THE CALL TO AMHERST 33 



times, still less contribute to the advancement of 

 knowledge in his science.' Fortunately Agassiz's fears 

 proved to be groundless. Goessmann's sturdy indus- 

 try and scientific activity were enormous, and the 

 yearly output of the Chemical Department in contri- 

 butions far exceeded that of all the others. Chemical 

 work was always in progress in some form. It should 

 be remembered, too, that all the time he carried on a 

 large and exacting correspondence with promptness, 

 read papers, delivered public lectures, and attended to 

 the analytical work of his private laboratory. 



His first year at Amherst was marked by two highly 

 interesting and instructive papers. The first of these, 

 'On the Chemistry of Common Salt with Reference 

 to our Home Resources,' was read at the Northampton 

 session of the National Academy of Sciences. The 

 second, 'On Salt and its Uses in Agriculture,' deliv- 

 ered before the Massachusetts State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, was his earliest paper on fertilization and may be 

 considered, with one exception, his first direct contri- 

 bution to agricultural chemistry. He also found time 

 during that busy year to revise Scheerer's Blowpipe 

 Manual, for use at the College. 



In his letters to President Clark, Goessmann had 

 insisted on the importance of experimental research, 

 and in December of 1869 he proposed a series of experi- 

 ments 'to determine the comparative merits of the 

 various sugar-producing plants maple, sorghum, 

 cane, and sugar-beet raised upon our own soil.' 

 These were the earliest field experiments conducted at 

 the College. Early in 1870 he procured from Germany 



