KEPOKT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 89 



DELAWARE. 



The Delaware College Agricultural Experiment Station, Newark. 

 Department of Delaware College. 

 H. Hayward, M. S. Agr., Director. 



Changes on the staff of the DeLaware station during the past year 

 were practically confined to the addition of two extension assistants, 

 one, M. O. Pence, in agi*onomy, and the other, W. C. Pelton, in horti- 

 culture. After the close of the fiscal year C. F. Dawson, the veteri- 

 narian, was succeeded by R. C. Reed, and M. T. Cook, the plant 

 pathologist, resigned to accept a like position at the New Jersey 

 station. The farm equipment of the station has recently been greatly 

 improved with State appropriations for the purpose. 



Satisfactory progress was made during the year in several of the 

 Adams fund projects. The results of a study of the toxicity of tan- 

 nin, in the project on the relation of fung-us parasites to the cell con- 

 tents of the host plants, was reported. This study showed that tannin 

 exerts a marked influence in inhibiting germination and killing spores 

 of parasitic fungi. "While its effect in this respect was found variable, 

 the majority of parasites used in the experiments were retarded by 

 0.1 to 0.6 per cent of tannin. Fusariums were found more resistant 

 than Gloeosporiums and Colletotrichums, and the Cladosporiums were 

 more resistant than the Fusariums. Penicillium olivaceiim was the 

 most resistant of any species used. It was further found that low 

 percentages of tannin may stimulate germination. 



The past year was the third in which studies were conducted on the 

 response in different ways of various types of wheat to different kinds 

 and quantities of plant food, and the work was about completed. 

 A large amount of data has been secured with indications of several 

 marked relationships. Preliminary work was done on an investiga- 

 tion of the effect of different variations in the corn kernel upon the 

 plant. Considerable attention was given to the perfecting and sim- 

 plifying of special chemical methods required in work on projects in 

 agronomy and plant pathology. 



Studies on the double-blossom disease of the dewberry were closed 

 out and the results reported in Bulletin 93 of the station. Many 

 points in the life history of Fusanum ruhi, the cause of the disease 

 and its methods of attack were brought out. Picking the diseased 

 buds just as they opened was found to be an efficient method of 

 control. 



Studies on the relation of lime to the organic matter of the soil 

 were continued, in cooperation with the station chemist, in a series 

 of bell jars and in field experiments. The investigation on in-and-in 

 breeding of pigs made good progress, but was interfered with to a 

 considerable extent by cholera. 



