262 AGRICULTURE OK MAINE. 



of research into agricultural problems, and carrying out the 

 provisions of the laws regulating commerce of which the 

 Director is the executor. 



Organization of the Station. 



W^hile the work for which the Experiment Station was pri- 

 marily established is that of investigation it has been found 

 much more convenient for the State, because of the Station 

 laboratory facilities, to make the Director of the Station the 

 executive officer of the laws regulating the sale of agricultural 

 seeds, commercial feeding stufifs. commercial fertilizers, drugs, 

 foods, fungicides and insecticides, as well as calibrating the 

 creamery glassware used in the State. It is necessary to have 

 the work of investigation and that of inspection distinctly 

 organized in order that the funds for these two distinct pur- 

 poses may be lawfully expended. From necessity the Director 

 and the office force must divide their time between these two 

 divisions of Station work. But outside of this there is no over- 

 lapping of the duties of the staff. Those who are engaged upon 

 the work of investigation devote their whole time to the carry- 

 ing out of the various scientific projects that bear upon the 

 solving of the problems that confront Maine Agriculture. The 

 remainder of the staff devote their whole time to the work of 

 inspection. 



Dissemination of Information. 



It is not the function of the vStation to disseminate general 

 agriculture or other information. That is for the College 

 through its extension department. It is, however, the distinct 

 duty of the Station to publish the results of its investigations. 

 Although the correspondence that bears upon general agricul- 

 ture is referred so far as practicable to the correspondence 

 department of the University the Station receives and answers 

 many thousand letters each year. 



The Station publishes: (a) Bulletins which contain the re- 

 sults of investigation; (b) Official Inspections which give the 

 results of the work of inspection ; (c) Miscellaneous publica- 

 tions; and (d) a series of publicity letters that are issued 

 Fridays of each week and sent to a limited number of papers 



