May 12, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



729 



number of conditions of entering students. 

 Third, seven subjects selected from the 

 seven groups, each studied with proper 

 thoroughness, give a more liberal and 

 broader education than eight subjects from 

 five groups, including electives which may 

 be selected from the same five groups. 

 Fourth, they include drawing and natural 

 science, without which no one can rightly 

 be said to have a broad and liberal culture. 

 Fifth, by making options in language and 

 in physics and natural science, the require- 

 ments favor those high schools which are 

 equipped to give some optional subjects 

 better than others. Requiring either phys- 

 ics or chemistry, and not both, is a con- 

 venience to the college, so that either phys- 

 ics or chemistry can be given in the fresh- 

 man year to those students who do not 

 present one or the other. 



The last paper scheduled for the after- 

 noon had been read at a previous session 

 of the section and was on 'The Value of 

 Courses in Agricultural Engineering,' by 

 Elwood Mead, chief of irrigation and 

 drainage investigations, U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. : 



"Agricultural engineers have hitherto 

 had little opportunity for practising their 

 profession in the United States, the large 

 areas of cheap land and crude and wasteful 

 methods of cultivation preventing any 

 large expenditures on engineering works 

 for the improvement or reclamation of 

 agricultural areas. 



"These conditions are now rapidly 

 changing. The building of canals and 

 dams to irrigate the arid lands of the west, 

 the construction of dikes and drains, and 

 the installation of pumps to remove the 

 surplus water from our swamp and over- 

 flowed lands are two of a number of lines 

 of work which are opening up broad fields 

 of usefulness and power to specially 

 trained young men. Our agricultural col- 

 leges are recognizing this and beginning to 



provide adequate courses of instruction. 

 Within the past year the. Iowa State Col- 

 lege has completed a commodious building, 

 with a complete equipment for instruction 

 in this branch of engineering. Wisconsin 

 is erecting a building; Illinois, Minnesota, 

 Nebraska and Wyoming have courses in 

 agricultural engineering; while Colorado 

 and California make irrigation engineering 

 one feature of their courses in civil engi- 

 neering. Special training in the adminis- 

 tration of canals and in the laws and cus- 

 toms governing the use of streams is re- 

 quired by the irrigation engineer. This is 

 being provided by the agricultural colleges 

 and by the reports of the irrigation and 

 drainage investigations of the Office of Ex- 

 periment Stations, U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture. 



"Drainage engineering is becoming an 

 important factor in agricultural produc- 

 tion. The reclamation of the swamp and 

 overflowed lands along our sea and gulf 

 coasts will add nearly 100,000,000 acres to 

 the productive area. Tile underdrains are 

 being made use of to protect hillside farms 

 from erosion. 



"Modern farm machinery includes mo- 

 tors run by steam, gasoline, electricity and 

 wind. Where farmers do not understand 

 their care and management, there is great 

 waste and loss. Although this country is 

 the greatest maker and user of farm ma- 

 chinery in the world, the agricultural 

 schools of the United States are far behind 

 those of Europe in the training given on 

 this subject." 



The last session of the section w^as held 

 on Friday evening, and, like those which 

 had preceded it, was provided with a very 

 full program. The first paper of the eve- 

 ning was by John Birkinbine, consulting 

 engineer, of Philadelphia, and discussed 

 ' The Iron Ore Supply of the United States 

 and Its Movement. ' The author stated that 

 the advances made in iron manufacture 



