REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, 61 



WORK ON DRUG PLANTS. 



During the year the camphor work has progressed as rapidly as 

 the nature of the problem would permit. Since the trees must make 

 a growth of several years .before the product can be utilized, the 

 present task has consisted chiefly in growing trees for planting the 

 experimental area and in setting out the stock already developed. 

 Owing to the severe frost of the winter striking the newly trans- 

 planted stock at a critical time, considerable losses were experienced. 

 This rather unusual result has led to a change in the handling of the 

 young stock which it is believed will largely decrease the danger 

 from this source. Laboratory and factory work has been continued 

 with marked improvement in the experimental products. 



The hop work has been directed toward the same objects as here- 

 tofore, and the results of statistical study of representative hop areas 

 have corroborated the correctness of conclusion^ previously drawn. 

 It seems clear that under current practice too few vines are trained 

 to secure the maximum yield. Experimental work on difl'erent 

 methods of pruning and fertilizing promises to develop important 

 results also. The breeding work has gone far enough to show that 

 among the large number of hybrid seedlings grown a number of new 

 types have appeared which give great promise. A laboratory study 

 of certain important hop constituents has shown that varietal or 

 geographical characteristics can be detected which should simplify 

 somewhat the problem of judging hop values. Further work along 

 this line must be fruitful of most valuable results. 



POISONOUS-PLANT STUDIES. 



The field work of the year has covered two chief lines of activity : 

 (1) Feeding work carried on with suspected plants at the field 

 camp near Baldwin, Colo., and (2) visits to the national forests in 

 which considerable losses due to poisonous plants were suspected. 

 Feeding work has been continued with the species of Delphinium 

 (larkspur) available in the vicinity of the feeding station, with 

 species of Lupinus (wild lupine), species of Cicuta (water hemlock), 

 and others. Several serious sources of trouble were demonstrated 

 and means of greatly reducing the losses were worked out for the 

 larkspurs. It is hoped this result may be of much value to the stock 

 interests, since losses due to lartepur poisoning are very great and 

 are experienced on practically all the cattle ranges in the western 

 mountains. 



Reconnoissance work on several of the national forests reporting 

 the severest losses has been done, and in cases of plant poisoning it 

 has usually been possible to indicate the source of trouble and often 

 to suggest helpful measures. 



