DIRECTORS' REPORT. 



M. C. Fernald, Ph.D., President Maine Slate College: 



Sin: — The report of the Maine Experiment Station for 1891, 

 which is herewith submitted, contains, it is believed, evidence that 

 the work of the Station is increasing, not only in amount, but 

 importance. During no year of the Station's existence has so 

 large a percentage of its funds been applied directly to actual 

 experimental work, as in the year which now ends. Previously it 

 has been necessary to use quite a percentage of the funds in 

 procuring the required equipments for the various departments, 

 but now that the needed appliances are fairly well supplied, it is 

 reasonable to expect more extensive and more varied experi- 

 mentation than has heretofore been possible. 



Limitations of the Station Resources. 



It is probable that only those who are directly concerned in the 

 management of the Station realize the extent of the demands 

 made upon it for work along the various agricultural lines. We 

 have in the State of Maine stockmen, dairymen and fruit growers, 

 and to each of these classes of producers are presented many 

 problems of great economic importance. More and more are 

 agriculturists looking to the work of the experiment station as a 

 means of solving these problems and the dairyman is not less 

 backward than the fruit grower in asking that he receive his fair 

 share of attention. 



In view of the requirements that are laid upon the Station, 

 $15,000 is not a large sum of money, although to some it may 

 seem to be. 



It should be remembered, however, by those who have a feeling 

 of disappointment in what is being accomplished, if there are 

 such, that each line of work requires a specialist with special 

 apparatus. It should also be remembered that the scientific 

 problems pertaining to agriculture can not be solved at a uniform 

 rate of so many per day or year as we would manufacture boots 

 or chairs or any other commodity. If through accident, unfore- 

 seen circumstances or an error of judgment in the regulation of 

 conditions, an investigation becomes a failure in the season of 

 1891, it must wait for a repetition until 1892, with no guarantee 



