224 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



The study of lime-sulphur, its use and effect, was carried on in co- 

 operation with the chemist. A chemical study of the substance was 

 made and the results published in the Journal of Industrial and En- 

 gineering Chemistry for June, 1910. Among other results, the 

 influence of hot weather on the injurious effect of the spray was 

 shown. In connection with the work on soil leaching, the effects of 

 various fertilizers were studied. It was found that the soils under 

 investigation were more largely affected by gypsum than by lime, 

 and that the effect consisted of the release of potash. Absorption 

 tests and studies of the waters of the principal rivers of the State 

 were carried on in the laboratorj^ 



Studies on the drying of hops showed that drying at low tempera- 

 tures is necessary to insure high quality. Good results were secured 

 by drying at 120° F. Investigations bearing on the time of picking 

 and on the translocation of constituents in the plant were also in 

 progi'ess. Chemical studies of the different parts of the hop plant 

 were made with a view to determining its plant-food requirements. 

 The resin content of the choice Oregon hop was found to be equal to 

 that of the continental hop of Europe. Methods for determining 

 resins in commercial samples were perfected and a basis for grading 

 samples was thus obtained. 



In the project on incubation, studies were made on carbon dioxid 

 in incubators and under the hen, and attention was also given in 

 connection with this project to a study of the cause of mortality of 

 incubator chicks and its prevention. 



In addition to the Adams-fund projects, a number of other subjects 

 supported by the Hatch fund received attention. In cooi3eration 

 with the chemist, the horticulturist studied the effect of irrigation 

 lender a variet}^ of conditions on the composition of the apple. The 

 horticulturist further tested cover crops and their influence in or- 

 chards, and worked with varieties of vegetables, small fruits, and 

 orchard fruits. Orchard-culture experiments were carried on, and 

 among the different cover crops tested Vida sativa or F. vilJosa, 

 with either winter oats or rye, proved most successful in western 

 Oregon, while V. villosa proved to be the only leguminous crop suit- 

 able to withstand the winters at the eastern Oregon station and in 

 the Grand Ronde Valley. Some horticultural work was also done 

 at Union and Umatilla under State appropriations. 



The chemist pursued work on spraying materials, including arsen- 

 icals and their injury. It was found that calcium arsenate can be 

 substituted for lead arsenate with generally good results. Pepper- 

 mint was grown on beaver-dam soils to test its oil-yielding capacity 

 under the particular conditions. The chemist also had charge of the 

 tertilizer-control work. 



The department of agronomy made soil-moisture determinations in 

 connection with irrigation work ; conducted experiments to determine 



