Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-07-05
The Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton.


Last week under this heading appeared
an article explaining how the Delaware Ag-
ricultural Experimental Station came to be
established and from whence it derived sup
port The details of where the machinery
came from and size of rooms, are omitted
from this article A general description of
each floor and the various departments fol-
lows.
The first floor shows that the directors
room is at the right of the main entrance It
is furnished in the usual manner with FIRE
proof safe, office chairs, desk, tables, type
writer, copy press, etc. Book cases will be
placed in position as this room will also
serve, for the present at least, as a library
The rest of the first floor is given up to the
chemical laboratories.
CHEMISTRY.
The Hatch Bill prescribes the lines of
work which the Experiment Stations must
follow. The chemists of these Stations
must therefore devote themselves to inves-
legations falling within the following fields,
viz studies of the chemical composition of
useful plants in their different stages of
growth; soil and water analyses; the chem
ical composition of manures, natural and ar
ti6cial, with experiments to test their COM
parative effects on different crops; the COM
position and digestibility of the different
kinds of food for domestic animals; prob
lens involved in the production of butter
and cheese; and 'such other chemical re-
searches and experiments, bearing directly
upon the agricultural industry of the United
States, as may in each case be deemed ad-
visable." The laboratories have been
planned and equipped with especial refer
ence to these lines of work The larger
rooms on the left of the hall are thoroughly
furnished with work-tables, closets and
shelves for apparatus and reagents, and
hoods under which all work may be carried
out which involves contact with disagreeable
or noxious vapors. Two Of these hoods are
uniform in size, vix # by It. each is
directly connected with chimney in which
special arrangements were made to secure
ventilation. One of these hoods is intended
for evaporation,a series of steam baths, con-
uected with the main boiler allowing such
work to be done, with coal fire. cheaper
and better than with gas Steam will also
be used for heating the drying closets, and
for all similar purposes where closed coils
can be employed
The largest work table in the main labora-
tory runs through the middle of the room 4;
it is fitted with pipes for gas, hot and cold
water, air blasts and aspirators, steam con-
densers for distilled water, etc, etc. Side
tables are arranged with appliances for vol
u-1etric determination and for conclusions.
The outfit for the estimation of nitrogen by
each ofthe three standard methods is COM
plete; the small laboratory, being devoted
almost exclusively, to the apparatus for de-
terminiug this element in all of the forms
in which it occurs in agricultural products.
The balances are kept in room in which
no chemical work will be done. One Of
these is intended for analytical purposes; it
is of the most accurate and sensitive form
known to chemists. The others are Of or
binary accuracy and are to be used in rougher
kinds ofwork. All were purchased from the
celebrated manufacturer, Becker, of New
York City
Other apparatus, worthy at least of passing
notice, can be found IN proper position. The
list includes Sohxlets delicate and accurate
instruments for the rapid estimation of but
ter in milk; an excellent polariscope used in
the determination ofsugar as it exists either
in milk or in sorghum, sugar beets- or similar
plants: a complete and expensive collection
Of platinum dishes, crucibles and cones; bun
sen pumps for rapid filtration, etc, etc
Several lines of work are named in the
Hatch Bill which do not fall directly among
the duties imposed upon the chemist; they
viii, however, require much assistance from
this department before satisfactory answer
can be secured. Among these may be noted
the comparative advantages Of rotaGve crop
ping as pursued under a varying series OF