136 KEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



increasing the amount of serum obtainable by injecting a normal salt 

 solution into the abdominal cavities of a number of hogs used in the 

 work. The injections were made two hours before the cholera hogs 

 were bled, and as soon as the animals had died the virulent salt so- 

 lution was removed. Eleven hyperimmunes were produced with this 

 normal salt solution and all of them produced potent serum. 



A large amount and variety of work was carried on during the 

 year with Hatch and State funds. In agi'onomy the experiments 

 with different systems of cropping and fertilization were continued, 

 and" experiments were further conducted in crop breeding, testing 

 grain and forage crops, together with cultural methods, and in the 

 use of cover crops following small grain. In the crop-breeding work 

 most attention was given to the improvement of corn, wheat, and 

 oats. Barley, cowpeas, soy beans, alfalfa, and timothy received some 

 attention on a smaller scale. The results of continuous selection of 

 seed corn from sucker-bearing stalks indicate that this practice is not 

 injurious if the seed selections are made from otherwise vigorous 

 stalks. In studying the effect of the shape of the seed ear upon the 

 yield of corn the results of four years of continuous selection indi- 

 cated that a moderately rough, medium size, rather cylindrical ear of 

 Eeid Yellow Dent, which was the variety under test, will give the 

 best results. As the ear of this variety is normally a rather cylin- 

 drical type, a similar experiment was begun with Leaming corn, 

 which has a rather tapering type of ear. 



The value of alfalfa, cowpeas, and soy beans for Indiana has been 

 demonstrated and the best cultural methods for these crops have 

 been determined. Good results were secured from the use of cover 

 crops after small grain. The green weight of the produce above 

 ground on September 29 was found to be 10.8 tons of cowpeas and 

 9.3 tons of soy beans per acre. The cooperative work in this depart- 

 ment in 1909 included G-IT tests of 5 varieties of corn, 106 tests of 5 

 varieties of winter wheat, 53 tests of 3 varieties of oats, 81 tests of 4 

 varieties of soy beans, and 69 tests of 3 varieties of cowpeas. 



In animal husbandry, records of feed and growth were kept on 12 

 stock farms. Feeding experiments, mainly with silage rations, were 

 made with cattle, sheep, and hogs. Studies were made of the in- 

 fluence of age of animals, on gains, of nitrogenous supplements in 

 cattle rations, short and long feeding periods, maintenance rations 

 for brood sows, forage crops for hogs, and maintenance of fall and 

 winter pigs. A report was made during the year on the use of dairy 

 by-products as supplements to corn for fattening hogs. In connec- 

 tion with the poultry work a 16-acre tract of land was purchased, a 

 poultry building, fencing and other necessary equipment erected, and 

 experimental work on the value of high and low protein rations for 

 laying hens was begun. 



