EDITORIAL. 103 



mixtures for different purposes. He was an . ardent champion of 

 honest goods, and waged an aggressive campaign against the incor- 

 poration of materials which liis experiments showed to be inert and 

 of little agricultural value. He called sharp attention to the dif- 

 ference which may exist between commercial and agricultural values, 

 especially in case of different forms of nitrogenous manures. His 

 reports on the fertilizer inspection were full of vigor and life, and 

 contained deductions and suggestions which were interesting and 

 helpful to the practical man in drawing conclusions from the tables 

 of figures. 



With remarkable energy and enthusiasm Doctor Voorhees en- 

 couraged and joromoted the diversification of agriculture in his 

 State, the introduction of new crops, and the establishment of 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 in intensive farming under which the purchase of expensive 

 grains was greatly reduced. The home growing of protein was a 

 popular theme with him. The successfid establishment of alfalfa 

 in New Jersey is a direct result of his experiment and teaching. It 

 is estimated that a thousand acres were seeded to this crop last fall. 

 He gave special study to the waste or poor 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 regions. 



These things illustrate the versatility and breadth of interest of 

 the man, and show how quick he was to perceive a need and to seek 

 means of meeting it. It was this breadth and quick perception, his 

 clearness of purpose and energy in setting work in motion, that con- 

 stituted one of his strongest attributes as a station director. 



Doctor Voorhees was identified with many scientific societies and 

 organizations, in whose work he shared. For many yeai*s he took an 

 active part in the study of methods of analysis conducted by the 

 Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, and he was president 

 of that organization in 1893-94. For seven years (1897-1904) he 

 was secretary-treasurer of the Association of American Agricultural 

 Colleges and Experiment Stations, and was president of the associa- 

 tion in 1904-5. 



His connection with the State Board of Agriculture was especially 

 noteworth3^ He served as vice-president of that board from 1893- 

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

 giving a large amount of attention to its interests and activities. He 

 was president of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Weather 

 Bureau in 1893, president of the New Jersey ISIicroscopical Society 

 1905-6, and a leader on the State Conservation Commission. 



