256 EEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



field experiments to determine the fertilizer requirements for the 

 principal soil types of the State. The investigation of the nutritive 

 value of various Virginia grasses and forage j^lants was continued, 

 together with a study of the lime resources of the State and the 

 comparative value of ground limestone and burnt lime for liming 

 land. 



The horticulturist continued the studies of inheritance in garden 

 vegetables with particular reference to Mendel's law. The work 

 with tomatoes was completed and reported upon in Bulletin No. 177 

 of the station, and various cruciferous vegetables were placed under 

 observation. The influence of soil environment on fruit bud forma- 

 tion was studied with dwarf fruit trees grown in pots and in cylin- 

 ders sunken into the ground. Preliminary to this work a very 

 thorough study was made of the history of fruit-bud formation in 

 all the common orchard fruits, the period covered being from July 1 

 to the blooming period of the folloAving year. Otlier Avork included 

 varietal studies of orchard fruits, fertilizer experiments with apples, 

 a test of the commercial culture of dwarf aj)ples, and an experiment 

 in the culture of basket willows carried on in cooperation with this 

 department. 



The department of agronomy continued the improvement work of 

 varieties of corn, wheat, oats, and potatoes most commonly grown in 

 Virginia, and made a study of the acclimatization of corn. The 

 effort to increase the sugar content of sweet corn to make it more 

 valuable for canning gave encouraging results. The tobacco work 

 included plat experiments with fertilizers, crop rotation, demon- 

 stration plats, and tobacco breeding to produce the best and most 

 productive strains of seed for the locality. Other work of this de- 

 partment included plat tests of various grasses, forage croi^s, fer- 

 tilizers, and crop-rotation experiments. 



The animal husbandry department completed an exjjeriment on 

 the most economical use of silage in steer feeding, and continued to 

 test various substitutes for milk in feeding calves. A study was also 

 made of the methods and results of beef production in the State. 

 The dairy department completed observations on the production of 

 sanitary milk, the results being published in Bulletin No. 185 of the 

 station. In addition, the efficiency of farm separators, the milk sup- 

 j)ly of cities, and the study of ice-cream fillers received attention. 



The department of plant pathology, working in cooperation with 

 this department, made a preliminary survey of the prevalence of 

 diseases of economic plants in the State, and made special investiga- 

 tions of an undescribed disease of tomatoes, black rot, and club-foot 

 of cabbage, and spinach diseases. The experiments on cabbage were 

 conducted in cooperation with growers and those with spinach in 

 cooperation with the Virginia Truck Station. 



