Agricultural Experiment Station

The investigation of problems concerning the nutrition of plants began in Europe about fifty years ago. It was inaugurated by the promulgation of Liebig's "mineral theory" of the nutrition of plants in its relation to the fertility of the soil. Since then a large number of stations have been established for the investigation and systematic study of all problems of near or remote interest to agriculture. The work of most of the stations covers the whole ground of agricultural industry, though some confine their work to particular lines of inquiry. In this country the work was begun soon after the establishment of agricultural colleges, though though the first station was not established until 1877 at Middle town, Conn. In the following ten years something more than a dozen stations had been established in various parts of the country, both by State aid and individual enterprise. In 1887 great impetus was given to the work by the pa age by Congre of the "Hatch Act," granting $15,000 yearly for the establishment in each State of a Station in connection with its Agricultural College. These stations, though still young, have already reached important results on many lines of agricultural science, and are coming to be relied upon more and more by the farmer for the solution of difficult problems and for expert advice and a istance in details of farm management.