EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS 115 



ASSISTANTS. 



My only regular assistant in experiment station work during the j)asl 

 year was Mr. M. L. Dean, who lias had charge of much of the held work. 

 Valuable assistance has also been rendered by several members of 

 the class of 1001, who are making a speciality of horticulture. Among 

 them are D. B. eJewell, R. S. Northrop and C. W. Haven. The former 

 has looked after several of the vegetable crops, while Messrs. Haven 

 and Northrop have divided their attention between the fruits and 

 vegetables, upon which they took many of the notes. 



Respectfullv submitted, 



L. R. TAFT, 



Horticiilturist. 

 Agricultural College, Mich. 

 June 21, 1901. 



REPORT OF THE CHEMIST OF THE EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Prof. C. D. Smith, Director of the Experiment Station: 



Sir — I submit herewith my report of the work done in this laboratory 

 for the year ending June 30, 1901: 



THE FIELD OF ITS OPERATIONS. 



The normal work of this department of the Experiment Station lies 

 in the investigation of chemical questions bearing on agriculture in 

 its broad sense; the analysis of materials so related which may be 

 submitted by the several departments of the college; the determina- 

 tion of the commercial value of the fertilizers, feeding stuffs, etc., offered 

 for sale in the open markets, etc., so that the farmer, the fruit grower 

 and stock-feeder may know the quality of these materials and their 

 relative money value; and to co-operate in all movements to promote 

 the great industries so far as they may be aided by chemistry. 



Among these subjects the analysis of commercial fertilizers stands 

 out prominently and the collection and analysis of commercial fertilizers 

 and the publishing of the results thus secured in the form of a Fer- 

 tilizer Bulletin, take up a lai-ge ])art of the time of this department. 

 A similar investigation into the feeding-stuffs for the benefit of stock- 

 feeders would seem to fall naturally into the hands of the Experiment 

 Station. The work of this dejjartment in develoj)ing the sugar beet 

 industry and the splendid i-esults secured are good <»xamples of this 

 kind of work. The ways and means by which iheniistry may aid agri- 

 cultural production are matters of anxious inquiry on the part of the 

 agricultural chemist. 



