628 



and station. The institution is located at Pullman, Whitman County, 

 in a region possessing uiinsual aftTieultural resources. The climate is 

 comparatively mild. The annual precipitation averages about 40 

 inches. 



The college and the station own a tract of 220 aores of very choice and valuable 

 land, consisting of valley, sidehill, and table-land. The farm is about 1 mile east of 

 the business part of the town. It is rt-markably well adapted for horticultural, 

 fruit, and forestry experiments; for grazing and hay; for the culture of the various 

 cereal grains and other farm i)roducts; for lawns; and for parks and campus. 



The soil is of great depth ami is inexhaustible, and contains those salts and sili- 

 cates so essential to plant life. It is a sedimentary deposit, evidently of volcanic 

 origin, as it is <-omposed of a sandy loam, disintegrated basalt, and ash. It is very 

 porous and readily drinks in moisture and gives it out as needed, allowing the salts 

 to rise to feed the crops. The farm is inclosed and the greater part of it is now 

 under cultivation. During the past year it produced good crops, consisting of 

 wheat, oats, barley, and rye. A <»ne-story brick building, 60 by 36 feet, has been 

 coiiipleted, at a cost of about $2,.500, which will bo used temporarily for class pur- 

 poses. 



The college and station are under the control of a board of man- 

 agers cousisting of five members, together with the governor of the State 

 as advisory in('ml)er and tlic director of the station as secretary. The 

 station staff at present im ludes (1. Lilley, LL. D., director; J. (TB. 

 Scobey, M. A., agriculturist; E. K. Lake, M, S., horticulturist an<l 

 iMttaiiist; (1. (\. Ilitclicock, B. A., dicmist, and <'. E. Munn, V. S., 

 veterinarian. Among flic lines of work which will be undertaken tho 

 coming s«'ason are tlie stntly and <oll«'ctif>n of tlie flora of the State; 

 tests of grasses, forage plants, and fruits with lef'ei-ence to their adai)t- 

 abilit> to this region: and investigations in I'urestiy. It is exjx'cted 

 that much preliminary study, of the nature of an agricultural survey, 

 will be needed to find out what are the lines of work which will be of 

 greatest service to this new commonwealth. 



West Virginia Station, Bulletin No. 18, September. 1891 ^pp. 16). 



Inspection of fektilizeijs, .). A. Mvehs, Vn. 1>. (pj). KKi-llS). — 

 This includes the text of the West Virginia fertilizer law, (lirecticms for 

 taking samples of fertilizers for analysis, instructions to manufacturers 

 and general agents, tlie trade values of fertilizing ingredients for 18'.)1, 

 and analyses of 81 samples of comnu'rcial fertilizers. From the results 

 of the fall insjiection the author concludes that ''27 per cent of the 

 commercnd fertilizers sold in West N'irginia fall below the manufactur- 

 ers' guaranty." 



Kac fertilize)- hue (i>p. lo.i-lOf;^.— Tliis was i>assed March (I. ISOI. It 

 requires all fertilizers to be sold under guaranty of comiiosition, and 

 plac-es the fertilizer control in the hands of the station. A license for 

 the sale of fertilizers is to be ])rocnred ea<h year, for which a fee is to 

 be paid of $10 for each gnaranlied ingredient of ea<-li Itrand. At the 

 time this license is jn'ocured a sample of catli lirand licensed is to be 



