NKW JERSEY. 151 



habits and moans of destroy iii<;" mosquitoes; investigations in soil l)ac- 

 tei'iolooy, especially on nitrogen-tixing bacteria; investigations of 

 commercial feeding stutls; studies in oyster culture; a comprehensive 

 study of the fertilizing value of animal and green manures; plant- 

 breeding experiments; experiments in the culture and utilization of 

 forage and soiling crops; and the value of nitrate of soda for gartlen 

 and tield crops. In the investigation of feeding stuil's it was found 

 that the number of spurious articles on the market was very much 

 reduced over those of previous 3'ears, undoubtedly due to the inspec- 

 tion carried on and the educational character of the pul)lications con- 

 nected therewith. Investigations concerning the appropriation of 

 nitrogen ])y plants from various forms of nitrogenous substances 

 have been finished in one of its phases, and the results confirm those 

 obtained elsewhere in showing a relativeh^ high availability for such 

 products as dried l)lood, meat tajikage, and cotton- seed meal, and in 

 showing a mu€h higher rate of availability for ground horn than was 

 formerly assigned to it. In the investigation of the mosquito prob- 

 lem much progress has been made and the results thus far secured 

 encourage the hope that the methods suggested maj^ result in materi- 

 ally reducing, if not wholly eradicating, this pest. The station is also 

 cooperating with the Division of Entomology of this Department in 

 studies of cranberr}' insects, the San Jose scale, and the Asiatic lad\'- 

 bird. The irrigation studies in cooperation with this Office show a 

 comparatively large num))er of small irrigation plants in operation in 

 the market-gardening districts adjacent to the large Eastern cities. 

 The operations of these plants are uniformly profitable, and it is evi- 

 dent that they could be handled with very great advantage. 



The director of the stations. Dr. E. B. Voorhees, has been awarded 

 the William H. Nichols medal for the yenv ended July 1, 19U2, on his 

 paper "Studies in denitrification,-' presented before the New York 

 section of the American Chemical Society and published in the Journal 

 of the American Chemical Society. This medal is awarded annually 

 to the author who presents before the New York section of the 

 American Chemical Society the best paper embodying the results of 

 original chemical research. Competition is not restricted to members 

 of the American Chemical Society, nor necessarily to those who pre- 

 sent })a[)ers in person. 



The stations suffered great temporary' loss through the destruction 

 by tire of the station building on April 23. A large proportion of the 

 records anil collections was saved. The structure is now being rebuilt 

 with insurance funds and will fuiiiish better facilities for the various 

 dcpartnuMits than hitherto. The woik of these stations is so systtMU- 

 atically and thoroughly organized and has proved so practically useful 

 that there is no doul)t that with laiger resources they would make still 

 more important contributions to the advancement of the agricultural 

 interests of New Jerse3\ 



