NEBRASKA. 149 



In connection with this work, studies were made on the potency of 

 the serum. Owing to the lack of typical swamp-fever cases during 

 the early summer the work on this disease could make but little 

 progress and was limited to a study of certain conditions of the blood 

 as causative factors. 



Under Hatch and other funds the entomologist worked out the 

 life history and studied the parasites of the bull-pine sawfly. He 

 also worked on melon aphis, strawberry leaf roller, and a sawfly 

 affecting the strawberry. The results of his work on the bull-pine 

 sawfly and the melon aphis are reported in detail in the last annual 

 report of the stati-on. 



The agronomist tested high-yielding ears of corn selected by 

 farmers, about 40 ears having been selected and sent in as high 

 yielders. Ear-to-row breeding work was begun with corn selected 

 according to four tjT^pes, and experiments were also carried on with 

 thick and thin planting in rows and with silage corn. Seven hun- 

 dred samples of oat varieties were grown on small plats under simi- 

 lar conditions. A detailed study of the progeny showed that many 

 samples bearing the same variety name were entirely different types, 

 while others bearing different names were identical. Studies on 

 comparative yields and relative nitrogen content during successive 

 years on 224 small permanent plats sown each year to a uniform 

 wheat and all receiving uniform treatment showed that plats giv- 

 ing comparatively high yields one year did not necessarily give high 

 yields in other years. In connection with this study of standardiz- 

 ing plats it has been shown conclusively that the error in compara- 

 tive data can be much more reduced by a duplication in small plats 

 systematically arranged over a field than by increasing the size of 

 the plats. 



In horticulture the experiments in orchard management with ref- 

 erence to clean culture, cover crops, and sod were continued and some 

 hybridizing work was done with apples on groups of different kinds. 

 Demonstration work over the State in spraying showed that profit- 

 able crops of apples can be grown where proper care is given to the 

 trees and careful spraying methods are followed. The results of 

 the more recent spraying demonstrations in apple orchards were 

 published. 



The publications received from this station during the year were 

 as follows: Bulletins 115, The Determination of Humus; 116, Eco- 

 nomical Beef Production; 117, Growing Feeder Steers in Western 

 Nebraska; 118, GroAving Crops in Western Nebraska; 119, Spraying 

 as an Essential Part of Profitable Apple Orcharding; 120, Alfalfa 

 Management; and the Annual Report for 1909. 



