St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-02-06
SOUTHERN ]
AGRICULTURE ]
RESEARCH WORK
misunderstood.
true Scope Of Governments Aarical.
tural Experiment Stations is Not
Thoroughly Realized.


Thoroughly Realized.
tBy G. r. Adams, Acting Director, Ar
kansas Experiment Station.)
An Agricultural Experiment Station
Is primarily research institution;
secondarfly, one for the dissemination
OF knowledge. relative thereto. Its
object is to study the underlying prin-
ciples involved in the science of ag-
riculture and then to place the results
OF such study at the disposal Of the
agricultural profession
The experiment station in its func-
ton as research institution, is often
misunderstood This is because the
term research" is an unknown guam
tity with great many people. Two
often test is looked upon as being
a piece of research, while in reality
it is something far different. A test
does not yield absolute knowledge,
but places the tester in frame of
mind to believe that something is
going to happen just because it did
once before. 1t does not tell him that
something is compelled to take place
If natures energies are properly
brought to bear on each other. The
latter is what research does. It gives
to man law and dispenses with the
services of tests, trials, etc, which
occupy time. Tests, however, have
their part to play and will be consid-
cred in connection with my treatment
of the dissemination of useful knoWl-
edge.
The idea of research carries with
it, necessarily, that of unsolved prob
lens, and as the primary function of
station is one of research, 1t should
be organized and sustained accord
ingIy. Investigators of the highest
type are absolute essentials, as they
are really the foundation upon which
an experiment station rests. Fine
buildings and structures are beauti-
full to behold, but they give up no Sc
crets. Good farms will always yield
crops, even under untoutored tillage,
as nature is unrelenting with her en-
ergies, but just how and why they do,
she remains silent. How nature util-
ICES her energies is the problem for
| the investigator so that man can
| take better advantage of her re-
sources. To win success his prepora-
| ton must be of the best. Nature is
just as obstinate in denying man her
secrets as she is untiring in her eff
forts to feed his hungry body.
Demand for Investigators is Growing.
To answer this fundamental re.
| quirement of research the demand for
investigators is becoming greater
every year. Part of the federal ap-
| preparation, the Adams fund, can be
used only for the highest grade OF
research work, and If the stations
efforts do not measure up to that
standard the fund reverts to the Uni
ted States treasury. 1t behooves col
leges to lay special stress on the
training of investigators, otherwise
the fundamental requirement of the
| experiment stations will not be an.
swered To this end | quote from a
recent report by the Commission on
! Agricultural Research:
i "The development of research effort
has not been symmetrical and log
ical Adequately trained men have
not been provided in sufficient mum,
Der to expend in the way of capable
investigation the entire amounts OF
national and state appropriations that
have been applied to agricultural re
search. This is one of the reasons
| why the more difficult agricultural
problems have so largely remained
/ untouched.
"As to this matter, we may quote
from a personal letter of we'll
known investigator: The demand for
agricultural research has been great
er than the supply of men capable
of carrying on research or education
al work The agricultural colleges
and the agencies of research have
been created by law, but the law
cannot create men. The agricultural
colleges have developed a consider.
able proportion of UNDETERMINED men,
without poise or sustained judgment
and under these conditions the per-
sonaI element enters into the work
of the state and national institutions
and in the majority of cases most OF
the difficulties arising in the field
may be traced to the personal equa
ton of inadequate men"
1T is here that the standards OF
education have a direct and imme
date relation to the quality of re
search effort. In those colleges Of
agriculture in which high educational
standards are maintained, the various
forms of agricultural research are in
general, of high character, CORE
spending to the more elevated char
acter of the academic administra
ton. A debasement of educationa
IDEAS reacts with certainty upon the
work of scientific inquiry. In these
matters college authorities are some
There must be no guesswork about