section defining the work of the stations. C. C. Carpenter, of Iowa, introduced this bill in the House of Representatives in the Fortyseventh Congress (May 8, 1882), and it was referred to the Committee on Agriculture but not reported back. It was considered by the committee of the 1883 convention and with some modification was again introduced in the House by A. J. Holmes, of Iowa, on December 10, 1883. It was entitled "A bill to establish national experiment stations in connection with the agricultural colleges of the various States." Its text was as follows:

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in order to enable the Department of Agriculture to fulfill the design and perform the duties for which it was established, as declared in the organic act creating the said Department, to-wit, "to acquire and diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with agriculture in the most general sense of that word, and to procure, propagate, and distribute among the people new and valuable seeds and plants," institutions shall be established in connection with each of the agricultural colleges in the States providing such colleges, with an improved farm in connection therewith, and placed under the conduct of such colleges, to be called and known as "national experiment stations." SEC. 2. That it shall be the object and design of the said national experiment stations to conduct original researches or verify experiments on the physiology of plants and animals, the diseases to which they are severally subject, with the remedies for the same; the chemical composition of useful plants at their different stages of growth; the comparative advantages of rotative cropping as pursued under a varying series of crops; the capacity of new plants or trees for acclimation within the isothermal limits represented by the climate of the several stations and their vicinity; the analysis of soils and waters; the chemical composition of manures, natural or artificial, with experiments designed to test their comparative values for raising crops of different kinds; the composition and digestibility of the different kinds of food for cattle; the scientific and economic questions in the production of butter and cheese; and all other researches or experiments bearing directly on the agricultural industry of the United States.

SEC. 3. That the said experiment stations shall be placed under the general control of the regents or trustees of said agricultural colleges, who shall have power to employ a professor for each agricultural college who shall act as superintendent of the experiment stations established under this act.

SEC. 4. That the said professors shall make such reports to the Commissioner of Agriculture from time to time as he may direct. The general character of the work and of the experiments to be performed at each station shall be determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture, the president of the college where the station is located, and the professor in charge of said station.

SEC. 5. That to each agricultural college providing for experiment stations under this act, to pay the salaries of the professors and superintendents of the said experiment stations, the wages of the laborers employed in their operations, and the cost of the experiments and researches connected with their conduct as heretofore specified, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, or so much thereof as may be necessary to cover expenditures actually made for said purposes; the money to be drawn quarterly from the Treasury of the United States, upon a certified statement of the amounts actually expended at each station, properly indorsed by the college board of audit, the professor in charge, and the Commissioner of Agriculture.

SEC. 6. That upon the passage of this act, before the agricultural college in any State can draw any funds as provided, the legislature of such State shall pass an act accepting such trust and agreeing to conduct an experiment station in accordance therewith.

As chairman of the committee and president of the Iowa Agricultural College, Doctor Knapp issued a circular (41, 201), in which he briefly stated the history of the bill, gave the names of the committee appointed by Commissioner Loring, presented reasons

for establishing agricultural experiment stations in the several States because of the diversity of their climate and agricultural production and the broad range of problems to be solved, as well as the desirability of aiding the Department of Agriculture in its researches and in obtaining useful seeds and plants for distribution in different parts of the country. He thought the stations should be connected with the agricultural colleges because (1) it would be economical to take advantage of their organization, faculties, buildings, and equipment and (2) the investigations would greatly benefit the students "as object lessons and would perfect and give practical value to the work of the colleges, as contemplated in the original law creating them." The supervision to be exercised by the Commissioner of Agriculture "will systematize their work throughout the United States and will avoid too much repetition of experiments at different stations."

From this time the efforts of the friends of agricultural education in the land-grant colleges, the agricultural societies, the grange and other organizations were concentrated on securing the passage of an experiment station act by Congress.

The Holmes bill was not generally acceptable to the colleges largely because it seemed to make the stations virtually branches of the Department of Agriculture and put them to a considerable extent under the control of the Commissioner of Agriculture. It was therefore remodeled, and when it had been considered and modified by the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives it was favorably reported from that committee by Mr. Cullen, of Illinois. It was still a bill (H. R. 7493) to aid the Department of Agriculture in acquiring and diffusing agricultural knowledge, but the stations were to be distinctly departments of the land-grant colleges and under the control of their governing bodies and were to make their reports to the governors of the States. It was expressly provided that nothing in the act "shall be construed to authorize said commissioner to control or direct the work or management of any such station except as to the standard of valuation of commercial fertilizers." He might furnish forms for the tabulation of results of experiment, indicate lines of inquiry, and "in general furnish such aid and assistance as will best promote the purpose of this act." Sections were added which required the stations to publish and distribute bulletins every three months, gave them the franking privilege for their publications, and required the trustees of the colleges to agree to spend the Federal money according to the provisions of the act, to maintain a farm of at least 25 acres, and to give a bond "for the faithful expenditure and accounting for all moneys so received." One-fifth of the first year's appropriation might be spent for the erection, enlargement, or repair of station buildings but only 5 per cent thereafter. If any money was not expended during the fiscal year of its reception, that amount was to be deducted from the next annual appropriation. Nothing in the act was to impair or modify the legal relation between the college and the State. A group of college presidents were in Washington in the winter of 1884-85 to forward the passage of this bill, but Congress was not ready to take action.

THE WASHINGTON CONVENTION OF 1885

Doctor Loring's administration of the Department of Agriculture came to an end on March 3, 1885. He was succeeded by Norman J. Colman, of Missouri (fig. 11), who as editor of the Rural World and member of the State board of agriculture, had for many years shown his friendship for agricultural education and research. On May 6,

1885, he issued a call for a convention of "representatives of the different agricultural colleges and allied State institutions" to consider cooperation with the department in the work of the experiment stations, the best means for bringing about congressional action, and other cognate questions.

This convention met July 8, 1885, and was organized under the presidency of Commissioner Colman. (Fig. 12.) At least 28 States

and 3 Territories were represented. Among the men prominent in promoting the work of the colleges and stations were President Atherton, of Pennsylvania; Professor Armsby, then of Wisconsin; H. E. Alvord, of the Houghton Farm station in New York; Professor Cook, of New Jersey; Doctor Dabney, of North Carolina;

President Fernald, of Maine; President Fairchild, of Kansas; Professor Goessmann, of Massachusetts; Mr. Gold, of Connecticut; Professor Knapp, of Iowa; President Lee, of Mississippi; Professor Roberts, of New York; Professor Townshend and C. E. Thorne, of Ohio; and President Willits, of Michigan. A committee on order

of business and resolutions, consisting of Messrs. Alvord, Lee, Knapp, Fernald, Atherton, and Willits, largely determined the business of the convention. Its resolution regarding the experiment station bill, introduced early in the session and unanimously adopted, was as follows:

Resolved, That the condition and progress of American agriculture require national aid for the investigation and experimentation in the several States and Territories, and, therefore, this convention approves the principles and general provisions of what is known as the Cullen bill of the last Congress, and urges upon the next Congress the passage of this or a similar act (420).

There was much discussion regarding cooperation of the department and the stations. A series of resolutions on this subject, proposed by the committee on business, was adopted with amendments. This recommended that the department create a division of intercommunication and exchange between the colleges and stations, which would have charge of the details of cooperation, issue a periodical bulletin on "the progress of agricultural education, investigation, and experimentation in this and in all other countries," and issue uniform blanks for reports of the operation of the schools and experiments. It was also resolved to petition Congress for the necessary funds to carry out this plan. A committee on legislation consisting of Messrs. Atherton, Willits, and Lee was appointed. Near the end of the convention an advisory committee consisting of one representative from each State and Territory and the Department of Agriculture was appointed. President Atherton was elected its chairman and was authorized to choose five other members, who with him would constitute an executive committee to determine the time and program of the next convention and a plan for permanent organization. He selected Messrs. Cook, Knapp, Peabody, Curtis (Texas) and Newman (Alabama).

THE HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION ACT

The committee cooperated with Commissioner Colman in securing the interest of William H. Hatch, of Missouri (fig. 13), in the experiment station bill and at the next session of Congress he introduced it (in somewhat modified form) on January 7, 1886, when it was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, of which he was chairman, and reported back favorably March 3, 1886.

Meanwhile a similar bill had been introduced in the Senate December 10, 1885, by J. Z. George, of Mississippi. This bill was considered there in detail and was amended in many important particulars. It passed the Senate January 27, 1887, and was accepted by the House on Mr. Hatch's recommendation in lieu of his bill. This amended bill, which made the stations quite completely State institutions in charge of their own governing boards, was approved by President Cleveland March 2, 1887. In most States the benefits of this act went without question to stations organized as departments of land-grant colleges. In a few States the stations had been organized as separate institutions, which felt strongly that they should receive the Federal funds granted under this act. Under the leadership of J. H. Brigham, president of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture and master of the State Grange, and with the aid of Senators