42 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
original researches or experiments bear¬ 
ing directly on the agricultural industry 
of the United States, having due regard 
to the varying conditions and needs of the 
respective States and Territories.” 
The term, “original research,” might 
be a very general one were it not for the 
fact that the Director of the Ofhce of 
Experiment Stations is held responsible 
for the interpretation of the expenditure 
of this fund. The Director of the Office 
of Experiment Stations has probably had 
more experience in Experiment Station 
work than any other living man, and con¬ 
sequently is able to tell at a glance wheth¬ 
er a proposed piece of work is original 
research, or whether it is a piece of 
demonstration work, or, what not. 
In interpreting this law the Secretary 
of Agriculture has issued a circular letter 
in which he states: 
* * * “Accordingly, expenses for ad¬ 
ministration, care of buildings and 
grounds, insurance, office furniture and 
fittings, general maintenance of the sta¬ 
tion farm and animals, verification and 
demonstration experiments, compilations, 
farmers’ institute work, travelling, except 
as is immediately connected with original 
researches in progress under this Act, 
and other general expenses for the main¬ 
tenance of the experiment stations, are 
not to be charged to this fund. The Act 
makes no provision for printing or for 
the distribution of publications, which 
should be charged to other funds.” 
I have thus taken considerable time to 
show you exactly what are the essential 
parts of the laws founding the Experi¬ 
ment Stations, and also what limitations 
are placed upon us. I do this from the 
fact that there seems to be a general mis¬ 
information as to what the office and 
privilege of the Experiment Station is. 
Even our legislators who assemble at 
Tallahassee bi-ennially and even people 
higher in authority have had erroneous 
impressions in regard to the essential parts 
of the law. 
The Hatch Act was passed in 1888 and 
became operative in the same year. This 
makes the experiment station a little over 
seventeen years old. During this time it 
has published 84 bulletins and several 
annual reports. Of the 84 bulletins 46 
are devoted to horticultural work directly, 
and portions of the remaining 38 are also 
devoted to horticultural work; and also 
a large part of many of the annual re¬ 
ports. From this you will see that the 
horticultural interests of the State have 
been well looked after. This is especially 
so in more recent years. Taking the- 
last teil years we find that 36 of the bul¬ 
letins, are devoted to horticultural matters. 
Most of these being fully illustrated. In 
the last five years 22 bulletins have been 
published on horticultural matters. Some 
of these have been profusely illus¬ 
trated. If no other bulletins had been, 
published from the Experiment Station 
within the last five years than those pub¬ 
lished on Horticultural subjects, the re¬ 
quirements of the law, so far as publica¬ 
tions were concerned, would have been 
more than met. 
The matter contained in these bulletins 
in the most cases, has received world¬ 
wide attention. 
The pineapple growers of Florida have 
at their disposal the most thoroughly 
reliable scientific publications on their 
special subject that has been published 
anywhere in the world. Within the pres¬ 
ent fiscal year two new bulletins on this 
subject have been issued which many of 
you will find on your tables when you 
reach home from this meeting. 
