Position of Chemistry as a Factor in Agricultural Advancement. 053 



The functions of a State agricultural laboratory, in its most 

 complete development, would tlien be : — 



1. Investigational. 



2. Protective. * 



3. Instructional. 



The investigational, according to the extent of agricultural 

 development in the particular State, would include research work in 

 laboratory, field and factory. 



The activities, which might be grouped under the term protective, 

 might be understood to include a supervisory chemical control of all 

 products linked in any way with agricultural interests, where fraud 

 or sophistication might either directly affect the farmer personally, or 

 the community generally, by unfavorably influencing the future 

 position of produce on the markets of the world. 



The instructional would include the imparting of information to 

 farmers, either by lectures or publications, with the view of dissemi- 

 nating a knowledge of results following investigation in both laboratory 

 and field ; and with the object of bringing the whole of agricultural 

 procedure into agreement with the teachings of chemistry generally. 



A properly equipped branch of chemistry in a State Department 

 of Agriculture should, to prove effective in all its functions, be pro- 

 vided with the means of carrying out the three sets of duties. To 

 lack the necessary provision in any one of the three, would be regarded 

 as a state of incompleteness. It is, however, not to be forgotten that 

 the particular degree of agricultural development in a country would, 

 in a large measure, determine the nature and decide the scope of 

 inquiry on the part of a chemist for agriculture. In an agricultural 

 community, devoted principally to the production of raw material, to 

 the raising of sheep and cattle, wool and wheat, etc., there would be 

 fewer problems for the chemist, and less demand for his advice than 

 where the many finished products of manufacture, following an 

 advanced state of agriculture, held a more prominent place. 



In order to gain clear ideas of the range covered by the different 

 lines of activity, which I have specified as forming the duties of an 

 agricultural chemist, it will be necessary to treat of each in some 

 detail. It is only after the full scope of work, possible in each, has 

 been presented to you, that you will be in a position to judge 

 of what has been done, and what it might be advisable to do, by 

 the chemical branch of your own Department of Agriculture. We 

 can first treat of : — 



Laboratory Research Work. 



The chemical laboratory research work in a department of 

 agriculture might, under ideal conditions of unlimited funds, and 

 a highly developed condition of agriculture, include an exceedingly 

 wide field of inquiry ; since agriculture as related to chemistry has its 

 points of contact in a hundred different directions. The magnificent 

 specialization of work by the bureau of chemistry in America, in which 



