The agricultural or land-grant colleges authorized by the Morrill act of 1862 were the direct outcome of a persistent demand for an education better suited to the needs of an age of progress than the classical form then in exclusive use. Interest in experimental work grew rapidly and culminated in the passage by Congress and signing by President Cleveland in 1887 of the bill introduced by Wm. H. Hatch, of Missouri, which provided for the establishment of an agricultural experiment station at each of the agricultural colleges, as a department of the college. This act provided the sum of $15,000 annually for the establishment and maintenance of the experiment station. It was later supplemented by the Adams act passed in 1906, which provided for an increased annual appropriation, bringing the sum total of federal appropriation for each station up to $30,000. In the Hatch act establishing the experiment stations the wording of the law clearly sets forth the fact that the station is a department of the college. It would seem obvious, therefore, that, since the station is a department of the college, the station library should be considered a part of the college library and thus come under the general direction and control of the college librarian. This involves the presumption that the college authorities appreciate the importance of a well managed library and therefore employ a well-trained and efficient librarian, and have a good library organization. The work of the experiment station may be broadly grouped under the two heads research and the dissemination of the results of that research. A necessary preliminary to all successful research work is the examination of the records of similar or allied work. These records are contained in books and periodicals, and a moment's thought reveals the fact that the station library lies at the very heart of the station's work and is second to nothing in importance. Even the records of hypotheses tested and found untenable are valuable, as they may save much useless effort and consequent loss of time. The equipment of the station library should, therefore, be one of the first considerations in the organization of the station, and not merely a desirable adjunct if better advocated activities permit.