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enjoyed a most cordial and frank conference on 1 1 1 < * subject of the cooperation 
between the Department of Agriculture and the agricultural experiment Bta 
t ions, n was known to the Secretary and to your committee that some friction 
had arisen in several of the States because of an overlapping of the linos of 
work of the Department and the stations, and the lack of cooperation and a 
mutual understanding necessary to preserve the interests of all concerned. It 
was felt that, in order that the association's standing committee on cooperation 
between the stations and the CJ. S. Department of Agriculture should be in posi- 
tion to advise the association from time to time, concerning the extent and char- 
acter of tins c(. operation, a full and complete understanding between the author- 
ities of the Department and the association should be secured. 5Tour committee 
considered it within Its duty to attempt to secure such understanding and a recog- 
nition of the broad and general principles which should guide such cooperation. 
The Secretary of Agriculture expressed his desire thai conferences to that end 
should be freely held with the appropriate officials of the Department and desig- 
nated a committee of chief- of the bureaus of the Department, consisting of 
Messrs. Galloway, Whitney, and True, to confer with your executive committee 
with a view to arriving at a basis of cooperation mutually satisfactory. Three 
personal conferences of the two committees were held, characterized on the part 
Of all concerned by cordiality, frankness, and an earnest desire to ascertain and 
provide for the removal of possible causes of friction in the work of the Depart- 
ment and of the stations. During the progress of the conferences your commit- 
tee, through correspondence, solicited the views of the station workers in the sev- 
eral States and Territories upon the matter at issue, and a large contribution of 
facts and opinions in the premises is now in possession of the committee. For 
various reasons it has not been found possible as yet, as a result of these con- 
ferences, to reach a concrete conclusion in the matter, such, for example, as 
might be embodied in a code of written regulations defining the legitimate work 
of the Department and of the stations in common territory, hut your committee 
is of the opinion that much lias been accomplished in the direction of mutual 
understanding and of the establishment of a " modus Vivendi " which will afford 
hereafter large opportunity for the association's standing committee on coopera- 
tion to advance the interest of the experiment stations through cordial and 
sympathetic relations with the Department of Agriculture. Your committee 
recommends the continuance of these conferences, understanding such to he also 
the pleasure of the Secretary of Agriculture. 
Meanwhile, during the progress of these 'conferences, a rather startling inci- 
dent related to the subject-matter occurred. The Committee on Agriculture of 
the Douse of Representatives, during its consideration of the agricultural appro- 
priation act. carrying the annual appropriation to the experiment stations, 
inserted a clause in the act, authorizing and directing the Secretary of Agricul- 
ture to "coordinate the work of the several stations, and the work of the stations 
with the Department of Agriculture, to the end of preventing unnecessary dupli- 
cation of work, of increasing the efficiency of the stations and the Department 
of Agriculture, and to unify and systematize agricultural investigation in the 
United States." 
In the haste of disposing of necessary appropriation acts, this bill was re- 
ported and within twenty-four hours passed the House of Representatives (with- 
out a dissenting vote), and before your committee became aware of the exist- 
ence of the clause referred to. Learning of its. existence, your committee immedi- 
ately communicated by wire with the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agri- 
culture and received assurance that the Senate would reject or modify the clause 
as passed by the House. Having its own opinion of the objectionable character 
of the proposed legislation strengthened by numerous telegrams and letters 
from members of the association, your committee subsequently visited Wash- 
ington and after conference with the chairmen and members of the House and 
Senate Committees on Agriculture, secured without difficulty a rejection of 
the clause by the Senate and unanimous agreement to the rejection by the con- 
ference committee of the two Houses. 
This incident and the large and careful consideration given during the year 
to the relations of the experiment stations to the Department of Agriculture, 
lead your committee to report frankly to the association that, in its judg- 
ment, a grave situation has arisen, involving the entire future of agricultural 
research work in the United States. For many years after the establishment 
of the State experiment stations these were the main — almost the exclusive — 
