35 



Brief Historical Sketch of the Maine Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. 



The Legislature of 1885 enacted a law establishing the Maine 

 Fertilizer Control and Agricultural Experiment Station. The 

 purpose of the Station as defined in Section i of the act was 

 as follows : "That for the purpose of protection from frauds 

 in commercial fertilizers, and from adulterations in foods, feeds 

 and seeds, and for the purpose of promoting agriculture by 

 scientific investigation and experiment, the Maine Fertilizer 

 Control and Agricultural Experiment Station is hereby estab- 

 lished in connection with the State College of Agriculture and 

 Mechanic Arts." The act was approved by the Governor 

 March 3, 1885, and early in April the Station was organized 

 with a director, who was also chemist, an assistant chemist, 

 and an assistant in field and feeding experiments. 



It depended for its quarters upon the hospitality of the Maine 

 State College. A chemical laboratory for the Station was par- 

 titioned ofif from the Maine College laboratory and supplied 

 with apparatus. Part of the dairy room of the College was 

 fitted up with apparatus for use in experiments involving the 

 handling of milk. A part of the new barn just erected by the 

 College was turned over to the Experiment Station for feed- 

 ing experiments and was fitted up with stalls, scales, etc. Field 

 experiments were started by laying ofif about three acres of 

 land into blocks, and box experiments for growing plants were 

 also begun. 



While the principal object of the establishment of this Sta- 

 tion was the maintenance of a fertilizer control, in the first 

 months of existence lines of investigation were entered upon, 

 many of which have been continuously followed by this Station. 



The Maine Fertilizer Control and Agricultural Experiment 

 Station existed about two and a half years and issued 26 bul- 

 letins and 3 reports, the former being published only in the 

 leading papers of the State and the latter as a part of the report 

 of the Maine Board of Agriculture. Upon the passage by 

 Congress of what is known as the Hatch Act, establishing agri- 

 cultural cxperinient stations in every state, the Legislature of 

 1887 repealed the law of March 3, 1885, by an act which took 

 effect October i, 1887. It was expected at the time this act 

 was passed, that by October first a station would be in opera- 

 tion under the provisions of the national law. This did not 



