100 ANNUM. KKl'ORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



TIic New York State Station worked out a method for the prepa- 

 ration of lime-sulphur wash enabling fruit growers to make their 

 own preparations at a very considerable saving. Ten years of potato 

 spraying with Bordeaux mixture at this station resulted in an aver- 

 age increase of G!) bushels per acre from three spraj'ings during the 

 season, and an increase of 97i bushels per acre from spraying every 

 two weeks, or from five to seven times during the season. In a 

 duplicate series of experiments on Long Island the average increase 

 for the 10 seasons was 25 bushels per acre from three sprayings and 

 45J bushels from spraying every two weeks. In a similar way the 

 results of 20 years' work with Bordeaux mixture on late potatoes 

 at the Vermont Station showed an average yield per acre of 268 

 bushels for the sprayed and of 163 bushels for the unsprayed crops, 

 representing a gain of 105 bushels per acre, or an increase of 64 per 

 cent in favor of spraying. 



In a study with a view to adapting the carbonation process of 

 clarifying cane juices, the Louisiana Station discovered features in 

 regard to temperature and alkalinity wiiich enabled it to remove 

 experimentally a much greater per cent of impurities than has here- 

 tofore been possible in sugar-house practice. This station also demon- 

 strated that the fuel efficiency of bagasse can be materially increased 

 by utilizing the flue gases in drying this product, and showed, further, 

 how moisture contained in bagasse and other conditions influences 

 its fuel value. 



The results of breeding work with poultry at the Maine Station 

 indicate that the female fowl does not transmit the heredity factors 

 to her daughters, but that she may transmit the hereditary factor 

 which makes for high egg production to her sons, and they can then 

 stamp this quality on their female progeny. 



We have reached the quarter centennial of the establishment of 

 our national system of agricultural research institutions. Through 

 this entire period the stations have been settling down toward their 

 proper and ultimate research level. The gradual increase of the 

 Adams fund to its maximum of $15,000 per year has led up to a degree 

 of efficiency in research work which otherwise could not have been 

 reached within the same length of time and with an equal financial 

 outlay. However, before the coming of the Adams fund the sta- 

 tions solved many important practical problems and scientific ques- 

 tions. To enumerate .these would be impractical, but as they are 

 rounding out the first quarter century of station activity it mi"-ht 

 be well to mention at this time one of the first noteworthy achieve- 

 ments of their endeavor to combine science with practice in the 

 development of our agricultural industry. Over 21 years ago the 

 Babcock test was perfected at the "Wisconsin Station, and at present 

 is in use in its original form. The scientific principles on which it is 



