other departments. This work, particularly the digestion ex- 

 periments, involved a large amount of chemical analyses and 

 some years occupied a large part of the time of the chemists. 

 The time allotted me does not permit of any more than this 

 passing mention of it. 



Of late years the time of the chemical department has been 

 diverted more and more from lines of investigation to inspec- 

 tions and control work. With the present force and means this 

 seems to be a necessity, but it does not signify that we think 

 there are no more chemical problems in agriculture to be inves- 

 tigated or a place for chemistry in scientific agriculture. On 

 the other hand, we do most sincerely believe there is no other 

 one science so closely associated with it. We believe that a 

 good knowledge of chemistry is essential to the professional 

 agriculturist. For instance, the agronomist encounters so many 

 problems in the handling of soils, manures, fertilizers, feeds, 

 etc., that involve a knowledge of chemical relations, that a good 

 chemical course is the best foundation for success in this pro- 

 fession. 



Bacteria just at the present time are attracting much attention 

 in the problem of plant nutrition, but the changes brought about 

 by these little organisms are largely chemical changes and they 

 are really microscopic chemists working in nature's laboratory. 

 Therefore, the bacteriologist should have a good chemical knowl- 

 edge in order to understand the work of his little assistants. 



The economic entomologist is dependent on chemistry for his 

 insecticides, the plant pathologist for his fungicides and culture 

 solutions, and the biologist for his antiseptics and anaesthetics. 

 We do now and have always believed, in a chemical training 

 for what we consider the highest position in the agricultural 

 profession, that of an experiment station director, and to sub- 

 stantiate this claim we can cite some of the most successful 

 directors in this country and Europe who were trained as 

 chemists. 



Director Woods — I said that 35 years ago the first agricul- 

 tural experiment station in America was established in Con- 

 necticut. It so happened that it, as in the case of the Maine 

 station, was dependent upon the charities of a college for a 

 hom.e. And it also so happened that I entered that college as 

 a freshman and began to hear about the experiments and about 

 the men who were working in the Connecticut Experiment Sta- 



