NOTES. 



California University and Station.— The State legislature at its recent ses- 

 sion gave to the university a special appropriation of $250,000 for a building for the 

 affiliated colleges, It abolished the State Viticultural Commission, to take effect 

 January I, 1896, transferred the duties of the commission, with a valuable library 

 and set of instruments, to the station, and appropriated $5,000 to carry on its work 

 during the next 2 years ; the same appropriation was made for the forestry stations 

 of the university. A dairy bureau has been established by the legislature for the 

 purpose of preventing fraud in the sale of butter and cheese, and its analytical 

 work will be done by the station. 



The." alkali soil" question, especially covering the rise and fall of alkali in the 

 soil at the Tulare station during wet and dry seasons and the amounts necessary to 

 seriously affect plant growth, is a prominent subject of investigation, and an exten- 

 sive series of analyses is being made. The value of the Australian salt bush (Atri- 

 plex semibaccatum) upon the alkali lands of the State, as food for sheep and cattle 

 at least, has been demonstrated. 



Prof. E. L. Greene, the botanist of the station, has resigned, to take effect in June. 



During the past year the weight of station bulletins and reports distributed was 

 about 10,000 lbs. 



Minnesota University and Station. — A $40,000 dormitory and dining hall is 

 to he erected for the school of agriculture. 



Ample sheep and hog barns are to be erected this summer at the university farm, 

 and the basement of the large experiment station barn is being entirely refitted for 

 experiments in feeding dairy and beef cattle. 



The dairy hall is to be enlarged this summer to more than twice its present 

 capacity. 



The Minnesota legislature, besides giving the agricultural department of the uni- 

 versity $65,000 for buildings, appropriated $20,000 for procuring and equipping 2 

 subexperiment farms, and $10,000 for their maintenance during the current biennial 

 period. 



The entomologist of the station has been provided with $5,000 annually, with 

 which to combat the insect pests of the State. The recent movement of the chinch 

 bug into the wheat districts of this State have awakened the farmers to the need of 

 a warfare upon this pest. 



The fields of the university farm have been entirely replatted, each field being 

 divided into series 8 rods wide with 16 ft. alleys between, thus providing plats rang, 

 ing in size from one twentieth of an acre to 2 acres, for the various field trials. 



Cornell University and Station. — Several horticultural schools provided under 

 the State appropriation of $16,000 have already been held with very satisfactory 

 results, under the direction of Prof. L. H. Bailey. The schools are from 1 to 5 days 

 duration. Farmers are registered and required to participate iu the work. Practical 

 lessons are given in spraying nearby orchards and vineyards. 



A great deal of interest is manifested in these schools by fruit growers, and from 

 the number of schools held it seems evident that they are in advance of the good 

 work done in this State by the farmers' institutes. 



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