292 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



for an old-line alfalfa plant to do, when it looses its leaves from any 

 cause, is to give up those steins and start new ones from the roots. The 

 best plant from the best progeny produced 12.8 grams of seed in 1914. 

 This plant has become the mother of the checks in the 1916 nursery. 



Investigation into ways and means of eliminating environmental in- 

 fluences upon the data of variety series and nurseries has been vigor- 

 ously continued throughout the year. The coefficient of yield was 

 mentioned in last year's report. The extension of this method to 

 nursery work has been especially considered during the past year. The 

 problem at hand is the 1913 alfalfa nursery where the checks were 

 planted from one progenj^, and the other rows from the best material 

 available and coming from other lines of alfalfa. Some of these progen- 

 ies represented the fifth generation of the work at this Station. 



The figures connected with this investigation would take several 

 pages to report, but it is evident that the environmental factors can 

 be practically eliminated from statistical constants by the application 

 of the method of the coefficient of yield to statistical data. 



Respectfully submitted, 



FRANK A. SPRAGG, 

 Research Assistant in Plant Breeding. 



East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1916. 



REPORT OF SOIL PHYSICIST. 



Director R. S. Shaw: 



Dear Sir — I am submitting herewith the report of the Soils division 

 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1916: 



It is indeed gratifying to be able to report progress in the various 

 departmental activities, namely. College, Extension, and Experiment 

 Station. 



The members of the department have been very active in Station work 

 and the results obtained are highly satisfactory. As I previously out- 

 lined to you, the policy is a problem for every one. To be sure, the 

 problems are to be practical, that is, suited to the training and atti- 

 tude of the men to whom they are assigned. We should not be led 

 away from this extremely important and far-reaching phase of the 

 College work; if so, unquestionably, we will soon be going in a circle 

 with respect to both College and Extension activitise. 



Extensive field projects were gotten under way on the Van Buren 

 county Farm and the Grand Rapids City Farm, the detailed plans of 

 which are now on file in your office. We are positive that here lie ex- 

 ceedingly great opportunities for doing much constructive and economic- 

 ally important work, and that strenuous efforts should be made to 

 establish a limited number of these each year. These projects need not 

 necessarily be confined to the counties provided with county agents, 

 but should be taken up wherever practicable in other counties. More- 

 over, provision should be made, in the way of assistants, for effectively 

 carrying on this important line of work. 



