42 CHARLES ANTHONY GOESSMANN 



were now assigned to Professor Stockbridge and Pro- 

 fessor Goessmann, respectively, the results of which 

 appeared in the next annual report of the College. 

 Those assigned to Professor Stockbridge included 

 observations on rainfall, percolation and evaporation 

 of water from the soil, temperature of soil and air, 

 deposition of dew on the soil and plant. Dr. Goess- 

 mann undertook an examination of the Early Amber 

 Cane, a variety of sorghum produced in Minnesota, 

 - its sugar constituents, and the practical method of 

 working the crop. His experiments seemed to show 

 conclusively that this variety of sorghum cannot be 

 profitably cultivated in Massachusetts for the produc- 

 tion of dry sugar, though the yield and quality of the 

 syrup were satisfactory. 



The problems relating to the nutrition of plants had 

 long occupied Goessmann's thought. He now turned 

 his attention more particularly to those of animal 

 nutrition or the chemical relations which exist between 

 animal life and animal food. His earliest investigation 

 in this field was on the relative value of several varie- 

 ties of corn for feeding purposes, and the results and 

 conclusions reached were embodied in two papers read 

 before the Board of Agriculture in 1879 and 1882. 

 These experiments, and others of a similar character, 

 extending over a series of years, were undertaken in 

 order to determine the efficiency and feeding-value of 

 the various kinds of fodder-crops and substances and 

 thereby to establish a rational system of stock-feeding. 



On the 12th of May 1882, by act of the Legislature, 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station 



