262 AGfllCULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



permission. I want to have him point out the significance of this 

 work, because we are asking for an increase of S22.500 in it. which, in 

 the aggregate, will make a small appropriation for the support of the 

 various lines of work we have under way, especially when vou recog- 

 nize the scope of the field in which this work should oe carried 

 on and consider tiie fundamental economic significance of it. Doctor 

 Skinner, will you make such a statement? 



DEVELOPMENT OK THE WORK OF THE CROP CHEMISTRY LABORATORY. 



Doctor .Ski.nnkr. A part of this increase will be used in the develop- 

 ment of the work of the crop chemistry laboratory. This work con- 

 templates a careful study oi crop composition and is made desirable 

 and necessarv by recent developments in agricultural chemistry, and 

 particularly In nutrition, by which we have been made aware of the 

 significance of some things which have been overlooked in the com- 

 position of crops, such as the recently discovered vitamins, and the 

 character and composition of the proteins to which Mr. Campbell 

 has just referred, and also our greater appreciation of the significance 

 of some of the inorganic materials contamed in crops, such as iron and 

 calcium. Heretofore research work in agriculture, especially in agri- 

 cultural chemistry, has been aimed ver}- largely toward increased 

 production and without a thorough appreciation of the necessity for 

 an understanding of what I .should like to term the (|uality basis, 

 rather than the (piantity basis, of crop production, using the word 

 "quality," in the sense which I have tried to indicate ; that is, the funda- 

 mental character of the material used in its relation to nutrition. 



It is rather difficult in work of this kind to prophesy or indicate 

 its economic significance, but such Avork is basic in its cliaracter anil 

 may be the (letermining factor in great economic developments. 

 One thing we have in mind to do in this laboratory as illustrating 

 the possible economic significance is this: There is a prejudice in 

 Ein*oj)e against American corn. It is believed tliat the flint corn, 

 which is grown so largely in South America, particularly Argentina, 

 is of more value in feeding than our softer varieties of corn. One of 

 the reasons, perhaps, is that in Europe practically all of the corn 

 is used very finely ground, while in this country we use a great deal 

 of corn ungiound or cracked. But there is that feeling that our 

 corn is inferior. In Spain, if my memory serves me correctly, only 

 about 10 pel- cent of the inijjorted corn comes from America, the 

 icmaindcr coming largely from Argentina. Therefore we need to 

 make a study to determine, first, if theie is any real basis for the 

 alleged superiority of the flint corn over our varieties of corn. If 

 that is found to be true from this research work, then it behooves us. 

 either to develop a better strain of dent corn or to undertake the 

 {)ro<Juction of a larger amount of flint corn, especially for the export 

 trade. If it is found that there is nothing in the alleged superiority A 

 of the flint corn, then it will be necessary to undertake educational " 

 work to suppoit a j)i-opa;;aiula to increase the export of coin. W.-isimI 

 on actual experimental an<l research determined facts. 



Another portion t)f the increase which has been asked lor wiii be 

 devoted to the wt)rk of the protein laboratory that is. in ex[)anding 

 that very important work. Mr. ("anipbell has already touchc«i 

 upon that. TiH' work done l)y this laboratory is the very basis of a 

 clear understanding of the lu'eds and the development of rational 



