18 Director's Report of the 



former can scarcely become less important because of the great 

 increase in the consumption of dairy products, especially of raw 

 milk, and the latter must always be fostered in this state in view 

 of the unexcelled natural advantages for the production of small 

 and large fruits. Everything points, therefore, to the conclusion 

 that the experiment stations of this state should give prominent 

 consideration to whatever will promote these two lines of prac- 

 tice. 



Dairy investigations. — The problems which confront the dairy 

 interest pertain on the one hand to the feeding of dairy stock, 

 and on the other to the manipulation of milk in the manufacture 

 of butter and cheese. The Station is already in a fairly satis- 

 factory position to study the questions involved in the production 

 of forage crops and in the compounding of rations, but as has 

 previously been intimated, it possesses no equipment for investi- 

 gating certain facts fundamental to dairy processes. Dairy bac- 

 teriology now appears to be furnishing the needed explanations 

 of many phenomena that are observed in cheese and butter mak- 

 ing, and here is a very promising field of inquiry. The two addi- 

 tions, therefore, which the Station needs for entering upon this 

 line of research are a dairy bacteriologist and a building adapted 

 to the dairy work On a commercial scale. 



Horticultural and allied investigations. — The practical side of 

 horticulture is already well developed at the Station, and is being 

 pushed by a corps of able, earnest workers whose chief drawback 

 is that they are sadly in need of proper office and laboratory con- 

 veniences. Just now four men are at work in one office, which 

 also serves as their only laboratory. 



Much more attention should be given, moreover, to a study of 

 plant diseases. If the grower of vegetables or fruit could more 

 successfully combat his fungoid enemies, his success would be 

 more uniform. Old plant diseases are imperfectly understood 

 and new ones are constantly appearing, the life-history of which 

 should be learned. The success which now attends spraying 

 warrants the assertion that the control of the fungoid diseases of 

 vegetables and fruits may be greatly extended. Should a vege- 



