AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. IH 



DIRECTORS' REPORT. 



M. C. Fei-nald, Ph.D., President Maine State College: 



Sir : — The accompanying report of the Experiment Station 

 which I have the honor to submit, contains a statement of the 

 expenditures of the Station for the fiscal year ending July 1st, 

 1889, and a full account of the operations of the Station for the 

 working year ending January 1st, 1890. 



' It is gratifying to be able to state that the year 1889 has been 

 one of substantial progress, in which the equipment has received 

 valuable accessions, the scope of worlc enlarged, and the lines of 

 future experiments and investigations more definitely established. 

 The value to practical agriculture of the results so far secured 

 will in part be determined by the nature of these results, and in 

 part by the manner in which they are received by the intelligent 

 farming public. The Experiment Station fulfills its duty when it 

 spreads broadcast over the State the results of its work, but its 

 labor will be fruitless to that great industry for whose benefit the 

 Station was established, unless the facts revealed by experiment 

 and investigation are properly studied and assimilated. 



The Organization of the Station. 

 The relations of the Station as a department of the College to 

 the Trustees and to the Station Council established by the Trustees, 

 are fully set forth in the report of the Station for 1888. Since 

 the writing of that report the Trustees have authorized an impor- 

 tant change in the Station Council, namely : the addition to it as 

 advisory members of one representative from each of the following 

 organizations: the State Board of Agriculture, the Patrons of 

 Husbandry and the State Pomological Society. These organiza- 

 tions have fortunately selected as their representatives men of 

 recognized ability, who are thoroughly conversant with the con- 

 ditions and needs of the agriculture of the State, and who will 

 be able to give to the working force of the Station advice and 

 assistance that will be invaluable. These gentlemen have already 

 met with the Station Council, and if any doubt had heretofore 

 existed as to the wisdom of the action of the Trustees, it was 

 entirely dispelled by a prompt recognition of the advantage in 

 being able to confer directly with those who stand in close relation 

 to the farming public. 



