8 Director's Report of the 



" It is hoped that the observation and experience gained by such close as- 

 sociation with the actual research work of an experiment station will con- 

 stitute a valuable training for those who arc ambitious to connect themselves 

 with experiment stations as investigators. 



" The selection of these assistants will properly and necessarily be based 

 upon their records as students and upon such knowledge of their personality 

 as may be gained in various ways. 



" It is expected that they will remain at the Station not less than one year. 

 Board, rooms and laboratory materials will be furnished free of charge, no 

 other compensation being offered." 



From the applicants for these positions, two were selected, Mr. 

 L. A. Rogers, as student assistant in Bacteriology, and Mr. E. D. 

 Merrill, as student assistant in Botany. Both men graduated 

 from the University of Maine and had received some post-gradu- 

 ate training. Mr. Rogers had spent a year at the University of 

 Wisconsin, giving special attention to dairy bacteriology, and Mr. 

 Merrill had had a year's experience as instructor in the depart- 

 ment of natural history at his alma mater. The former entered 

 upon his work in June, but the latter, on the day in which he 

 reported to us for duty, received an offer of a position in the U. 

 S. Department of Agriculture which he felt that it was for his 

 interest to accept. Since that time Mr. F. M. Rolfs, a graduate 

 of the Iowa Agricultural College, and a teacher of considerable 

 experience, became an applicant for the position of student assist- 

 ant in Botany, received the appointment and entered upon his 

 duties on December 21st. 



As there was no application for the position in Entomology, it 

 remains unfilled. 



NEEDED CHANGES AND ADDITIONS. 



The time has come when it is necessary to provide larger and 

 more efficient accommodations for the various administrative 

 offices and the library. These are now mostly located in a 

 building the upper floors of which are occupied by the Director 

 as a home, an arrangement which is unsatisfactory in every 

 respect. There is at present only one general office in which are 

 the desks of the Director and two clerks, a combination which 



