THE WORK OF THP: MAINE AGRICULTURAL 

 EXPERIMENT STATION IN 191 1. 



Director Chas. D. Woods. 



For many years the full report of the Station was published 

 in the ''Agriculture of Maine" as part of the report of the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture. As the work of both the Depart- 

 ment and the Station increased this became impracticable 

 because of the size of the resulting volume. While Hon. A. \V. 

 Oilman was the Commissioner of Agriculture he printed a few 

 of the Station Bulletins as a part of his Report. The present 

 Commissioner thinks that the purpose of publicity would be 

 better accomplished by a brief report covering the whole o? 

 the work of the Station for the year than by reprinting two 

 or three of the bulletins on special features of Station work. 

 At his request the following has been prepared and is submitted 

 for publication as part of the "Agriculture of Maine" for 191 1. 



iriSTORICAI, SKETCH. 



The Legislature of 1885 enacted a law establishing the 

 Maine Fertilizer Control and Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 The purpose of the Station as defined in Section i of the act 

 was as follows : "That for the purpose of protection from 

 frauds in commercial fertilizers, and from adulterations in 

 foods, feeds and seeds, and for the purpose of promoting 

 agriculture by scientific investigation and experiment, the Maine 

 Fertilizer Control and Agricultural Experiment Station is 

 hereby established in connection with the State College of 

 Agriculture and Mechanic Arts." The act was approved by 

 the Governor March 3, 1885, and early in April the Station 

 was organized with a director, who was also chemist, an assistant 

 chemist, and an assistant in field and feeding experiments. 



