DR. EDWARD B. VOORHEES. 61 



received the honorary degree of doctor of science from the University 

 of Vermont. The year following his graduation he served as assist- 

 ant to the professor of chemistry at Wesleyan University, Dr. W. O. 

 Atwater, and in 1882 he returned to New Jersey as assistant chemist 

 in the experiment station, continuing in this position until 1888, 

 when he was made chemist of the station. In 1890 he was appointed 

 professor of agriculture in Rutgers College, developing agricultural 

 instruction in that institution almost from the beginning and lead- 

 ing the State to the establishment of short courses in agriculture. 

 Dr. Voorhees was made director of the New Jersey State station in 

 1893, and three years later the directorship of the college station was 

 combined with that of the State station. He continued to hold the 

 directorship of these institutions until the time of his death. 



Dr. Voorhees was a type of the present generation of leaders in 

 agricultural advancement. He was trained under the pioneer work- 

 ers in agriculture and entered upon constructive activity with the 

 extension of the national movement in the establishment of the 

 experiment stations. Of this opportunity he availed himself in a 

 marked degree and with his characteristic vigor and aggressiveness 

 became highly successful in organizing and propagating experiment 

 station work and making its results felt by farmers. Under his 

 direction the inspection work of the stations was put upon a high 

 plane of efficiency and usefulness, and the research and experimental 

 work were developed in accordance with definite plans and an 

 intelligent understanding of the needs of the State. He was a pio- 

 neer in teaching the farmers the practice of home mixing of ferti- 

 lizers, to economize cost, and secure suitable mixtures for different 

 purposes. An ardent champion of honest goods, he waged an aggres- 

 sive campaign against the incorporation of materials which his 

 experiments showed to be inert and of little agricultural value. 



With remarkable energy and enthusiasm Dr. Voorhees encouraged 

 and promoted the diversification of agriculture in his State, the 

 introduction of new crops, and the establishment of the new branches 

 of farming. The system of soiling crops for dairy cattle which he 

 worked out and demonstrated at the station farm was an example of 

 intensive farming under which the purchase of expensive grains was 

 greatly reduced. The successful establishment of alfalfa in New 

 Jersey, to which it is estimated 1,000 acres were seeded during the 

 past year, is a direct result of his experiments and teaching. He 

 gave special study to the waste or poorer soils of the State and their 

 utilization for profitable farming, and at one time he devoted con- 

 siderable attention to the use of irrigation as an adjunct in the humid 

 region. 



As an independent investigator Dr. Voorhees was clear in aim and 

 purpose and quick to see the practical applications of his expcri- 



