THE WORK OF THE MAINE AGRICUI.TIJRAL 

 EXPERIMENT STATION IN 1912. 



Director Chas. D. Woods. 



Introductory to this brief outline of the work of the IMaine 

 Agricultural Experiment Station for the year 1912 a few para- 

 graphs covering the purpose for which the Station was estab- 

 lished, the limits of the field of its operations and a brief history 

 of its more than a quarter of a century of work seem essential. 



Historical 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 sci- 

 entific investigation and experiment, The Maine Fertilizer Con- 

 trol and Agricultural Experiment Station is hereby established 

 in connection with the State College of Agriculture and Me- 

 chanic 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. 



It depended for its quarters upon the hospitality of the 

 Maine State College. A chemical laboratory for the Station 

 was partitioned off from the College laboratory and supplied 

 with apparatus. Part of the dairy room of the College was 

 fitted up with apparatus for use in experiments involving the 

 handling of milk. A part of the new barn just erected by the 

 College was turned over to the Experiment Station for feeding 

 experiments and was fitted up with stalls, scales, etc. Field ex- 

 periments were started by laying off about three acres of land 



