186 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



A special rofri<i:eratiii^ })laiit. was iiistalk'd in the basement of the 

 new a<;rieultural l)iiil(.lin<:; for the i)urpose of temperature control in 

 (liti'erent kinds of entomological and bacteriological work. Two 

 species of ticks other than cattle ticks are being studied to determine 

 whether or not they transmit Texas fever. This work is partly in co- 

 operation with the Bureau of Entomology of this Department. The 

 study of the peach borer was continued, and a special orchard has been 

 set out for use in further studies. 



The work conducted w^ith the Hatch fund included several im- 

 portant lines. The division of botany has developed a new early 

 variety of cotton which is now being distributed. Attention was also 

 given to Khizoctonia on crimson clover and alfalfa, which is giving 

 trouble in the State. 



Experiments with soils, fertilizers, and farm crops were carried on 

 by the departments of chemistry and agronomy in various parts of 

 the State, and a bulletin on this work was issued during the year. 

 Cropping sj'stems are being worked out and the field work with 

 leguminous and other croj)s was followed np by laboratory studies. 

 It has been shown that leguminous crops may be profitably substi- 

 tuted in the rotation for corn. Special emphasis is laid upon the cul- 

 ture of soy beans, and a bulletin comparing the soy bean and the cow- 

 pea was published during the year. Chemical studies of manures 

 and rock i^hosphate were made, wnth accompanying field tests. Thus 

 far no beneficial action of the phosphate from combination with 

 manures has been discovered. 



The work of the dairy department consisted of feeding experiments 

 to determine the most satisfactory and economical rations for dairy 

 cows under local conditions. The results of part of this work were 

 published in bulletin form, with the general statement that a w^ell- 

 balanced ration can be produced on the farm at much less cost than 

 it can be purchased. This department cooperated w'ith the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry. 



Recent work in animal husbandry has included feeding experiments 

 on the use of soy beans, alfalfa, and cowpeas, instead of cotton-seed 

 meal. Emphasis is further laid upon studies with barley and soy 

 beans as substitutes, at least to a certain extent, for corn. This work 

 is carried on to find means of meeting the increased prices in some of 

 the more common feeding stuffs. These investigations are coordi- 

 nated with work in agronomy. 



The station is extensively engaged in cooperative work. A report 

 of the cooperative work with farmers carried on under a state ap- 

 propriation in middle Tennessee for 1907-8 was recently issued. The 

 principal lines of investigation are in connection with field crops and 

 the production and use of hog-cholera serum. Cotton and cereal 

 studies are pursued in cooperation with the Bureau of Plant Industry, 



