ILLINOIS. lOy 



OENKUAL OUTLOOK. 



The l!irt;o funds at the disposal of the Illinois Station during the 

 past two 3'ears have enabled it to prosecute vifrorousl y the work already 

 in hand and to take up many additional linos. Experiments with 

 alfalfa show hero as elsewhere a <'-cneral failure of thiscrop where the 

 specilic alfalfa bacterium is absent. In some locations the soils have 

 been ft)und so acid as to impair if not alto<;-ether prevent the develop- 

 ment of root tubercles on leijfumes. Other soils cover! ntr liirire areas 

 have been found notably deticient in phosphorus, and farmers in these 

 localities are now protitin»«- «rroatly throu<;h the aj)plication of phos- 

 pliorus, lime, and the use of leguminous crops. Recent experiments to 

 determine whether large production of milk from a given amount of 

 feed was due to more perfect digestion on the part of some cows or 

 greater abilitv of these animals to produce milk from the digested 

 feed indicate the latter to be the cause of the larger milk jjroduction. 

 There is ap))arently very little ditference in the power of individual 

 cows when in good health to digest feed. 



The station has recently inaugurated investigations to determine the 

 cost of producing beef from birth to finish (PI. II, tig. 1), and to com- 

 pare the relative value of the shed and the stable for housing cows. 

 Field work among creameries and cheese factories throughout the State 

 has been undertaken, and the cooperative experiments with farmers 

 have been continued. The station has also begun lield work in the 

 dairy districts of northern Illinois for the purpose of studying and 

 improving dairy methods. The ol)jects of this work, as well as of ticld 

 work with spraying mixtures and soil inoculations, are to do for the 

 farmer what he can not do for himself, or else lead him to see the 

 necessity for better methods. Cooperation with this Department in 

 testing novelties, making a soil survey, and studying tlie available 

 plant food in soils has been continued, and an investigation of insects 

 affecting wheat has been undertaken in cooperation with the Division 

 of Entomolog}'. 



The legislature of Illinois at its last session nearly doubled the State 

 appropi-iations for the college and station, giving ^r)0,(»( mi to the college 

 of agriculture and $85,()»M) to the station, which, with the Hatch fund, 

 makes a total of $1()(),(»0() amiually for investigations. The State 

 funds for experimental work are apportioned as follow s: Live-stock 

 investigations and soil work each !§i25,000, dairy work !?>ir),00(), corn 

 improvement and bleeding and horticultural in\ cstigations each 

 $10,(K)(i. These liberal appropi'iations were secured largely through 

 the aid of the agricultural associations of the State, the presidents of 

 which form an advisory committee to act with the director of the sta- 

 tion in determining the lines of work to be undertaken. The extension 



