40 



lion, and tho work based upon the foniidatious llius ,i,avon has bocn gen- 

 erously sustained ))y the Stat'?" l)y annual appropriations. The enaetnient 

 of the Ilateli Law, already mentioned, about twi'iify years afti'r the Mor- 

 rill Act, nave a magnificent impulse to agricultural rt-seareh. P>y the terms 

 of the Hatch Law there were established in each State at least one Agri- 

 cidtnral Experiment Station charged with the investigation of the prol)- 

 lems relating to agriciiltui'e. horticidture and forestry. As a result of 

 these generous endowments no other country in the world has a system 

 of agricultural research which can compare in maguiticence of endow- 

 ments, number of workers and practical results obtained. Avith the agri- 

 cultural institutions of this country. The services which have been con- 

 ferred upon the State ))y these endowments have already been pretty fully 

 exploited in this address. 



But I must be permitted still to call attention to the fundamental place 

 wliich one of the sciences, viz.. Chemistry, holds in these investigations 

 relating to the progress of agriculture. Before the estalilishment of the 

 Agricultural Experiment Station of Indiana Mr. John Collett, State Geol- 

 ogist, as previously mentioned, secured the enactment of a law ])y the 

 Legislature establishing the otHce of State Cliemist. I, as most of you 

 know, had the honor of being the first incumbent of that office. A pecu- 

 liar feature in the histozy of the enactment of this law Is the way in 

 wliicli Mr. ("ollett secured it. He did not consult, in so f;ir as I know. 

 any of the officials connected with Purdue Lniversity. The first intima- 

 tion that I had of the enactment of tlie law was ;i commission signed by 

 tlie (iovernor sent liy tlie Secretary of State a|ipointing nie to tlie place. 

 On looking into tlie law I found that the duties of the State Chemist were 

 ]iarticularly contlned to the fei'tilizer control, and thus there was estab- 

 lislu'd in 1SS2 at Pindue the first halioralory fcr the control of fertilizing 

 products sold in the State. The laws Ijefore this were crude and power- 

 less to laotect the farmers of our State against liarefaced frauds. At that 

 time any kind of mixtui'e could be sold as a fertilizer for a fa:u-y iirice 

 and tliere was no otticial method of detecting a fraud and no jirovision 

 for its punishment. I'nder the provisions of the law the farmer is now 

 completely protected in the character of the goods whicli lie liuys. This 

 lias been a saving in hard cash to our farmers in sums difticidt to esti- 

 mate, but tliis is not the most valuable result whicli lias been obtained by 

 the establisliment of tliis othce. In addition to analyzing the fertilizers 

 offered for sale the State Chemist commenced a study of (lieir elTects 

 4 — Academy of Science. 



