ALABAMA. 69 



inaugurated during the remaining months of the fiscal year. A law 

 was enacted establishing a State board of agriculture and making the 

 director of the station a member of this board. 



All Adams fimd projects were continued, and the results of some 

 of the studies were ready for publication at the close of the year. 

 The study of the scientific problems involved in immunity and re- 

 sistance of the peach to brown rot was carried forward. In this con- 

 nection an effort was made to breed strains of peaches resistant to 

 brown rot, and a number of seedlings secured in this work and giving 

 some evidence of resistance to the disease were under observation. 



The entomologist gave considerable time to the study of the rice 

 weevil {Galandra oryzce)^ a pest injurious to corn in Alabama. 

 A general account of the life history of this insect was published. 

 It was found that about 32 days and a temperature of 63° F. are 

 required to complete the larval stages from oviposition to the emer- 

 gence of the adult. The average duration of the life cycle in August 

 and September was from seven to eight weeks. Preliminary experi- 

 ments on the control of the insect showed that the rice weevil is very 

 resistant to the action of carbon bisulphid. The study of the factors 

 governing the production, diffusion, and insecticidal efficiency of 

 hydrocyanic-acid gas and carbon bisulphid was carried on in con- 

 nection with the experiments on the control of the rice weevil. 

 Important additions were made during the year to the equipment 

 for the study of fumigation. 



In the study of fertilizer requirements as shown by the analysis 

 of cotton plants, laboratory experiments in wire baskets and sand 

 cultures in large cylinders were made to confirm the results secured 

 in the field. During the year three types of soil were studied for 

 crop production, and the results obtained indicated that in general 

 the composition of the plant is influenced by the kind of fertilizer 

 used, particularly in regard to the potash. 



The past year's work was the fifth on the corn-breeding project. 

 A considerable number of hybrids have been produced up to this 

 time, and from the data thus far worked up a number of correlations 

 seem to be definitely established. Similar correlation studies were 

 conducted with cotton and oats. 



A report was made on the study relating to the effect of different 

 feeds, including cottonseed meal, tankage, soy beans, and peanuts, 

 on the quality of pork. Pasturing the hogs on soy beans was found 

 to produce a soft lard, and attention was given to the question of 

 hardening the lard and meat after they have been rendered soft by 

 grazing hogs on soy beans. In conjunction with this work over 100 

 samples of lard were studied during the year, together with the 

 acidity of lard in fresh and rancid condition. 



