84 RKl'oKT n|- OKKKK <»I'" KXI'KlilMKNT STATIONS. 



arc ii(»\v 1.'. :ui(> ill |t:iliiis and lliis ymv a small <io|i nf Kliar.s and 

 I)('Lrl('l Niioi' dates was olilainctl on .'I-n car-old trees. 'I'Ik> woi-k is 

 att ract iiie- iiiiicli atleiitioii. I»iil would )»e planters can not >eciir<r suck- 

 ers for starting' an oicliard. The station will ncjt he ahle to .supply 

 any of these until !<• acres more arc .set out to palms. Tlie work in 

 animal husl)andiy lia> tiecn interrupted hy tlie resij^nation (d' the 

 animal iiusl»an(hnaii. who has <,''one to Nevada. lie has heen succeeded 

 b}' T. F. McCoinadl, ji.. formerly of Wisconsin, wiio has taken up 

 .some work on the im[)ro\('ment and care of milk, the fcu'din*^ of daii'v 

 cows mainly with alfalfa used as a soilinji' crop, and the feeding of 

 stcMM's for l)e(d'. An exi)eriment has also been made on the eH'ect of 

 bai"lev added to alfalfa on the ((uality of pork. Some successful 

 experiments with melons have l)een conducted at IMio'iwx. (PI, I, 

 ti«!^. 2.) About TOO yoiuig Encabjptas rudis arc ))einjj^ j)ropaeated and 

 will be distributed next spring. This has been found to he the best 

 variet}' for Arizona conditions, ])cing frost and drought resisting and 

 hone}' producing. A study of the Colorado Kivcr water in cooperation 

 witli the U. S, Geological Survey has V>ecn continued. 



The station is making verj' satisfactory progres.s considering the 

 conditions under which it is working. It was given an appropriatif)n 

 of $11,000 ])y the Territorial legislature last wintei" to be expended 

 particularly in extending the date-pahn experiments and improving 

 the station farm, and for the dissemination of results of .station work 

 by means of puljlications, farmer.s' institutes, and short cour.ses of 

 instruction. Institute work, including the giving of short courses of 

 instruction, was undertaken at Thatcher, in the I'pper Gila region, 

 and was cordially received. This evidence of good Avill on the part of 

 the people of the Territor}^ is verj' encouraging. The desert la})ora- 

 tory established near Tucson under the auspices of the Carnegie 

 Institution is expected to be of material assistance to the station in the 

 studying of native forage plants on the ranges under the control of 

 the station. The work of the Ai'izona Station is now .so well organ- 

 ized that it could protitably utilize larger funds in the more extensive 

 study of the problems of irrigation, range improvement, and aninial 

 husbandry, and might in this way more eli'ectually aid the agricultural 

 development of the Territory. 



LINES OF WORK. 



I The principal lines of work conducted at the Arizona .Station during 

 the past year were as follows: Chemistry — study of irrigation waters 

 and their effects upon irrigated soils; botany; field experiments — 

 cereals, forage crops; irrigation investigations; improvement of 

 ranges; horticulture — date-palm growing, melons, vegetables, fruits, 

 etc.; and feeding experiments — beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and hogs. 



