15 



have had the same chemist. It is my great pleasure to intro- 

 duce to you Mr. J. M. Bartlett, Chemist of the Maine Station 

 for the twenty-five years it has existed. 



Reminiscences of the Chemical Department. 

 James M. Bartlett. 



When our chairman was making- up the program for this 

 occasion he said I would be expected to say something because 

 1 was the only member of the Station Staff who had been con- 

 tinuously connected with it since the Station was first estab- 

 lished. When I asked what I should be expected to talk about 

 he said that ten or fifteen minutes given to reminiscences of the 

 chemical department would be sufficient. Now I fear that I 

 cannot do the chemical department justice in that length of 

 time, and if it seems to you when I have finished, I have not 

 said much for this department, you must not assume that it has 

 done but little, but that it has done entirely too much to be 

 covered in that length of time. 



Before speaking of the chemical department I want to say 

 just a word about the thing that always impresses me most 

 when I stop and look about, and that is, the marvelous change 

 that has taken place in the appearance of the campus since the 

 time the Station was started 25 years ago. Those of you who 

 did not see the place at that time cannot realize how great this 

 change has been. The only college buildings then, aside from 

 a few residences, were Oak Hall, the Commons, White Hall, 

 which occupied the present site of Wingate, Fernald Hall, and 

 the wooden workshop in the rear. Very few of the trees that 

 now adorn the grounds were high enough to show above the 

 snow in winter and many of them were not planted. Along 

 the street leading to the village of Orono there were no trees 

 higher than a man's head and no residences between Orono and 

 the Mt. Vernon house. There were no electric cars, and the 

 only public conveyance was Uncle Ben's bus, which together 

 with its genial owner will always be remembered by the older 

 graduates as a part of college life. 



For reminiscences of the chemical department I have made 

 a few brief notes. After receiving my appointment as assist- 

 ant chemist in the Maine Experiment Station, I came to Orono 

 about May i, 1885. Professor Balentine at that time was act- 



