8 Director's Report of the 



ary 19, 1897, plans presented by the director were approved and it 

 was unanimously voted to ask the Legislature then in session for 

 $41,000, with which to erect the proposed building. 



" This action was due to a clear recognition of the necessity for 

 providing larger and more efficient quarters in which to locate 

 the existing departments of dairy investigation, horticulture and 

 entomology and the departments of botany and bacteriology to be 

 created. The sum of money named was the estimate of the State 

 Architect based upon preliminary plans which had been submitted 

 to him. 



"A bill framed in accordance with the action of the Board was 

 introduced into the Senate by the Hon. John Raines and into the 

 Assembly by the Hon. Murray Benham, gentlemen who ably rep- 

 resented this section of New York in the Legislature then in 

 session, and who faithfully proseeuted and defended the interests 

 of the measure which was placed in their charge. 



" The bill was favorably reported from both the Ways and Means 

 and Finance committees and received unanimous passage in both 

 the Senate and Assembly. It was sent to the Governor about the 

 middle of April and was approved by him on April 21, 1897. This 

 act now constitutes Chapter 315 of the Laws of 1897. 



" The unobstructed passage of this measure in a year when 

 economy was the watchword and its signing by the Governor 

 when it was entirely clear that many other requests must be de- 

 nied are sufficiently noteworthy to call for some explanation. 

 There was, first of all, a widespread and earnest representation 

 to the members of the Legislature by many of their prominent 

 agricultural constituents of the desirability of the proposed en- 

 largement of facilities for investigation at the State Experiment 

 Station. The State Grange, the State Dairymen's Association and 

 several other prominent agricultural organizations passed resolu- 

 tions favoring the erection of the proposed building. 



" In the second place, those leaders in the Legislature who 

 were in the position to exert a large influence upon legislation were 



