176 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



■svhich they can not be awakened. The species most difficult to rorce 

 were Carya aqnatica, C. ^>o7'(?m.«., Fagus sylvatica^ Fraxinus araei-i- 

 cana, F. excelsior, F. ornus, Juglans regia, Liriodendron tidipifera, 

 Qvercus alba, Q. coccinea, and Q. olivaformis. In connection with 

 the ixivestigations on the properties of milk it was ascertained that 

 the cause of wide variation in milk production by dairy cows is the 

 dilTerence in the quantity of food they are able to consume and use 

 above that required for maintenance. The work on the nutrition of 

 steers was practically completed, and substantial progress was also 

 made in the studies on the influence of age on the breeding powers of 

 animals, the nutrition of heifers, nutrition of apple trees, and on hog 

 cholera. 



In addition to the Adams-fund investigations, numerous lines of 

 work were carried on by the different departments of the station. 

 The animal-husbandry department continued its pasture experiments 

 with steers which have been going on for 15 years, studied winter 

 rations for cattle, including the use of silage for fattening cattle, the 

 influence of age and condition of cattle on economic efficienc}^, eco- 

 nomic pork production and farm management, forage rations for 

 hogs, and maintenance requirements for brood sows. The results of 

 the study of specific effects of rations on the development of swine 

 called attention to the importance of the ash constituents generally, 

 and to phosphorus in particular, in the rations of growing animals. 



In the horticultural department experiments were made in the 

 home canning of fruits and vegetables, breeding asparagus, straw- 

 berries^ tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables, methods of frost 

 protection, comparison of apple stocks and scions, forcing vegetables, 

 and methods of spraying. Peach trees pruned according to the 

 methods advocated by the station were made to produce 2 addi- 

 tional crops in 8 years. Last year the Jonathan apple orchard 

 on the horticultural grounds returned over $300 per acre, while un- 

 sprayed Jonathan orchards in the neighborhood had almost no mar- 

 ketable fruit. As a demonstration experiment, the college last year 

 sprayed 1 acre of Jonathan apples in a commercial apple orchard 

 near Columbia and this sprayed acre produced more marketable 

 apples than the remaining 139 acres which were not sprayed. In 

 connection with the asparagus work it is reported that one-eighth acre 

 of asparagus on the horticultural gi'oundshas given an average return 

 of $80 annually for the past 5 years. 



Forestry, which has heretofore been combined with horticulture 

 as one department, was made a separate department during the year. 

 Experiments with extensive plantings of catalpa and locust, especially 

 in the Ozark region, are in progress. 



The work in agronomy included rotation experiments in progress 

 for 21 years, corn breeding with respect to yield, and composition 



