SEPTEMBER 15, 1899. ] 
ing, suggested to the referees that in lieu of 
their regular reports on the results of the 
prescribed analytical work, or in addition 
to these, they give a brief historical réswmé 
of the progress of the subject assigned to 
each of them since the formation of the As- 
sociation. 
The Secretary of the Association adopted 
the suggestion also in his report, giving a 
historical report of the Association of Offi- 
cial Agricultural Chemists. In this sketch 
it was shown that the Association was 
formed as a result of a meeting called by 
the Commissioner of Agriculture of the 
State of Georgia in 1880. This convention 
met in the library of the Department of 
Agriculture in Atlanta, July, 1880, and or- 
ganized by electing the Hon. J. T. Hender- 
son, Commissioner of Agriculture for the 
State of Georgia, President. After several 
days spent in valuable discussion, the con- 
vention adjourned to meet in Boston, with 
the Association for the Advancement of 
Science, on the 27th of August, 1880. 
The third meeting of this Association 
was held, in connection with the Associa- 
tion for the Advancement of Science, in 
Cincinnati, beginning August 18, 1881. 
After the adjournment of the Cincinnati 
meeting the interest in the collaboration 
of the agricultural chemists seemed to die 
out. It was only after three years that the 
fourth meeting was called by Mr. Hender- 
son. This meeting assembled in Atlanta, 
May 15, 1884. After three days spent in 
convention work an adjournment was 
made to meet again in September in Phila- 
delphia, in connection with the Association 
for the Advancement of Science. It was 
at this meeting in Philadelphia that the 
Association assumed its present organiza- 
tion. The meeting was held September 8, 
1884, Dr. EK. H. Jenkins being elected 
Chairman. The name, Association of Offi- 
cial Agricultural Chemists, was adopted at 
this meeting and likewise the constitution, 
| SCIENCE 369 
which has undergone very little change 
since. The formal organization took place 
September 9, 1884. 4 
From that time to the present the Asso- 
ciation of Official Agricultural Chemists has 
been under the patronage of the United 
States Department of Agriculture ; its meet- 
ings have usually been held in Washington 
and its Proceedings have been published as 
bulletins of that Department. 
At first the methods of analysis were in- 
corporated with the Proceedings, but later 
they were collected together under a sepa- 
rate cover, in which form they are now 
published. 
The successive Presidents of the Associa- 
tion have been as follows: S. W. Johnson, 
H. W. Wiley, E. H. Jenkins, P. E. Chazal, 
J. A. Myers, M. A. Scovell, G. C. Cald- 
well, N. T. Lupton, 8. M. Babcock, E. B. 
Voorhees, H. A. Houston, B. F. Ross, 
Wm. Frear and A. L. Winton. 
The President, Dr. Kedzie, gave an in- 
teresting address on the subject of foods 
and food adulterants. This address was 
read at the joint meeting of the Association — 
of American Agricultural Colleges and Ex- 
periment Stations and the Association of 
Official Agricultural Chemists, immedi- 
ately following the address of Dr. Armsby, 
of the first-named Association. 
In the regular proceedings of the Asso- 
ciation the report of the referee on potash 
was read by Mr. B. B. Ross, which in- 
cluded an historical account of the methods 
of analyzing potash since the formation of 
the Association. Mr. Ross also gave an 
interesting table showing the results of the 
comparative analyses of potash samples 
made during the preceding year. 
On the second day a report was made by 
the referee on soils, Mr. B. L. Hartwell, of 
Rhode Island, giving the results of com- 
parative studies of the composition of the 
soils from different parts of the country and 
by the different methods of determination. 
