Report of the Chemist for Agriculture. 813 



REPORT OF THE CHEMIST FOR AGRICULTURE. 



F. J. Hoivell, Ph. D. 



The work of the branch for the year under review reveals a strik- 

 ing expansion in all the lines of its former activities, as well as new 

 developments in directions independent of these. The extended 

 period of training in the methods of agricultural chemical analysis, 

 which the younger analysts have now experienced, has at length 

 placed at my disposal a number of assistants sufficiently well equipped 

 to engage in that specialization of work which must form part of the 

 future activity of the branch. Although outside demands for 

 lecturers, capable of explaining on the platform the various relations 

 of chemistry to agriculture, have diverted a number of my officers 

 fi'om laboratory work, the loss to the branch in one direction has 

 been counterbalanced by a gain in, I hope, the other, for it has 

 given the farmer an opportunity of forming, from personal observa- 

 tion, opinions of a number of capable young men who have been, and 

 still are, very poorly remunerated for the important duties they are 

 carrying out. Although there has been shown this increased activity 

 in the lecturing on agricultural chemistry on the part of my analyti- 

 cal stalf, the output of analytical work has considerably exceeded the 

 returns of former years ; while covering at the same time a number 

 of investigations requiring considerable skill and experience in the 

 operations involved. 



The Various Lines of Work. 



The work of the branch embraced : — 



(1) Analytical operations of the laboratory. 



(2) Investigations in the field. 



(3) Instructional duties in various country centres. 



(4) Clerical duties. 



