priations for succeeding years. The several appropriations for experiment stations under the aforesaid act are for one year only, and officers of experiment stations have no authority to contract for expenditures beyond the year for which Congress has made appropriations. This is plainly implied in the act aforesaid, inasmuch as section 6 provides that unexpended balances shall revert to the Treasury of the United States, "in order that the amount of money appropriated to any station shall not exceed the amount actually and necessarily required for its maintenance and support." The annual financial report rendered in the form prescribed by this Department should in every case include only the receipts and expenditures of the fiscal year for which the report is made. EXPENDITURES BY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS FOR A WATER SYSTEM, TO BE CHARGED UNDER "BUILDING AND REPAIRS." This Department holds that expenditures by agricultural experiment stations from the funds appropriated in accordance with the act of Congress of March 2, 1887, for the construction of wells, cisterns, ponds, or other reservoirs for the storage of water, and for piping and other materials for a system of storing and distributing water, are properly charged, under abstract 18 in the schedule for financial reports prescribed by this Department, as being for improvements on lands which have hitherto been held to come under the head of "building and repairs." The fact that a water system may be a necessary adjunct of certain experimental inquiries does not affect the case, inasmuch as the limitations on expenditures for improvements contained in section 5 of the act of Congress of March 2, 1887, expressly stipulate that these improvements shall be such as are necessary for carrying on the work of the station. EXPENDITURES BY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP IN AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. This Department holds that membership fees in associations and other organizations are not a proper charge against the funds appropriated by Congress in accordance with the act of March 2, 1887, except in the case of the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, which is held to be an essential part of the system of experiment stations established under said act. THE BORROWING OF MONEY TO PAY THE EXPENSES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. This Department holds that experiment station officers have no authority to borrow money to be repaid out of appropriations made under the act of Congress of March 2, 1887, and that charges for interest can not properly be made against funds appropriated under that act. Approved. J. STERLING MORTON, Secretary. WASHINGTON, D. C., March 10, 1896. A. C. TRUE, Director. THE USE OF EXPERIMENT STATION FUNDS FOR COLLEGE PURPOSES. This Department holds that no portion of the funds appropriated by Congress in accordance with the act of March 2, 1887, can legally be used, either directly or indirectly, for paying the salaries or wages of professors, teachers, or other persons whose duties are confined to teaching, administration, or other work in connection with the courses of instruction given in the colleges with which the stations are connected or any other educational institution; nor should any other expenses connected with the work or facilities for instruction in school or college courses be paid from said fund. In case the same persons are employed in both the experiment station and the other departments of the college with which the station is connected a fair and equitable division of salaries or wages should be made, and in case of any other expenditures for the joint benefit of the experiment station and the other departments of the college the aforesaid funds should be charged with only a fair share of such expenditures. Respectfully, Approved. JAMES WILSON, Secretary. WASHINGTON, D. C., October 25, 1897. . A. C. TRUE, Director. STATISTICS OF THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. General statistics of the agricultural experiment stations in the United States, 1899. 7,910 Botany: soils; analyses of fertilizers and 2,100 Soil improvement; field experiments; horti- 3,250 Chemistry: field experiments; meteorology; 7,000 Chemistry of foods; field experiments; hor- 6,000 Physics; chemistry and geographical distri- 5,200 Chemistry; botany; meteorology; field ex- 9,500 Analyses and inspection of fertilizers, foods, 7,000 Food and nutrition of man and animals; bac- 6,700 Chemistry; field experiments; horticulture; 1 4 5 ་ General statistics of the agricultural experiment stations in the United States, 1899-Continued. of ad- on staff. Num- Pages. Principal lines of work. mailing list. 279 2,200 157 14,170 Feb. 26, 1892 11 10 10 Field experiments; horticulture; entomol- 148 17,000 Chemistry, bacteriology, field experiments; 163 16,512 Chemistry. pot and field experiments; hor- 172 18,000 Chemistry; bacteriology; field experiments; 7 153 Indiana Lafayette... C. S. Plumb 1885 Jan., 1888 11 8 Iowa Ames. C. F. Curtiss Feb. 17, 1888 23 13 5 Kansas Manhattan J. T. Willard Feb. 8, 1888 14 14 10 256 Chemistry; bacteriology; soils and soil phys- Chemistry; geology; botany; bacteriology; 432 16,000 Chemistry; meteorology; analyses and in- 796 20,000 Botany and bacteriology; field experiments; 7 6 1,192 4 6 78 5 4 260 12 244 14,000 9,000 Chemistry; field experiments; horticulture; 7,000 Chemistry; botany; meteorology; field ex- 2,000 Chemistry; botany; soils; field experiments; 8 1 4 323 (Chemistry, biology; botany; analyses of fer- 115 2,000 Chemistry; botany; field experiments; hor- 1,111 32,000 Chemistry; bacteriology; meteorology; an- a In 1882 the State organized a station here and maintained it until June 18, 1895, when it became a part of the Hatch Station, at the same place. |