the confidence 

 of the people for whom he has been work- 

 ing by using material of other depart- 

 ments in furthering his own ends to in- 

 crease his popularity at the expense of 

 the station. The man who selects some 

 speciality from the vast number of pro- 

 fessions and devotes himself to it thor- 

 oughly, usually has his hands full. This 

 trite statement of the late Garfield is 

 squally apj)licable to experiment station 

 ind college workers. 



Agricultural Shows. 



Grey town, Thursday 29th May ; J. M. 

 Handley, hon. secretary. 



Estcourt, "Wednesday, 4th June; Her- 

 bert Blaker, J.P., hon. secretary. 



Maritzburg, Thursday, Friday, and 

 Saturday, June 26th, 27th, and 28th ; A. 

 Whittle Herbert, hon. secretary. 



Ixopo, Wednesday, 16th July ; A. 

 Ewing Keith, hon. secretary. 



Richmond, Thursday 24th July ; John 

 Marwick, hon. secretary. 



Noodsberg Road, Thursday, August 

 14th ; F. Reichfi, hon. secretary. 



