BUKEAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 85 



to be carried either in drain tile or largs-size sewer pipe, and accord- 

 ingly open ditches have been dug to serve as mains for these streams and 

 to carry off the flow from tile drains rendered necessary by the great 

 n umber of springs which are at present near the foot of the slope of 

 the hill, particularly in the southwestern part of the farm. In order 

 to drain this springy land and fit it for cultivation, some 10,000 feet 

 of 3-inch and 4-inch drain tile have been laid. In carrying on this 

 work it has been the object not only to carry off superfluous water, 

 but to do the work in such a manner that the soil would be aerated 

 and sweetened. 



BUILDINGS. 



A shed which serves the purpose of stable and tool room has beeu 

 erected. There are no other structures of any description on the 

 place. 



CULTIVATION. 



Plows were started in May, and some 40 acres have been prepared 

 and seeded with cowpeas. 



PLANS FOR FUTURE WORK. 



It will be the aim to develop the Arlington farm into a high-grade 

 experiment station for the purpose of propagating, testing, and study- 

 ing fruits, vegetables, grains, and other crops brought to the attention 

 of the Department. Besides investigating the needs of the soil with 

 reference to the growth of fruits and vegetables, plots will be pro- 

 vided for the use of the various branches of the Department carrying 

 on work in connection with plant diseases, insect attacks, etc. The 

 Department has long felt the need of a collection of fruits, vegeta- 

 bles, and other plants, where experiments of this nature could be con- 

 ducted, and one object of this work will be to provide these facilities 

 as rapidly as possible. Within recent years a great many valuable 

 seeds and plants have been sent to the Department, which, owing to 

 lack of proper facilities for handling and growing, have been lost. 

 All such seeds and plants will be tested in a preliminary way on the 

 experiment farm, and all those that are found valuable will be dis- 

 seminated where they give promise of succeeding. It is planned to 

 do this work largely through the State experiment stations and 

 through private individuals who have shown an interest in such 

 special investigations. 



In cooperation with the office of the Agrostologist, areas for testing 

 the uses of various new forage plants will be set aside; and in order 

 to facilitate the work in plant pathology and physiology, commercial 

 fruit plantations will be maintained in which hybrid and cross-bred 

 sorts will be tested, diseases treated, and food requirements studied. 

 In order to obtain these results several years will be required. Build- 

 ings must be erected, and the working force of unskilled workmen 

 must gradually be changed into a force of experts. 



EXPERIMENTS IN PRODUCTION OF TEA. , 



WORK OF THE YEAR. 



The experiments in the production of tea have been conducted, as 

 heretofore, at "Pinehurst," Summerville, S. C, under the direction of 

 Dr. Charles U. Shepard. The work during the year has been mainly 

 directed toward the cheapening of the cost of production, the 



