ILLINOIS. 69 



is to provide each of the existing departments with funds sufficient 

 to enable them to conduct important and thorough investigations. 

 The heads of departments give only about one-third of their time to 

 college duties, and this is about equally divided between teaching and 

 administrative duties. A relatively large number of specialists and 

 assistants are employed in the several departments, who in mam^ 

 cases devote themselves exclusively to either college or station work. 

 As the results of the investigations of the station develop, they are 

 taught by the investigators. For the dissemination of information 

 the station relies chiefly on its bulletins and the farmers' institutes. 

 The station workers confine their outside lecturing to the farmers' 

 institutes, and speak almost exclusively regarding their investiga- 

 tions. Meanwhile the more general extension work with schools, 

 boys' and girls' clubs, etc., is being developed as a separate depart- 

 ment of the college, \mder the direction of a special officer. 



The thorough and harmonious organization of this college and 

 station has resulted in great success. The departments of instruc- 

 tion are attracting a constantly increasing number of students, and 

 their quality is also improving. The investigations of the station 

 are more and more commending themselves to the farmers of the 

 State, who are now ready to make active efforts to secure adequate 

 financial support for the station. The college and station are gen- 

 erally recognized as important factors in the agricultural prosperity 

 of the State. 



LINES OF WORK. 



The principal lines of work conducted at the Illinois Station 

 during the past year were as follows: Chemistry — studies of the 

 chemical composition of corn; bacteriology: pot and field experi- 

 ments — pot experiments with type soils from different parts of the 

 State, studies on management of soils conducted on type soils in 

 different regions, inoculation experiments with alfalfa, experiments 

 with sugar beets; horticidture — experiments in orchard management, 

 renovation of orchards, cold storage investigations, experiments with 

 garden vegetables and flowers; forestry; plant breeding — experi- 

 ments in breeding and selecting corn to change the protein, oil, and 

 starch contents; animal husbandry — study of dairy conditions in 

 different parts of the State, study of market grades of swine, experi- 

 ments on the cost of beef production, and on methods of housing 

 cattle, feeding experiments with pigs: diseases of i)lants — study of 

 bitter rot and other rots of apples. ap|)le scabs and cankers; dis(!ases 

 of animals, and dairying. 



