MISSOURI. 93 



which includes a financial statement of the station and reports by the 

 director and heads of departments reviewing the work of the year, 

 as well as a financial statement of the ^IcXeill branch station and a 

 report of the work of that station by the assistant director. The 

 bulletins were on the following^ subjects: Inspection and analyses of 

 commerical fertilizers on sale in the State, report of work at McXeill 

 branch station for 11)03, report of field work done at the college 

 station for 1903, and insects injurious to pecans. There were also 

 issued circulars on tiie Mexican cotton-boll weevil, alfalfa, and straw- 

 berry culture in Mississippi. 



MISSOURI. 



Missouri Agricultural College Experiment Station, Cohimhia. 



Departaieut ul the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts of the University 



of Missouri. 



II. J. Waters, P>. S. A., Director. 

 GENERAL OUTLOOK. 



The IMissouri Station has recentlv undertaken a systematic survey 

 of the soils of the State to determine the present productive capacity 

 of each type of soil, the best system of management, and the special 

 or new crops desirable for each type. In addition to the conventional 

 visitation and analysis of each type, cooperative experiments to ex- 

 tend over several years will be started with one or more farmers in 

 each region. In the southern part of the State, for examj^le, special 

 attention will be j)aid to the adaptability of the land to fruit and 

 grazing jourposes, and an effort will be made to reforest those areas 

 which are too rough and poor to produce either grass or fruit. The 

 legislature has ajjpropriated $3,000 to start this work. 



The other work of the station has proceeded along well-established 

 lines. The field work is growing; the experiments in feeding for beef 

 have been continued in cooperation with the Bureau of Plant In- 

 dustry of this Department, and include extensive experiments on 

 the finishing of cattle on grass; the breeding experiments with rab- 

 bits are yielding some interesting results, and the work of the horti- 

 culturist to determine the relation of color to the effect of temperature 

 on peach twigs has developed to the point where an attempt is being 

 made to breed out the purple color of the buds and twigs which makes 

 them more susceptible to cold. 



Agricultural instruction is gaining ground in the university and 

 in the State. In spite of raising the entrance requirements to the 

 regular university standard, the freshman class last year was about 

 75 per cent larger than usual, and this year the largest class in agri- 



