J2 Thirty-Second Ann-ual Report
and when the war closed the changed economic conditions
left it in a weaker condition `and more in need of support than
it has been for a decade ....
_ "There is probably no branch of the college which has
felt the increasing cost of maintenance more than the experi- »
ment station. It is a large employer of labor, it is often re-
quired to buy considerable amounts of feed for its experi-
mental animals, and its laboratory work calls for new ap-
paratus and continuous replenishment of supplies, all of which
have increased enormously in price. Salaries have advanced
some, but not in proportion to the other expenses.
"It was inevitable, therefore, that agricultural investi-
gation should be seriously crippled all along the line; but be-
cause the stations work in a quiet way Ellld have made an cf-
fort to adapt themselves temporarily to the resources at their
command the nation-wide extent of the setback has not been
generally realized. 'l`he etfeets of a decline in station activ-
ity do not become apparent at once, and the situation has
been further obscured by the extensive outgiving of informa-
tion which is 11C\\' to those who receive it. `
"'l`he steady and unrestricted progress of investigation
is so fundamental to college teaching a11d to the success of the
great movements inaugurated for vocational instruction and
agricultural extension that it has been felt desirable to lay bare ,
the actual conditions the stations are confronted with and the
outlook t`or their future .... t
"lt seems clear that if the experiment stations are to
maintain the position they have held in the past and provide
the backbone ol' the whole system of agricultural education
and adva_ncement, they must receive larger tinancial support
from some source. 'l`heir prosperity and welfare are the con-
cern of every institution. Their advancement ought: to form
a definite part of every progressive policy of an agricultural
college .... M
'l`he problems ot’ agriculture are so varied and so press-
ing that the work of the Experiment Station must constantly