EEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 231 



BHODE ISLAND. 



Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station, Kingston. 



Department of Ilhode Island College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts. 



II. J. Wheeleu, rii. D., Director. 



At the Ehocle Island station the changes on the staff during the 

 year Avere limited to the appointment of an assistant each in the 

 departments of agronomy and biology. The station equipment was 

 improved by the construction of a cool cellar for the storage of 

 vegetables, and of a hospital building for use in the investigation 

 of poultry diseases. The State made no appropriation for the 

 station. 



Satisfactory jDrogress was made in the different Adams-fund 

 jDrojects. In conducting the work on the causes of losses of broiler 

 chicks it was found that much of the ill effect of feeding cottonseed 

 meal can be overcome by feeding with it generous amounts of bone 

 ash and of calcium carbonate. Experiments designed to show the 

 reason for this fact and for the differences in the efficiency of certain 

 other high protein foods were continued. 



In the study of the influence of previous crops on the growth of 

 subsequent plants, the effect of IG different crops on the growth of 

 onions was observed, with a view to finding an explanation for the 

 behavior in each case. Attempts were made to check the plat work 

 with pot cultures in which the various fertilizer constituents were 

 changed. Continued investigations on the blackhead disease of 

 lurkej's still further confirmed the view that it is caused by a cocci- 

 dium rather than by an amoeba, as previously supposed. It was 

 found that many different kinds of wild and domestic birds are 

 apparently subject to an attack of the same or a veiy similar 

 organism. 



The results of determining phosphorus deficiency of soils by ana- 

 lyzing the turnips grown upon them seem to show that the percentage 

 cf phosphorus in the dry matter is a fair indication of the amount 

 of phosphorus in the soil. In studying the influence of sodium salts 

 on the more important organic constituents of plants it was ob- 

 served that where sodium salts were substituted for potassium salts 

 potatoes gave greater yields the following year than those grown 

 with an abundance of potassium available to the plants. The effect 

 of potassium on the translocation and deposition of starch was also 

 studied in connection with this project. 



Eesearch into the laws governing the breeding of pigeons was con- 

 tinued cooperatively with L. J. Cole, of Yale University. Results 

 secured on the inheritance of color, color patterns, feathering and 

 webbing of feet, and of other characters were arranged for publica- 

 tion. Under this project studies were begun on the inheritance of 



