IOWA. Ill 



The poultry work included observations on the influence of pure- 

 bred cocks on mongrel stock and on the effect of different rations in 

 fattening poultry. Trap-nest selections were made and attention 

 was given to the improvement of poultry-house appliances. 



The dairy department gave considerable attention to ice-cream 

 work and published during the year Bulletin 118 of the station, on 

 a frozen product made from sour milk and called lacto. This de- 

 partment also gave attention to creamery construction and made 

 observations on the shrinkage of butter in transit and in storage. 



The station chemist in cooperation with the animal husbandry 

 department made digestion studies with hogs in connection with 

 feeding corn in different ways, and also studied the composition of 

 the pigs at the time of birth to determine a possible correlation with 

 the feed of the sows and other factors. In cooperation with the hor- 

 ticultural department he studied sugar content, acidity, and other 

 factors in apples as characters in relation to Mendel's law. 



In rural engineering the station continued its work on the con- 

 struction of silos, and especially those built of tile. This line of 

 work included the construction of masonry water tanks on the top 

 of the silos and various waterproofing materials were tested. Work 

 was also done on the gasoline engine for the improvement of its 

 efficiency. The cooperative work with this office in irrigating with 

 sewage was successful and was favored by the dry season. 



A great variety of work in progress in agronomy included the 

 breeding of grains, testing, and acclimatizing different strains and 

 varieties, comparing various methods of making germination tests, 

 conducting 30 cooperative tests with alfalfa in different parts of the 

 State, breeding clover and timothy, determining the value of sweet 

 clover under Iowa conditions, experimenting in the reseeding of 

 pastures with different grasses, and having under trial a large num- 

 ber of forage crops. . Corn was bred- for different sections of the 

 State in four breeding centers, and in this connection correlation 

 studies on the relation between stock characteristics and yield were 

 made. 



The botanist carried on work in cooperation with this department 

 on cross-pollination and self-pollination of alfalfa with and with- 

 out bees, on the cytologj^ of fertilization, and the use of pollen from 

 the same and different plants. Studies were also made of onion 

 smut, rust of alfalfa and timothy, and other diseases, and on the 

 deJayed germination of weed seeds. 



The entomological department made a study of the wheat-head 

 army worm as a timothy pest and published results in Bulletin 122 of 

 the station. This department also studied the pear slug and the 

 oyster-shell scale and tested methods of spraying in combating the 

 codling moth and the strawberry slug. 



