52 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



of wheat, for whicli luiiiialure Hour luilLs and bakeries have been in- 

 vStalled, to the making of macaroni from durum wheats, and the like. 

 The use of sweet potatoes for starch making and tests of the special 

 qualities of the product, studies of the drying of hops for the market, 

 and the making of sugar from specially bred cane are other examples 

 of this technok)gical investigation which is becoming a conspicuous 

 feature of station work. This is simply in pursuance of the logical 

 contention that a broad conception of agricuUural investigation and 

 of the means of advancing agricultural interests involves a con- 

 sideration of the best utilization of farm products, as well as the most 

 efficient and economical methods of production. 



In connection with the most important feature of agricultural 

 technology, namely, dairying, there has been much progress during 

 the past year in improving the sanitar}' condition of market milk, 

 in determining the practicability of the milking machine, in the 

 American manufacture of Camembert and Roquefort types of cheese, 

 which are now extensively imported from abroad, and in demon- 

 strating the value of cold storage for cheese, especially as applied to 

 products which would otherwise be of a very low grade. The Wis- 

 consin Station has demonstrated the practicability of recovering the 

 fat from whey at Sw'iss cheese factories as whey butter, the i)ractice 

 of which would add $150,000 a year to the value of dairy products in 

 that State alone. 



The extension of the area of general agriculture or of special crops 

 is also a notable feature of station work. The development of dry 

 farming has received a great impetus in recent years, and the com- 

 mercial features of this development have been much in evidence. 

 The stations have had a very active part in working out the crops 

 and culture methods for these dry areas, and have been supported 

 by State appropriations which ha\(' enabled them to maintain many 

 branch farms and demonstration fields. Their work is undoubtedly 

 contributing in large measure to a safe and sane solution of arid 

 farming, which is fraught with grave danger to the uninformed 

 settler. 



The date-palm orchai'd in Ai'izona, iu cooperation with the Bureau 

 of riant Industry, yielded a crop of about ;i,()()() pounds of dates this 

 year, which were pronounced of excellent quality'. 



The Arkansas Station has demonstrated that as far north as the 

 central |)()rti(tn of the State rice can be grown w ith success on prairie 

 lands under irrigation. Stands of alfalfa and I'ed clover are now 

 secnrccl in ninny localities of the Northwest whei'i' pi'ior to station 

 investigations u\h)U the subject ellorts to grow these crops were 

 generally regarded as useless. The area of successful cultui'e of 

 alfalfa has also been largely extended in tlu' East. In Oklahoma, 



