76 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



vitliii<j: ii iM'w active dt'partinent. and (1. F. Freenian, of the Kansas 

 Collo<i(' aiul Station, as ai2;ron(jniist. .]. E. Coit resi<i;ned to accept 

 the position of assistant professor in poniolo<;y in the California 

 L"'^niversity and Station, connected with the studies of citrus fruit. 

 The principal investigations carried on durini; the year -were g(ii\er- 

 ally alouii: the ^anie lines as those of the year before. Definite prog- 

 ress is reported along several important lines of work. 



Investigations under the Adams Act are generall}^ well under 

 wa}^ and in some instances are either wholly or nearl}' completed. 

 The project of growing saltbush Avithout irrigation was completed 

 and the results were discussed in the last annual report of the sta- 

 tion. The underflow studies have resulted in the demonstration of 

 the amoinit. availability, and value of an irrigating water supply in 

 a typical desert valley, and in the ehiboration of a plan for its 

 beneficial use. 



The work on the date-ripening project has not only led to a better 

 understanding of the ripening processes of this fruit, but has also 

 given an economic and commercial method of handling the crop. 

 In addition to indicating the action of enzyms in the ripening process, 

 the results have shown that cutting off the water supply at the right 

 time wnll cause the dates to ripen, and, in case this factor is not under 

 control, that partial cutting of the fruit stems accomplishes the same 

 result. In the study of the most promising cacti, considered economi- 

 cally and ecologically, particular attention is given to their feeding 

 value in replacing other forage j^lants in periods of drought, and to 

 the physiological effect these cacti have on animals when fed in quan- 

 tity on account of their relatively high ash content. Physiological 

 studies with potatoes have shown that by greening and indoor germi- 

 nation of the seed stout shoots are produced, and that by planting 

 this sprouted seed tubers of good size may be obtained before the 

 heat of summer comes on. 



The work relating to toxicity of copper upon crops has thus far 

 indicated that the amount of soluble copper in smelter waters used 

 for irrigation is not injurious to plants, but that the detrimental 

 effects popularly ascribed to the presence of mine tailings in irriga- 

 tion streams, as set forth in Bulletin .53 of the station, are due to 

 sediment. Methods for detecting minute quantities of copper have 

 been worked out by which the presence of 0.01 milligram of copper 

 can be ascertained. 



Other principal lines of investigation are sheep breeding, citrus 

 and other fruit work, intensive agriculture, range studies, miscel- 

 laneous studies on plant diseases, and analytical work. The breed- 

 ing experiments with Tunis and range sheep are progressing very 

 favorably toAvard the creation of a hardy cross-bred animal, re- 

 sistant to the botfly, producing excellent mutton with a fair yield 



