SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                     WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                      ____________________
                            Form S-8
                     REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                              under
                   THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                      ____________________

                    THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
                    (a Delaware corporation)
              Executive Offices -- 2030 Dow Center
                     Midland, Michigan 48674
(Name, state of incorporation and address of principal executive
                        office of issuer)

          I.R.S. Employer Identification No. 38-1285128
                      ____________________

                    THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
            2000-2001 EMPLOYEES' STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                    (Full title of the plan)
                      ____________________

                          JOHN SCRIVEN
          Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
                    THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
                         2030 Dow Center
                     Midland, Michigan 48674

             (Name and address of agent for service)

                   Telephone:  (517) 636-1000
                      ____________________

                 CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                               Proposed   Proposed     Amount
       Title                    maximum    maximum       of
   of securities    Amount to  offering   aggregate registration
  to be registered      be       price    offering      fee
                    registered per share    price

 Common Stock, par  2,002,000   $88.55  $177,277,100  $46,801.15
  value $2.50 per    shares
 share, of The Dow
 Chemical Company



                             PART II

Item 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents heretofore filed by The Dow Chemical
Company ("Dow") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") are incorporated herein by this reference:

     (a)  Dow's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1999.  (The consolidated financial statements and
the financial statement schedule included in such Annual Report
have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors,
as stated in their report appearing therein, and have been so
incorporated in this Registration Statement in reliance upon such
report given upon the authority of said firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.);

     (b)  The description of Dow's Common Stock, par value $2.50
per share, contained in a registration statement filed pursuant
to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Act")
and any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating
that description.

     All documents subsequently filed by Dow pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Act prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment which indicates that all the securities
offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all such
securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the
date of filing of such documents.

Item 6.  IDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

     Under Article VI of its Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, as amended, Dow may indemnify its Directors,
officers, employees and agents to such extent as is permitted by
the laws of the State of Delaware and as Dow's Bylaws may from
time to time provide.  Section 145 of the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware empowers Dow to indemnify, subject to
the standards and limitations therein prescribed, any person in
connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought or
threatened by reason of the fact that such person is or was a
Director, officer, employee or agent of Dow or is or was serving
in such capacity with respect to another corporation or other
enterprise at the request of Dow.  Under Section VI of the Bylaws
of Dow, Dow is required to indemnify its Directors, officers and
employees to the full extent permitted by Delaware law whenever
such a person is a defendant in any legal proceeding.  Section VI
also gives the Company discretion to indemnify Directors,
officers, employees and agents in other legal proceedings to
which they are made a party.  Any indemnification of a Director,
officer, employee or agent of the Company must be approved by the
Board of Directors.  Dow maintains a Directors' and officers'
liability insurance policy that indemnifies Dow's Directors and
officers against certain losses in connection with claims made
against them for certain wrongful acts.

Item 8.  EXHIBITS.

Exhibit No.                   Description of Exhibit

4(a)                          Restated Certificate of
                              Incorporation of The Dow
                              Chemical Company, filed as
                              Exhibit 3(i) to Dow's Annual
                              Report on Form 10-K for the
                              year ended December 31, 1999,
                              incorporated herein by this
                              reference.

4(b)                          Bylaws of The Dow Chemical
                              Company, filed as Exhibit
                              3(ii) to Dow's Annual Report
                              on Form 10-K for the year
                              ended December 31, 1998,
                              incorporated herein by this
                              reference.

23                            Independent Auditors'
                              Consent.

24                            Power of Attorney.


Item 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

(a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

     (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
statement:

          (i)  To include any prospectus required by section
               10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
          (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
               arising after the effective date of the
               registration statement (or the most recent post-
               effective amendment thereof) which, individually
               or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
               change in the information set
               forth in the registration statement;
         (iii) To include any material information with
               respect to the plan of distribution not previously
               disclosed in the registration statement or any
               material change to such information in the
               registration statement;

     Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)
do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form
S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-
effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic
reports filed by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

     (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability
under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective
amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of
such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.

     (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-
effective amendment any of the securities being registered which
remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for
purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of
1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to
Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to Directors, officers
and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the
foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as
expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the
event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities
(other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a Director, officer or controlling person of the
registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such Director, officer or controlling
person in connection with the securities being registered, the
registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in
the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such
issue.

                           SIGNATURES

     The Registrant.  Pursuant to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Midland,
State of Michigan, on March 24, 2000.


                                   THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
                                               (Registrant)


                                   By: /s/J. PEDRO REINHARD
                                       J. Pedro Reinhard
                                       Executive Vice President and
                                       Chief Financial Officer


     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933,
this registration statement has been signed by the following
persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.


A. A. ALLEMANG*
A. A. Allemang      Director and Vice President

J. K. BARTON*
J. K. Barton        Director

D. T. BUZZELLI*
D. T. Buzzelli      Director

A. J. CARBONE*
A. J. Carbone       Director, Vice Chairman and
                    Executive Vice President

J. M. COOK*
J. M. Cook          Director

J. C. DANFORTH*
J. C. Danforth      Director

W. D. DAVIS*
W. D. Davis         Director

E. C. FALLA*
E. C. Falla         Director

B. H. FRANKLIN*
B. H. Franklin      Director

A. D. GILMOUR*
A. D. Gilmour       Director

G. M. LYNCH*
G. M. Lynch         Vice President and
                    Controller

M. D. PARKER*
M. D. Parker        Director and
                    Executive Vice President


F. P. POPOFF*
F. P. Popoff        Director and
                    Chairman of the Board

J. P. REINHARD*
J. P. Reinhard      Director, Executive
                    Vice President and Chief
                    Financial Officer

H. T. SHAPIRO*
H. T. Shapiro       Director

W. S. STAVROPOULOS*
W. S. Stavropoulos  Director, President
                    and Chief Executive Officer

P. G. STERN*
P. G. Stern         Director



*By: /s/J. PEDRO REINHARD
     J. Pedro Reinhard
     Executive Vice President and
     Chief Financial Officer

Dated:  March 24, 2000

                          EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit No.  Description of Exhibit                   Page Number

4(a)         Restated Certificate of Incorporation
             of The Dow Chemical Company, filed as
             Exhibit 3(i) to Dow's Annual Report on
             Form 10-K for the year ended December
             31, 1999, incorporated herein by this
             reference.

4(b)         Bylaws of The Dow Chemical Company,
             filed as Exhibit 3(ii) to Dow's Annual
             Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
             December 31, 1998, incorporated herein
             by this reference.

23           Independent Auditors' Consent.             7

24           Power of Attorney.                         8
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "DOW CHEMICAL CO /DE/", "cik": "0000029915", "assigned-sic": "2800", "irs-number": "381285128", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-33254", "film-number": "578274"}, "business-address": {"street1": "2030 DOW CENTER", "city": "MIDLAND", "state": "MI", "zip": "48674-2030", "phone": "5176361000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "2030 DOW CENTER", "city": "MIDLAND", "state": "MI", "zip": "48674-2030"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                     WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                      ____________________
                            Form S-8
                     REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                              under
                   THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                      ____________________

                    THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
                    (a Delaware corporation)
              Executive Offices -- 2030 Dow Center
                     Midland, Michigan 48674
(Name, state of incorporation and address of principal executive
                        office of issuer)

          I.R.S. Employer Identification No. 38-1285128
                      ____________________

                    THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
            2000-2001 EMPLOYEES' STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                    (Full title of the plan)
                      ____________________

                          JOHN SCRIVEN
          Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
                    THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
                         2030 Dow Center
                     Midland, Michigan 48674

             (Name and address of agent for service)

                   Telephone:  (517) 636-1000
                      ____________________

                 CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                               Proposed   Proposed     Amount
       Title                    maximum    maximum       of
   of securities    Amount to  offering   aggregate registration
  to be registered      be       price    offering      fee
                    registered per share    price

 Common Stock, par  2,002,000   $88.55  $177,277,100  $46,801.15
  value $2.50 per    shares
 share, of The Dow
 Chemical Company

                             PART II

Item 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents heretofore filed by The Dow Chemical
Company ("Dow") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") are incorporated herein by this reference:

     (a)  Dow's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1999.  (The consolidated financial statements and
the financial statement schedule included in such Annual Report
have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors,
as stated in their report appearing therein, and have been so
incorporated in this Registration Statement in reliance upon such
report given upon the authority of said firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.);

     (b)  The description of Dow's Common Stock, par value $2.50
per share, contained in a registration statement filed pursuant
to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Act")
and any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating
that description.

     All documents subsequently filed by Dow pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Act prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment which indicates that all the securities
offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all such
securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the
date of filing of such documents.

Item 6.  IDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

     Under Article VI of its Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, as amended, Dow may indemnify its Directors,
officers, employees and agents to such extent as is permitted by
the laws of the State of Delaware and as Dow's Bylaws may from
time to time provide.  Section 145 of the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware empowers Dow to indemnify, subject to
the standards and limitations therein prescribed, any person in
connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought or
threatened by reason of the fact that such person is or was a
Director, officer, employee or agent of Dow or is or was serving
in such capacity with respect to another corporation or other
enterprise at the request of Dow.  Under Section VI of the Bylaws
of Dow, Dow is required to indemnify its Directors, officers and
employees to the full extent permitted by Delaware law whenever
such a person is a defendant in any legal proceeding.  Section VI
also gives the Company discretion to indemnify Directors,
officers, employees and agents in other legal proceedings to
which they are made a party.  Any indemnification of a Director,
officer, employee or agent of the Company must be approved by the
Board of Directors.  Dow maintains a Directors' and officers'
liability insurance policy that indemnifies Dow's Directors and
officers against certain losses in connection with claims made
against them for certain wrongful acts.

Item 8.  EXHIBITS.

Exhibit No.                   Description of Exhibit

4(a)                          Restated Certificate of
                              Incorporation of The Dow
                              Chemical Company, filed as
                              Exhibit 3(i) to Dow's Annual
                              Report on Form 10-K for the
                              year ended December 31, 1999,
                              incorporated herein by this
                              reference.

4(b)                          Bylaws of The Dow Chemical
                              Company, filed as Exhibit
                              3(ii) to Dow's Annual Report
                              on Form 10-K for the year
                              ended December 31, 1998,
                              incorporated herein by this
                              reference.

23                            Independent Auditors'
                              Consent.

24                            Power of Attorney.

Item 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

(a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

     (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
statement:

          (i)  To include any prospectus required by section
               10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
          (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
               arising after the effective date of the
               registration statement (or the most recent post-
               effective amendment thereof) which, individually
               or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
               change in the information set
               forth in the registration statement;
         (iii) To include any material information with
               respect to the plan of distribution not previously
               disclosed in the registration statement or any
               material change to such information in the
               registration statement;

     Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)
do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form
S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-
effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic
reports filed by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

     (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability
under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective
amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of
such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.

     (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-
effective amendment any of the securities being registered which
remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for
purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of
1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to
Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to Directors, officers
and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the
foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as
expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the
event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities
(other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a Director, officer or controlling person of the
registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such Director, officer or controlling
person in connection with the securities being registered, the
registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in
the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such
issue.

                           SIGNATURES

     The Registrant.  Pursuant to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has
reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Midland,
State of Michigan, on March 24, 2000.

                                   THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
                                               (Registrant)

                                   By: /s/J. PEDRO REINHARD
                                       J. Pedro Reinhard
                                       Executive Vice President and
                                       Chief Financial Officer

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933,
this registration statement has been signed by the following
persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

A. A. ALLEMANG*
A. A. Allemang      Director and Vice President

J. K. BARTON*
J. K. Barton        Director

D. T. BUZZELLI*
D. T. Buzzelli      Director

A. J. CARBONE*
A. J. Carbone       Director, Vice Chairman and
                    Executive Vice President

J. M. COOK*
J. M. Cook          Director

J. C. DANFORTH*
J. C. Danforth      Director

W. D. DAVIS*
W. D. Davis         Director

E. C. FALLA*
E. C. Falla         Director

B. H. FRANKLIN*
B. H. Franklin      Director

A. D. GILMOUR*
A. D. Gilmour       Director

G. M. LYNCH*
G. M. Lynch         Vice President and
                    Controller

M. D. PARKER*
M. D. Parker        Director and
                    Executive Vice President

F. P. POPOFF*
F. P. Popoff        Director and
                    Chairman of the Board

J. P. REINHARD*
J. P. Reinhard      Director, Executive
                    Vice President and Chief
                    Financial Officer

H. T. SHAPIRO*
H. T. Shapiro       Director

W. S. STAVROPOULOS*
W. S. Stavropoulos  Director, President
                    and Chief Executive Officer

P. G. STERN*
P. G. Stern         Director

*By: /s/J. PEDRO REINHARD
     J. Pedro Reinhard
     Executive Vice President and
     Chief Financial Officer

Dated:  March 24, 2000

                          EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.  Description of Exhibit                   Page Number

4(a)         Restated Certificate of Incorporation
             of The Dow Chemical Company, filed as
             Exhibit 3(i) to Dow's Annual Report on
             Form 10-K for the year ended December
             31, 1999, incorporated herein by this
             reference.

4(b)         Bylaws of The Dow Chemical Company,
             filed as Exhibit 3(ii) to Dow's Annual
             Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
             December 31, 1998, incorporated herein
             by this reference.

23           Independent Auditors' Consent.             7

24           Power of Attorney.                         8