100 KKl'ctlM' (»K OKFICK (»l<' K.\ i'KKlM KNT STATIONS. 



is also siipplciiMiit iii^" the work of tlir hotiiiiisl Mild holt iciill ui"ist on 

 pccMiis liv :i stiidv of pecan insects. The choinist is giviiij^ special 

 attention to a studv of the composition of Florida fruits and of pinc- 

 api)h' soils. I'ejjfa !(1 i n^j;' which a hiiUetin lias recently been piihlishcd. 

 lie is also <<mducrin}^ experiments with pineapple fertiiizei's in coop- 

 eration witii prominent pineapple ^^^i-owcrs which have {^-iven some 

 unexpected and impoi'tant results. He is cooperating;" with tln^ Bureau 

 of Chemistrv of this Department in a study of the vegetable })lant 

 food ill soils. The station is also cooperatin<^ with the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry in testint( novelties introduced by the seed trade, and 

 with the l)i\isioii of Entomology in studies of the San Jose scale and 

 the Asiatic ladybird. 



The agriculturist is making a thorough study of the relative agri- 

 cultural \alue of velvet lu'ans, cassava, and sweet ])otatoes, including 

 cultureand feeding ex[)erimeuts. It isconsidered es})ecially important 

 that the station work on cassava l)e repeated to settle; beyond doubt 

 its actual farm value. The experimental work with pineapples at 

 Jensen has becli continued on a ver}' satisfactory' coo[)erative basis, 

 and the substation at Bocaraton has also been continued. A consid- 

 erable portion of the wooded area of the new farm has been cleared. 

 While this farm is to ))e devoted mainly to general farm operations, a 

 part has been assigned to the botanist and horticulturist for experi- 

 mental work, and another part to the entomologist for an orchard to 

 test the limits of endurance of diti'erent fruit trees for diti'erent kinds 

 of spra3's. The new science building has been completed and is occu- 

 pied by the diti'erent departments, with the exception of chemistry. 



As stated above, the staff of the Florida Station are working together 

 harmoniously in conducting their investigations, and yet the need of a 

 separate director to organize and manage the. station work as a imit is 

 felt. The station is in need of additional funds for maintenance. 

 With its present resources it is able to work (dfectively in only a few 

 lines, and its chief officers are overbui'dened with details which should 

 be attended to b}' competent assistants. 



LINES OF WORK. 



The principal lines of work conducted at the Floiida Station during 

 the past year were as follow s: C.'hemistr}^ — stud}' of pineapple soils 

 and of the food and fertilizer ingredients of pineapples; field experi- 

 ments-cassava, corn, and other farm crops; horticulture — asparagus 

 culture, blight of tomatoes, celery and cantaloupes, varieties of straw- 

 berries and dewberries, studies of citrus fruits, experiments with 

 lettuce and pineapples under cover; feeding experiments with hogs, 

 steers, and dairy animals; veterinary science — Texas fever and nature 

 and causes of salt sickness; entomology — white liy, San Jose scale, pine- 

 apple insects, and pecan budworm. 



