204 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF UPPER PENINSULA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Director R. S. Shaw: 



East Lansing, Michigan. 

 Dear IMr. Shaw: 



I herewith submit a brief report of the work of the Upper Peninsula Experi- 

 ment Station for the fiscal year ending June 30, 192L The work that has 

 pre\4ously been carried on, has been continued, and considerable expansion 

 has been made along several lines, especially so in the crops experimental 

 work conducted by ]Mr. G. W. Putnam, and the plant disease work in charge 

 of Mr. J. E. Kotila, whose reports are hereto appended. 



More fencing has been done, and considerable more land put under culti- 

 vation. It is the plan now to make land clearing a major project for the bal- 

 ance of the season in order to enable us to produce sufficient feed to increase 

 our herds and flocks. 



The past season has been very favorable for a large crop production. Our 

 Wolverine oats averaged over 100 bushels per acre, and the sunflower field 

 produced 24.6 tons per acre, weighed just before putting into the silo. 

 The sunflower crop is very rapidly finding its place as a standard silage crop 

 on stock farms of the Upper Peninsula, where it is replacing corn, peas and 

 oats. Its high >aelding power, resistance to frost, combined with compar- 

 atively high feeding value, is doing much to popularize it where corn is not suc- 

 cessfully growTi. 



The flocks of sheep have been steadily growing and improving, by the use 

 of good sires and good pastures. The flock now consists of 271 matured sheep 

 of the Hampshire, Shropshire and Rambouillet breeds and the different 

 crosses of these breeds. Careful records are kept of each indi\'idual in the 

 flock as to weights of fleece, breeding, and weights of lambs. The object 

 is to determine what breed or cross will be best adapted for Upper Peninsula 

 conditions, and to enable us to eliminate poor individuals from the flocks. 

 Ram lambs and ewes were sold to the farmers for breeding purposes and all 

 surplus stock sold to Clay, Robinson & Co. At the close of the lambing 

 season, the Station had 120% of li\ing lambs. 



The dairy herd now consists of thirteen milk cows, three heifers, one herd 

 bull and eleven young stock. Seven bulls, three heifers and three cow^s were 

 sold for breeding purposes. The best individuals have been kept in the herd 

 which enables us to steadily increase the quality and production. The aver- 

 age production during the past year w^as 13,000 pounds of milk. The majority 

 of the milk and cream has been sold to the milk and cream trade in Marquette 

 and Munising. 



Two teams of horses were sold last fall to lumbermen, and one team pur- 

 chased this spring. The Station now has five horses. 



A flock of Barred Rock chickens has been kept. The cockerels were sold 

 to the farmers for breeding purposes and the eggs for hatching. 



Considerable improvement has been made with roads around the buildings. 

 A new road has been graded and graveled from the office to the main road 

 and another from the horse barn to the main road. 



The house on the forty acres purchased last year, has been completely 

 remodeled inside, a new^ kitchen built and a new basement constructed. 



