20 



at North Platte ; in Kansas, at Hays and Garden City ; in Colorado, at 

 Akron; in Texas, at Amarillo and Dalhart ; and in Montana, at Judith 

 Basin. Of these stations four, viz., Bellefourche, Akron, Amarillo, and 

 Dalhart, are entirely operated by the National Department. 



To understand the scheme adopted we may take as an example the 

 three North Dakota stations. The United States Department affords the 

 following co-operative assistance : — First, in paying the salary and travel- 

 ling expenses of the expert appointed to take charge of this work. But 

 it is of interest to note that this expert is usually a graduate of the State 

 Agricultural College, recommended by the local authorities and approved 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture. This official therefore becomes a civil 

 servant. He is usually engaged on probation at a. salary of $720 (£144) 

 per annum, and if he proves satisfactory rises by annual increa es until he 

 -receives from $1,400 (£280) to $1,500 (£300), and in addition the sum of 

 from $300 to $400 for travelling and incidental expenses. 



Secondly, the National Department assists in the purchase of any 

 special machinery which the State farm may require, as, for example, 

 the small threshing machine* used for threshing the harvest of the 

 experimental plots. 



The figures f which I am able to print below, through the courtesy of 

 Mr. Chilcott, show the amount set aside for each dry-land experiment 

 station. It must be remembered that these sums do not indicate the 

 total moneys expended or used by these stations. Take, for illustration, 

 the station Bellefourche with an allotment of $4,200 (£840). Here Mr. 

 C. S. Scofield, the expert in charge of the Western Extension Investigations, 

 has been granted a sum of $2,000 (£400) to carry on certain experiments, 

 and it is impossible to say exactly how much money is expended on a particu- 

 lar set of experiments, as the teams, ploughs, and hired men are lent by 

 mutual agreement among the different officers of the State and National 

 Department. Again, it should be noted that where the National Government 

 takes all the burden of the maintenance of the station, as, for example, 

 at Bellefourche, Akron, and Dalhart, the amount expended is much 

 greater. It may be said, however, roughly, that to run a station alone 

 without the assistance of the State authorities necessitates the annual 

 expenditure of $5,000 (£1,000) after the station is established. This amount 

 is, of course, noticeably reduced when the State bears its share of the 

 financial burden. Furthermore, the cost of maintenance will depend also 

 on the nature of the soil. At Dalhart, Texas, where the soil is light and 

 sandy three horses are required to do the work ; but at Bellefourche six 

 are usually employed owing to the heavy clay land which is found in that 

 region. With regard to revenue, it may be stated that it has never been 

 the intention of the Government to make money out of these stations. 

 In a word, they are soil and plant laboratories, established to assist the- 

 farming population. 



Touching results : The time since these stations were started is too 

 short to speak with any certainty as to the ultimate results likely to 

 accrue. But one thing is certain, that in emphasising the need of better - 



* These machines cost about $125, and can be bought from the A. B. Farquhar Company, 

 of York, Pennsylvania. 



f For the sake of accuracy I have set down the figures of expenditure on Experiment 

 Stations or cost of implements in American money ($4.84 cents = £1); dividing by 5 

 will give the approximate equivalent in English coinage. For example three hundred dollar? • 

 written $300.00-^5=£60 approximately. 



