ORGANIZATION. In the United States there were in 1901 fifty-seven stations, receiving annually $720,000 front the National Government under the Hatch Act of 1557, and more than $500,000 from State governments and other sources. They employed over 700 persons in ad m inistra t ion and inquiry, and issued that year 445 annual reports and bulletins, which are sent through the mails under frank to more than half a million addresses. With few exceptions, they are departments of the agri cultural colleges established under the land grant act (Morrill Act) of 11302, and are inde pendent of each other as regards the planning and conduct of their operations. They are united in a national system through the Association of Ailieriean Agricultural Colleges and Ex periment Stations and the Office of Experiment Stations in the United States Department of Ag riculture. This office exercises supervision of their expenditures from the national fund. and gives them advice and assistance in many ways. It summarizes the accounts of the work of the sta tions and kindred institutions throughout the world in the periodical known as the Experiment Motion Record, and gives popular of their investigations in the Far MCI'S' Bullet ins series of the department, under the general title of Ex peri men .tat ion It'ork. also di rectly manages the stations in Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rim for which the National ment appropriated $30.000 ($12,000 for each sta tion) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1902.
Fox•Tiox. The operations of tlie stations cover a wide range of scientific and practical work relating to every branch of agriculture and hortieulture. and including original investi veritieation, and demonstration experi ments. studies of natural agricultural con ditions and resources, inspection and control service, and dissemination of information. Prac tica]ly all the stations are keeping meteorolog ical records, and ten are making special studies of problems relating to meteorological phenom ena and climatic Thirty-six stations are investigating soils. their geology, physics. and chemistry, or conducting soil-tests with fer tilizers or in other ways. Twenty-one stations are studying questions relating to drainage and seepage, or to irrigation in the field Or green house, and also irrigation of orchard. garden, or farm crops. Thirty-three stations are making analyses of commercial and home-made fertiliz ers, or are conducting field experiments with fer tilizers. At least fifteen stations either exer
cise a fertilizer control in their respective States or make analyses on which the control is based. All the stations are studying the more important crops, either with regard to their composition, nutritive value, methods of manuring and cul tivation, and the best varieties adapted to indi vidual localities, or with reference to systems of rotation.
Forty-seven stations are investigating the composition of feeding-stuffs, making diges tion experiments, conducting feeding experiments for milk, beet, mutton, or pork, or studying dif ferent methods of feeding. Twenty-nine stations are investigating subjects relating to dairying, including the chemistry and bacteriology of milk, creaming, butter-making, or the construction and management of creameries. Studies on the food and nutrition of man. including the com position and digestibility of foods and metabo lism, are being conducted at fourteen stations. Fifty-two stations are doing chemical work, and often are studying methods of analysis. Botan ical studies occupy more or less of the atten tion of to•ty-seven stations, including investi gations in systematic and physiological botany, with special reference to the diseases of plants, testing of seeds with reference to their vitality and purity, classification of weeds, and methods for their eradication. Fifty-three stations work to a greater or less extent in horticulture, test ing varieties of vegetables and large and small fruits, and making studies in varietal improve ment and synonymy.
Several stations have undertaken operations in forestry. Thirty-six stations investigate in jurious insects with reference to their restriction or destruction. Twenty-four stations study ani mal diseases and the methods for their pre vention or cure. At least five stations are en gaged in bee culture. and eight in experiments with poultry. thie or more stations have made investigations on miscellaneous subjects, such as the following: Technology of wine, olive oil, cider, and vinegar; preservation of fruits and vegetables; the draught of farm implements: road-making; the manufacture of beet, cane, sorghum, and maple sugar.; oyster culture, etc. For the history and present status of the stations in the United States see Office of Ex periment Stations, Bulletin SO. p. 636.