2i4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



Botany. It is superfluous for me to recount here 

 the story of his great success. 



The Trustees made a liberal appropriation for 

 this Department and when the United States Ex- 

 periment Station funds were yearly apportioned 

 among the various investigational divisions, I in- 

 variably recommended that the horticultural 

 division should receive the largest share, since it 

 had suffered long years of arrested development. 

 So with an able man at the head and with good re- 

 sources considering the demands of other in- 

 terests the Department grew by leaps and 

 bounds. And I am proud of the fact that I was 

 instrumental in influencing the Trustees to furnish 

 the means and to appoint the man who so wonder- 

 fully carried out the task. 



THE CHICKEN BUSINESS (which deserves a 

 chapter all by itself !) 



About 1888 a smiling young student approached 

 me and asked me why we didn't have a poultry de- 

 partment? I replied rather sharply that I knew 

 nothing about the chicken business ; had no means 

 to employ a man who did, if there was such a man; 

 and that I had seen so many persons go through 

 the chicken fever and come out looking like a 



