"Service — our keynote." 



Photo by Robert Yoi/iif,' 



THE NEED tor a field station 

 near Boston Avas first recognized 

 in 1914, when the ravages of insects 

 and diseases in the greenhouses and 

 fields oi eastern Massachusetts had 

 increased to a point that threatened 

 to put the vegetable growers out of 

 business. 



The next year. Professor Harold 

 F. Tompson, then head of the De- 

 partment of Vegetable Gardening 

 at the State Agriculttnal College, as 

 the University was then known, as- 

 sisted a committee of the Boston 

 Market Gardeners Association in 

 filing a bill with the General Court 

 "to establish a Market Garden Field 

 Station for practical demonstra- 

 tions." 



Ray Koon and his staff 

 THE WALTHAA/I 



Money Appropriated 



In 1916, $8000 was granted to 

 jnnchase twelve acres of land in 

 Lexington. After another appropri- 

 ation of 835,000 for buildings and 

 maintenance, active Avork began 

 with I'rofessor Fompson in charge 

 and Paul ^\'. Dempsey acting as 

 foreman. 



The next seven years were spent 

 studying the insects and diseases 

 that beset market garden crops. 



By 1923, Professor Tompson had 

 resigned, and Professor Ray Koon 

 was appointed his successor. Under 

 the new head, the Station was trans- 

 ferred to the 55-acre Cedar Hill 

 estate of the late Cornelia W^arren 

 in \\^altham. its present home. 



Flower Growers Help 



With the ajjpointment of Profes- 

 sor Warren D. AVhitcomb, entomol- 

 ogist, the demands for more service 

 began to skyrocket, and, by 1929, 

 through the eHorts of an insistent 

 group of fioAver growers, legislative 

 appropriation was obtained to en- 

 large the building, erect another 

 greenhouse, and add a floricidtinist 

 to the staff. AVith this neAv look, the 

 Market Garden Field Station 

 changed its name to The Waltham 

 Field Station. 



Hybridizing greenhouse tomatoes. It is antici- 

 pated that the Waltham hybrid tomato may 

 Increase yields and surpass the Waltham 

 Forcing tomato, which now makes up 90 

 percent of the greenhouse spring crop. 



I'lioto by Zitso Studio 



