REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 97 



tions, by a system of classification or otherwise, the results of research 

 work on agricultural problems, and the belief was expressed that if 

 the issuance of popular compiled bulletins, quite necessary in exten- 

 sion work, be left entirely to the extension departments, much ground 

 would be gained in making the stations' contributions to agricultural 

 science more accessible to the scientific world as well as to the general 

 public. 



Numerous lines of important work were pursued by the stations 

 during the year. A brief mention of some of the results recently 

 obtained will give a general idea of the scope and progress of this work. 



The Colorado Station demonstrated the occurrence of apparently 

 rapidly extending areas of soil in irrigated orchards and sugar-beet 

 fields containing nitrates in such excessive amounts as to destroy 

 the crops. This excess of nitrates is thought to be due to phenomenal 

 bacterial activity. 



The JNIissouri Station determined that nitrogen and phosphorus 

 are the limiting elements of plant food in Missouri soils and that 

 the majority of Missouri uplands respond to an application of these 

 elements. 



Analyses of drainage waters at the New York Cornell Station 

 showed a loss of calcium of over 200 pounds per acre more on fallow 

 than on soil growing corn and oats. 



The North Dakota Station found that old land may be made as 

 suitable for growing flaxseed as new land. From experiments and 

 observations the conclusion was drawn that soil deterioration from 

 a chemical standpoint in the principal flax and wheat regions is 

 insufficient to account for the deteriorated yields in quantity and 

 quality, and the deterioration along these lines is attribu^d to un- 

 sanitary soil conditions. The station has worked out specific rota- 

 tions and methods of culture and seed treatment tending to reduce 

 the activity of these soil troubles. 



In studying the relation of soil bacteria to evaporation the Wiscon- 

 sin Station found that bacterial activity in the soil may so change 

 the nature of substances in solution in the soil water as to exert an 

 influence upon evaporation. 



Results secured at the Idaho Station showed a marked increase in 

 protein content of several varieties of wheat grown on land cropped 

 the previous year with potatoes, as compared with land in wheat 

 the year before. Irrigation investigations at this station showed 

 that wheat receiving from 18 to 20 inches of water during the season 

 gave a yield of over 50 per cent above wheat receiving no water and 

 above wheat receiving 50 inches during the same period of time. 



The work in agronomy at the Kansas Station brought out quite 

 clearly that the time and the method of seed-bed preparation for 



70481°— AGR 1012 7 



