The Republican journal., 1896-07-16
The New Professor at Orono.

Professor Chas. D. Woods, formerly Vice
Director of the Storrs, Connecticut, Agrcul-
tural Experiment Station, assumed his
duties as Professor of Agriculture in the
| Name State College and Director of the
Maine Experiment Station July 1st in place
| OF Professor w. HI. Jordan, who has gone to
| the New York Agricultural Experiment
Station at Geneva, as its Director. Profess
sor Woods is a Maine boy and comes from
we'll known Maine stock. His grandpar.
ents We're among the early settlers in Waldo
County, coming here from New Hampshire.
| His grandparents were farmers and his
! father was farmer and later merchant.
He removed from the State about twenty
| five years ago. His uncle, Hon. VIM. NJ
| Woods of Belfast, has been in the legisa-
ture and was for number of years treas
urer of Waldo County.
| Professor Woods boyhood was spent in
Belfast. He was fitted for College at Kent's
Hill and at Dean Academy, Franklin Mass
He was graduated from Wesleyan Univer-
slty, Mlddletown, Conn, in 1880, in the same
| class with President Harris. From 1880 to
| 1882 Professor Woods was assistant in the
Chemical Department of Wesleyan Univer-
slty land in the college year he had charge of
the Department of Chemistry in the absence
| of the Professor IN Europe. From 1888 to
1858 he was teacher of Natural Science at
Wilbraham, Mass, Academy. In 1888 he
was elected chemist, and in 1890 Vice Direc-
tor, of the Storrs, Conn, Agricultural En-
pertinent Station, which position he resigned
| to go to the Maine State College. Since
1894 he has been an expert in food invests
cations for the United States. In his
| undergraduate work Professor w Gods gave
special attention to chemistry, chiefly ag-
| ricultural chemistry. During this time he
had the advantage of intimate relations
with Dr. A. t. Neale Of the Delaware Expert
ment Station and of Professor w. H Jor-
dan of Orono, at tina t time Assistant in the
| Chemical Department of Wesleyan. The
first experiment station in America was
started at Middletown while Professor
Woods was student the re and he has
therefore, been familiar with the experiment
station movement from its beginning. Since
| 1876, with the exception of the period from
w 1SSOJ
Professor W. o. Atwater, one of the early
professors OF chemistry at the Maine State
| College.
| During his early years at Mddletown
| Professor Woods was associated with men
who have since become prominent in expert
ment work. Among them were Director
Neale of the Delaware Station, Director Voor-
hoo e =, O.
dan of the New York State Station, DR.. E.
| H. jenkins of the Connecticut State Station,
| the late Professor Walter Balentine of the
| Maine State College, and Director True of
| the Office of Experiment Stations at Wash
| ington.
| Professor Woods work has been chiefly
| along the lines of plant and animal nutp-
| ton, in conjunction with Professor Atwater
| The most important investigation in nutr-
ton of plants was upon the acquisition of at
mospheric nitrogen by growing plants. By
| these experiments it was shown that Ger
| tain kinds of pla1ts, such as clover, peas
beans and vetches have the power of obtain
| ing their nitrogen from the air. He has Civ
Ell much attention to the problems connect
|
| have to do with the feeding of mich cows.
| During the last few years large part of
his time and thought has been given to the
| Investigation of the food of man. In 1884
Congress made special appropriation for
the investigation of the nutritive value of
human food. While the Secretary of Agri-
culture entrusted this investigation to Pro-
lessor W. 0. Atwater, its immediate direc-
ton has been largely in Professor Woods
charge.
Professor Woods has been liberal con-
tributor to the current agricultural litera-
ture, especially through the publications Of
the experiment station and the Department
of Agriculture By his work in farmers in
stitutes he has become well known in South
ern New England, and from his connection
with the experiment station movement and
the food investigation undertaken by the
United States Department of Agriculture he
has acquired National reputation