OREGON. 121 



tinned with some additions. The investigations concerning the feasi- 

 bility of soiling dairy cows have been in progress three years and 

 have s-hown conclnsively that soiling is economical of land. As an 

 average for the three years, 3.C acres in alfalfa, vetch, rye, and winter 

 oats (different relative areas in different years) yielded nearly 95,000 

 ponnds of green forage, snHicient to maintain ten cows four months, 

 A similar area in i)asture would hardly maintain four cows four 

 montlis. For several years an effort has been made to find a good 

 pasture grass, and out of about 100 varieties tested during the past ten 

 years Festuca arnndinncea promises to be one of the best cattle pasture 

 grasses for that section. Other efforts are being made to solve forage 

 problems in Oregon, including cooperation between the agriculturist 

 and the botanist in the attempt to domesticate the wild clovers and 

 other economic wild plants. The chemist is aiding in this work by 

 studying vetches for high protein content. This work is giving grati- 

 fying results, and from present indications it would seem that a 

 plant carrying at least 20 per cent of total protein can be secured. 

 He is also developing a method of drying hops, Avhich consists of 

 a new process of evaporation, so as to cure the jiroduct under lower 

 temperatures, and thereby materially conserve the lui)ulin. This 

 work bids fair to prove of exceptional value to a very important 

 industry of this State. 



The dairyman is studying the value of paraffm in the curing of 

 Cheddar cheese. The entomologist, in addition to numerous stiidies 

 of insect pests of the field and orchard, is giving considerable atten- 

 tion to plant diseases, including the watermelon wilt and onion rot, 

 both of which are becoming troublesome in the State. The bac- 

 teriologist has undertaken some new work in the retting of flax by 

 the use of selected culture organisms, the retting of various weeds for 

 fiber, and a study of the micro-organisms in manure at different 

 stages of decomposition to ascertain the value of the ptomaines as 

 plant food. The station is cooperating with this Office in irrigation 

 investigations and with the Bureau of Plant Industry in testing 

 varieties of potatoes for disease resistance. 



An adjustment of station funds has been effected which should 

 nuike it i)ossibIe to extend some of the lines of station work. The 

 wide adoption of the station's recommendations regarding forage 

 crops, soiling, rotation. Iiop culture and curing, and the other fea- 

 tures of agricultural practice shows an apprecnition of the work along 

 these lines, and some of tiie results in lines of feeding, dairying, and 

 canning vegetables and fruits are a])parently of great pi-actical im- 

 portance. There seems to be a growmg sentiment on the part of llio 

 l)eoj)l(> to con-ult with the station staff, as shown by the large c<»ire- 

 ^jjondence and by the increased demand for station pultlications. 



