i6 



ing director, Professor Jordan not arriving until about July i. 

 We began the first chemical work in a corner room in Fernald 

 Hall, now occupied by the professor of pharmacy but at that 

 time the office and private laboratory of Professor Balentine. 

 In this room we analyzed about 50 samples of fertilizers, repre- 

 senting 28 different brands, and this covered the chemical work 

 of inspection for that season. Through the generosity of Pro- 

 fessor Aubert space was allotted us in the main laboratory and 

 a room 15 feet wide running the whole width of the building, 

 was partitioned off during the summer vacation of the college. 

 This was used as the chemical laboratory of the Station for 

 about two and one-half years. We moved into this room late 

 in the summer and were kept busy during the fall and winter, 

 making many analyses of fodders, feeds, etc., used in connec- 

 tion with feeding and digestion experiments started by the 

 director. 



It no doubt was fortunate that we were busy, or I fear that 

 we should have been homesick ; for at that time the long vaca- 

 tion of the college came in winter and the campus looked de- 

 serted and desolate during the winter months. The thing that 

 I recall most vividly about the first winter at Orono is the great 

 snow storm, one of the largest ever known, I think, in this part 

 of the State, which so effectively blocked the railroads that no 

 v/estern mail got through to Orono for five days. Travel in 

 the streets was practically suspended and had it not been for 

 the introduction of the Norwegian mode of winter travel, on 

 skis, at about this time, I fear the Station would have been 

 closed for several days. As it was, the Station force consist- 

 ing of the Director and Chemist made their way across the 

 fields from the village to the college building on those useful 

 but somewhat treacherous snowshoes. At the beginning of the 

 second year the chemical Avork had so much increased that a 

 second assistant in the person of Mr. L. H. Merrill was ap- 

 pointed. The next year, 1887, was the banner year for all 

 stations when the National Government passed a bill giving 

 each state $15,000 to establish an experiment station. With 

 this great increase of funds, more room was necessary not only 

 for the chemical department but for other departments which 

 were soon established. Therefore, the trustees very readily 

 consented to construct a building which is the core or middle 

 portion of the building we now occupy. Late in the fall our 



