12 EXPERDIENT STATION. [Jan. 



Lines of AVoinc. 

 There have been no important changes in the general charac- 

 ter of station work dnring the year, althongh in scoi)e and 

 amonnt it constantly increases. It inclndes general experi- 

 ments both (in the home gronnds and at substations as well as 

 in co-operation with farmers, research, police or control work, 

 and dissemination of information. 



General Experiments. 

 In order to give a general idea of the nature of the work 

 wliicli is being carried on I cannot do better than to quote a 

 statement in the last annual report : — 



Under this head are inehided a large number of experiments rela- 

 tive to the following subjects : soil tests with fertilizers, with different 

 crops in rotation ; comparisons of different materials which may be 

 used as sources, respectively, of nitrogen, phosi)horic acid and potash 

 for different field and garden crops; the results of the use of lime; 

 systems of fertilizing grass lands, both mowings and pastures; com- 

 parisons of fertilizers for both tree and bush fruits; different methods 

 of applying manures; variety tests of field and garden crops and of 

 fruits; trials of new crops; determinations of the digestibility of feed- 

 stuffs; methods of feeding for milk; systems and methods of manage- 

 ment in feeding iioultry for eggs; and co-operative work with selected 

 farmers in the trial of crops and systems of fertilizing them. 



In addition we have two substations wdiere work of a highly 

 diversified character is being carried on, viz., asparagus sub- 

 station in Concord and cranberry substation in Wareham. In 

 later pages will be found brief reports on tlie work in these sub- 

 stations, while a short account of the results of our co-operative 

 experiments with alfalfa will be found in Part 11. of this report. 



No full general account or discussion of ex})orimental work in 

 progress will be given. Brief reports on some of the general 

 experiments will be found under the departments in which they 

 are being prosecuted. 



Reseakcu. 



The research work in ])rogross at the station is, for the most 



part, carried on under the Adams fund. Tlie work during tlie 



past year along certain linos has been somewhat interrupted 



owing to the necessity of making extensive additions and im- 



