REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 



Changes in Staff. 



The experiment station staff during the past year has suffered 

 the loss of two of its oldest and strongest men: Dr. C. A. 

 Goessmann, who died in September, and Dr. C. H. Fernald, 

 who retired on a Carnegie pension at about the same time. 



Dr. Goessmann had been connected with the experiment sta- 

 tion from the very first inception of station work in the State, 

 in 1882. He was director of the State Experiment Station 

 until it was combined with the station later organized under the 

 Hatch act, in 1895. Dr. Goessmann, however, although giving 

 up his duties as director at that time, retained active supervision 

 of the inspection of commercial fertilizers and the general work 

 in the fertilizer and soil laboratory until his retirement in 1907. 

 Subsequent to retirement he was retained as consulting chemist, 

 and continued his active interest in the station and its work 

 until almost the end of his life. Goessmann was one of the 

 great pioneers in the work of agricultural investigation. It 

 seems eminently fitting, therefore, to present at this time a brief 

 account of his life and work. Dr. J. B. Lindsey, vice-director 

 and chemist of the station, one of Dr. Goessmann's pupils, pe- 

 culiarly fitted through long and close association with him to 

 write such an account and estimate, has at my request kindly 

 prepared a tribute which will be found in following pages. 



Dr. Charles H. Fernald, head of the entomological depart- 

 ment of the coHege and station, became connected with the sta- 

 tion work at the time of organization under the Hatch act, and 

 continued at the head of the entomological department until his 

 retirement, the first of September last. Dr. Fernald's work 

 was of great value to the station. Of him, as of Goessmann, it 

 is largely true that to a considerable extent his work was of a 

 pioneer character. He was one of the earliest station entomolo- 

 gists, and as such he had much to do with the establishment of a 



