SOUTH DAKOTA. 199 



The past season these new hybrid fruits bore a heavy crop and many 

 other new seedlings came into bearing. Good progress was also 

 made in the breeding of hardy small fruits and apples. The prac- 

 tical object in view is to secure varieties of apples that will keep 

 through the winter and be of perfect hardiness in tree. The data 

 regarding the genetic principles deduced from these experiments 

 were summarized and prepared for publication. A part of this 

 work is conducted with the Hatch fund, while the expense of the 

 scientific part of the experiment is charged to the Adams fund. 



The projects in agronomy were followed as originally outlined. 

 The study of the effect of rotations upon soil fertility included chem- 

 ical analyses of soil samples for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, 

 calcium, magnesium, iron, aluminum, sodium, and insoluble matter. 

 In some instances definite plant-food materials were supplied and 

 their effect upon crop yields compared. Work on the morphological 

 characteristics of corn, wheat, and oats was begun this season. This 

 included observations or morphological characters in relation to de- 

 sirable and undesirable qualities, a morphological study of larger 

 groups, and chemical work. 



In the project on the digestibility of grains and fodders in studies 

 of horses, the natural digestive coefficients under normal conditions 

 were determined and completed and the results were prepared for 

 publication. Work was begun on the second phase of this study, 

 which relates to the digestive results obtained under some of the un- 

 scientific practice pursued not only under range conditions, but also 

 under the conditions prevailing from time to time in the more 

 favored sections of the State. 



A part of the work on the effect of alkali water on dairy cows and 

 dairy products was completed. The data relative to the effect of 

 alkali water on dairy products were placed in manuscript form. 

 . Under the Hatch fund the work of determining which crops and 

 cropping systems are most suitable for permanent and profitable 

 agriculture in South Dakota was continued, two systems of farming, 

 grain farming and live-stock farming, being especially considered. 

 Attention was given to the relative cost of conducting the two sys- 

 tems of farming, the relative profits which may be derived, the pos- 

 sibility of each of the two systems for soil maintenance, and the 

 economic effect of pursuing either the one or the other. The results 

 of studies relative to varieties and cultural methods of wheat, oats, 

 barley, millet, corn, and grain sorghum were published during the 

 vear in Bulletin 124 of the station. Attention was also given to the 

 alkali soils of the State. Bulletin 126 was published as a report 

 upon a preliminary survey of alkali soils and an presenting methods 

 for alleviating the ill effects of the alkali materials in such soils. 



