So. 1. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 13b 



here, and Mr. Hull, of Mercer county, Mr. Crawford, of Venango, and 

 Mr. Northup, of Lackawanna, will have charge of the Question Box. 

 These gentlemen will take charge of the blanks and will distribute 

 them during the sessions. 



I thank you, gentlemen, for the opportunity to make this response 

 and for your presence in such numbers at this time. 



The CHAIRMAN: The audience cannot regret more than I do that 

 I am unable to introduce Dr. Frear at this time. He is detained by 

 his duties in a distant part of the State, and has been unable to 

 reach here. He has promised that he will be with us to-morrow 

 morning at the session in State College, therefore, we will have to 

 pass the Doctor's name and the subject, and will introduce to you 

 Prof. iM. S. McDowell, of the State College, who will address us 

 ui)on ^'Commercial Fertilizers." 



H. H. Hall, of Potter county, at the suggestion of Secretary 

 Critchfield, sang a song; he said his subject was agriculture, but 

 with more precise description, it might have been called "Maria 

 Shellincr the Green Peas." 



'to 



PROF. McDowell : Mr. Chairman: I regret quite as much as 

 yourself that Dr. Frear is not able to be present, because I would 

 much rather he should break the ice, if I may use the term, than 

 myself. In opening the discussion, I desire to say that so far as my 

 own remarks are concerned, much of the material that you may get, 

 probably many of you have heard from me before. There are cer- 

 tain fundamental facts that it is necessary to emphasize and bring 

 out in order to lead up to a better understanding of one or two fur- 

 tli^r points which I may try to speak of. 



Prof. McDowell then read the following paper: 



COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS. 



By Prof. M. S. McDowell, State College, Pa. 



The us.e of commercial fertilizers as well as the development of 

 the entire field of agricultural chemistry, has been a matter of en- 

 tirely modern growth. The development which has taken place in 

 this field of scientific research has occurred within the last fifty 

 years. The investigations and conclusions of the noted German 

 chemist, Justus von Liebig, furnished the foundation upon which the 

 present superstructure of our knowledge has been reared. The 



