FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 709 



trains, by mail and in other ways, leaving approximately 8,000 copies 

 on hand. 



Two hundred and thirty-one letters of inquiry relating to beef cattle 

 breeding and feeding have been received and answered. These came 

 mostly from Iowa farmers, about 10 per cent being from outside the 

 state. This correspondence seems to be growing quite rapidly in volume. 



During 1913 the Association Representatives attended and spoke at 

 forty-three farmers' institutes and short course meetings, four farmers' 

 picnics and two fall festivals, and judged beef cattle at nine fairs and 

 shows in Iowa. ' 



From October 21 to 31 inclusive a Beef Producers' special train was 

 run over the C. & N. W. Railway lines in northwestern Iowa. This train 

 furnished free by the North "Western road, aside from transportation paid 

 by the speakers, was made up of two lecture coaches, cars for the ac- 

 commodation of the speakers, and a baggage car containing five head 

 of cattle, specimens of the leading beef breeds used for demonstration 

 purposes. 



Stops were made at seventy-nine towns and eighty meetings were 

 held. Nearly 10,000 farmers visited the train. The speakers on the 

 train for all or a part of the time were Dean C. F. Curtiss, Profs. W. J. 

 Kennedy, W. H. Pew, J. M. Evvard, C. N. Arnett, E. F, Ferrin, H. W. 

 Vaughn, G. W. Godfrey, O. W. Johnson, Howard Vaughn, Charles Eschar 

 Jr., G. H. Purge, Capt. W. S. A. Smith, Geo. M. Rommel, R. W. Cassady 

 and Rex Beresford. 



In the opinion of those connected with the train it was a success as 

 a method of arousing interest and distributing information. 



TESTING SOIL-S IN THE LABORATORY AND FIELD. 



BY W. H. STEVENSON AND P. E. BROWN. 



(Circular No. 15, Agricultural Experiment Station, Iowa State College of 

 Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.)* 



WHAT THE STATION CAN DO TO HELP THE FAKMEB. 



The chief aim of the soils section of the Iowa Agricultural Experi- 

 ment station is to help the farmer solve his soil problems. This is 

 possible because the work of the section consists not only in the study 

 of soil problems of statewide interest, but also in the application of 

 the results of such general investigations to local conditions. 



It may be said, therefore, that there are two distinct divisions of the 

 soil work. First, there is the experimental or investigational part, 

 which consists in the planning and carrying out of experiments on 

 methods of soil treatment and soil management; and second, there is 

 the advisory part. Through this latter function the soils section aims 

 to keep in close touch with the farmers and to help them solve their 

 local problems, often arranging special experiments to aid in the solving 

 of them. 



