1 84 NEW JERSEY STATE AGRICULTURAL 



A third acre was added to the Area in 1904 and, having corn 

 breeding particularly in mind, it consists of three equal strips 

 widely separated from each other. This land, called for distinc- 

 tion "The Strips," belongs to a recent addition to the College 

 Farm and is not brought up to the richness and tilth desired for 

 the best results in plant improvement. 



This is the second year since a third block, four acres in extent, 

 has been in use by the Department. This land is a part of a gift 

 of a tract to the College by Dr. J. C. Smock and is called the 

 "Smock Land." This has made it possible to expand the field 

 work and when the soil is built up by liberal fertilizing and 

 winter cover crops, it will become a large adjunct in the breeding 

 experiments. 



The seven acres above described permit of the isolation of 

 special crosses of vegetables as peas, beans, tomatoes and egg- 

 plants. For example, by means of this adjustment, it is possible 

 to grow not less than thirty-six blocks of corn without any seri- 

 ous interference by cross pollination. 



In addition to this set of Station plots, fully eight hundred 

 persons, chiefly in the State, acted the past season as testers of 

 one or more novelties that originated upon the home grounds. 

 In this way, the experiment grounds are extended far and wide 

 and hundreds are preparing themselves to take up the work of 

 breeding their own plants upon their own soil by their own 

 hands, a result that cannot but add greatly to the interest in the 

 growing of market produce by giving an insight into much that 

 is now either entirely unknown or mysterious. 



