Department of Farm Practice. xliii 



II. INVESTIGATION. 



As opportunity presents in connection with our regular farm 

 operations, we are inaugurating investigation along the line of vari- 

 ous farm practices. Some of these were noted in the last report 

 and will continue through a series of years. The following" may 

 be mentioned as among the chief now under way: 



1. A study of the relative costs of ditching with the Buckeye 

 Traction Ditcher under different conditions. 



2. A study of the effect of tile drain laid in Dunkirk clay loam 

 at different distances apart, as lOo feet, 50 feet and 25 feet. 



3. A comparison of the cost of producing dry matter in root 

 and silage crops. 



4. A comparison of the efficiency and economy in the use of 

 dift'erent forms of agricultural lime, as quicklime, hydrated, air 

 slacked, natural marl, pulverized limestone, floats, etc. 



5. A comparison of the durability of woven wire fencing made 

 of wire of different caliber. 



« 



III. EXTENSION, 



Materials for co-operative experiments have been furnished to 

 102 farmers and the total of 159 different experiments inaugurated. 

 At the present writing 64 of these experimenters have reported 

 progress regarding the work. Ten visits have been made to farm- 

 ers in different parts of the State where " special problems " have 

 been under investigation. 



IV. FARM OPERATIONS. 



The following statement will give a number of activities that 

 have engaged the attention of the Farm Practice Department dur- 

 ing the past year : 



1. From August i, 1908, to August i, 1909, there were laid on 

 the College farm 1,160 rods of tile drain and since August i, 1909, 

 to date about 400 rods additional. We expect to continue this work 

 during the present autumn, so that the total will probably equal the 

 work of last year. 



2. We have erected 430 rods of new fencing on the College do- 

 main, beside reconstructing a large extent of old fencing, and have 

 expended a large amount of labor in grubbing out old hedgerows. 



3. During the year we have purchased in the city and hauled to 

 the University farm 417 large loads of manure. 



