Department of Farm Crops. 21 



Proposed Work. 



As soon as funds are available, the department should have op- 

 portunity to lay out an extended series of field plot tests, including 

 such questions as crop rotation and many other crop experiments. 

 These would be very useful in teaching work and would be a source 

 of much interest to visiting farmers as w^ell as a source of scientific 

 information. 



The Tompkins County Survey might well be followed by the owner- 

 ship and management of a farm in the so-called " abandoned farm " 

 section. 



An agricultural garden would be of much value to the entire Col- 

 lege as well as to the Department of Farm Crops. Such a garden will 

 be developed as rapidly as funds are available. This year 39 varieties 

 of corn were grown in order to get the land in condition for future 

 use. 



If one person could give his entire time to co-operative experi- 

 ments, these could be made of great benefit to the farmers. Probably 

 less attention has been given to such experiments during the past 

 year than during any other recent year. 



The studies of pastures and co-operative experiments along this 

 line should be greatly increased. 



Probably the greatest returns for the money invested in this de- 

 partment are secured from the survey work. There are two types 

 of this w^ork that should be continued. One is the study of specific 

 crops and the other the study of farming as a business. The pasture 

 experiments and pasture work would include work of the former kind. 

 The Tompkins County Survey is of the latter type. 



In the Tompkins County Survey the department has worked out 

 methods so that it is ready for extending the work to other counties. 

 The writer should like to take up the study of a township in one of 

 the farming sections of western New York during the next summer ; 

 also a township in St. Lawrence or Jefiferson county, and one town- 

 ship between Albany and New York city. These, together with the 

 work which has been done in Tompkins county, would give areas 

 that would represent most of the types of farm conditions in New 

 York. 



Among the crop-survey problems which it would be well to take 

 up are the timothy hay question, alfalfa, potatoes, corn. 



G. F. WARREN, 

 Assistant Professor of Farm Crops. 



