Seventy Years of Research on Waste Composting and Utilization at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

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Abstract
▪ The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, established in 1875, is the oldest Experiment Station in the nation. Among the many contributions made by scientists at the Station, the development of hybrid corn by Donald F. Jones, and the discovery of vitamins by Thomas B. Osborne stand as hallmarks of science that have received much attention. Since the early 1920's, two issues have been studied in great detail at this Station; maintenance of soil fertility in New England's nutrient impoverished soil and disposal of agricultural and domestic wastes. Since the solutions to these problems are intertwined, the Station has been examining the time honored custom of returning wastes to soil to improve crop production. Even before the current rejuvenation of composting as an option in waste management, the Station expended considerable effort in composting research and its utilization in agriculture. This is a historical review of these efforts.