INTRODUCTION 3 



struggling against the conservatism of so-called prac- 

 tical men, who could only with difficulty be persuaded 

 to make the beginning which was essential to demon- 

 strate the truth he was trying to teach them. 



His was an example of a form of high public service 

 which the man of scientific training can render to his 

 country and humanity. His broad, sure grasp of 

 chemical problems and his prophetic appreciation of 

 the advantages to be gained by the application of the 

 science of chemistry to the problems of agriculture, 

 made him a power in the campaign of education 

 which finally brought about the establishment of the 

 agricultural experiment station as a national institu- 

 tion; an achievement which ranks as the most sub- 

 stantial contribution yet made by the United States 

 to applied science. 



A scholar, a clear thinker, a man of discriminating 

 mind, he had an unusual capacity for remembering 

 where and when scientific papers were first published, 

 and was a living index to all things pertaining to 

 chemical literature in a day when modern library 

 short-cuts to knowledge were not. He possessed the 

 ability to discuss scientific facts and theories simply 

 and effectively, and could impress on untrained hear- 

 ers distinctions between facts, theories and working 

 hypotheses, presenting the matter in hand with great 

 breadth of view and winning followers for his cause 

 through his own love of his subject. From boyhood 

 he was a voluminous writer for the agricultural press, 

 his chosen field of missionary activity. It is interest- 

 ing to note that in one of these earliest writings he 

 sets forth with clearness the need for the agricultural 

 experiment station in America. For twenty years 



