82 EXl'KKLMKNT STATION. [Jan. 



2. The Amerkun I'eriod of Eleven Years previous to the Massachu- 

 setts Aijricullural Colleye, 1858-69. 

 lie made a number of con! libut ions to the "American Journal of 

 Science" on tlie chemistry of brine and salt, and while in the em- 

 l)loy of the salt company at Syracuse devised a process for the re- 

 moval of calcium and magnesium chlorides from salt which was of 

 incslimable value to the salt industry of the United States, He also 

 contributed papers to the ^' London Chemical News " on sugar refining. 



o. The Massachusetts First Period, 18G9-86. 



During this i)eriod. in addition to teaching, Professor Goessmann 

 made a study of the agricultural conditions in the State, was a fre- 

 quent contributor to the agricultural press, and gave numerous lec- 

 tures before the State Board of Agriculture. 



His more prominent investigations may be briefly referred to under 

 the following headings : — 



(a) Beets for Sugar, and Siigar Beets as an Agriculturcd Enterprise. 

 — He carried on investigations with the sugar beet both in the field 

 and laboratory, and demonstrated tiie feasibility of growing beets for 

 sugar in certain sections of Massachusetts, and concluded that, with the 

 proi)er education of the farmer and capitalist, the i)roduction of sugar 

 from the beet should prove a profitable American industry. (Rei)orts of 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 1871. 1872, 1873, 1874, 1876.) 



{h) The Value of Early Amber Sorghum as a Sugar-producing 

 Plant. — His study of the plant as a |)ossible source of sugar led hiin 

 to conclude that " the presence of a large amount of grape sugar in 

 all the later stages of growth ... is a serious feature in the com- 

 position of the juice, impairing greatly the chances for a copious 

 separation of the cane sugar by simple modes of treatment." This 

 %>rophesij has been literallg fulfilled, in spite of the later efforts to 

 utilize this plant as a commercial source of sugar. 



(c) Peclamalion of Salt Marshes. — Goessmann made a tlioi'ough 

 investigation of the condition of the marshes in southeastern Massa- 

 chusetts, and embodied his results in a number of valuable papers 

 before the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture. His studies 

 included the chemical conditions of the soils, and he recommended 

 diking when necessary, suitable fertilizers and especially thorough 

 drainage and cultivation. (Reports of the Massachusetts State Board 

 of Agriculture, 1874, 1875, 1876.) 



(d) The Application of Chcmislri/ to Fruit Culture. — His studies 

 were devoted particularly to the composition of the ash of different 

 fruits, and to the influence of the various forms of mineral fertility 

 upon yield and quality. He emphasized the need of a thorough study 

 of the functions of the several mineral elements in plant growth, a 



