OREGON. 183 



of five years of work, which has dealt with the effect of water on the 

 soil, the trees, and the fruit ; the relation of water to color, size, and 

 yield of fruits; and the formation of buds as related to the succeeding 

 crop. The station chemists studied the composition of apples as com- 

 pared with those grown in the Willamette Valley without irrigation. 



Work on gummosis of the cherry was pursued by the department 

 of botany and plant pathology which was established July 1, 1910. 

 The project was written up as a thesis, dated June 1, 1911, A more 

 complete description of the organism isolated considered to be the 

 cause of the disease will be included in the final report. 



In further study of apple-tree anthracnose, the perfect stage of the 

 organism causing this trouble was found and the results of field work 

 on means of combating the disease favored Bordeaux mixture as a 

 fungicide. 



In studying lime-sulphur spray an effort was made to determine the 

 mgredients injuring the foliage and a method of preventing their in- 

 jurious effect. The relative fungicidal and insecticidal value of each 

 element or compound, as well as their effects upon the host plant, 

 were studied. The work was pursued in the laboratory and green- 

 houses and in different orchards in the Hood River district. 



A large amount of work was done on the incubation of hens' eggs 

 during the past year and data on moisture, carbon dioxid, ventilation, 

 and other factors as related to size, weight, and death rate of chicks 

 were collected. The lime content and moisture content of the chicks 

 as related to the lime and moisture content of the eggs were deter- 

 mined, and a study was made of the influence of oil from the hen on 

 the hatching of chicks. 



Numerous lines of work were carried on the past season with Hatch 

 and other funds. The department of agronomy made variety tests 

 of wheat, vetches, soy beans, corn, barley, oats, and other crops. 

 Selections of Vicm sativa with reference to protein content were 

 made and ear-to-row tests, with corn were conducted. The irrigation 

 work of the department was extended to cover 3 to -1 acres with a 

 pumping plant. Kale, beets, potatoes, alfalfa, squash, beans, and 

 rice were grown with different amounts of water applied at different 

 times. 



With the support of the State appropriation, the horticultural 

 work Avas extended. The department continued its tests of varieties 

 of strawberries and undertook breeding studies, 1,500 seedlings^ of 

 known parentage being under observation. Work in cherry breeding 

 was carried on to obtain a late-maturing strain of Royal Ann, the 

 leading canning variety. With prunes a similar breeding experiment 

 is followed to obtain early varieties, and a prune survey of the State 

 was undertaken as a basis of study of problems relating to this crop. 



