62 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



ments, which were conceived for the most part with the prima ly 

 object of throwing light on practical, everyday problems of farming. 

 Among other research work he carried on an elaborate series of 

 studies on nitrogenous fertilizers which proved of such merit that it 

 received international recognition. The department of soil bacteri- 

 ology was established through his initiative, and the station became 

 a pioneer in this particular line of investigation. In 1902 he was 

 awarded the Nichols medal by the New York section of the American 

 Chemical Society for the best i^aper embodying the results of origi- 

 nal chemical research submitted during the year. This embodied 

 the results of studies in nitrification. 



Dr. Voorhees was identified with many scientific societies and 

 organizations. For many years he took an active part in the study 

 of methods of analysis conducted by the Association of Official Agri- 

 cultural Chemists, and he was president of that organization in 

 1893-94. From 1897 to 1904 he was secretary-treasurer of the Asso- 

 ciation of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, 

 and was president of the association in 1904-5. He served as vice 

 president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture from 1893 to 

 1901, and was its president from the latter date to the time of his 

 death. He was also president of the board of directors of the New 

 Jersey Weather Bureau in 1903, president of the New Jersey Micro- 

 scopical Society in 1905-6, and a leader on the State conservation 

 commission. 



Dr. Voorhees's death removed one of the most active and effective 

 workers of the present time. The service he rendered to his State 

 has rarely been surpassed, and his influence was felt far beyond its 

 borders. 



SOME RESULTS OF STATION WORK. 



A brief mention of some of the important results obtained will 

 give a general idea of the scope and progress of this work, which is 

 organized on a national basis but is dealing primarily with the prob- 

 lems of the individual States. 



The Colorado station demonstrated the occurrence of apparently 

 rapidly extending areas of soil in irrigated orchards and sugar-beet 

 fields containing nitrates in such excessive amounts as to destroy the 

 crops. Soils were found containing as high as 6.5 per cent of sodium 

 nitrate, and in one case 93 per cent of the nitrogen of the soil was in 

 the form of nitrates. This excess of nitrates appears to be due to 

 phenomenal bacterial activity. 



The Delaware station, in cooperation with this department, worked 

 out a method for quickly immunizing against anthrax in case of an 

 outbreak, and produced a serum with which it Avas jiossible to protect 

 a sheep against an otherwise mortal dose of anthrax bacilli and to 

 produce an immediate passive immunity. 



