ARIZONA. 57 



STATION STAFF. 



F. Yale Adams, M. A., Acting President of the University. 

 R. II. Forbes, M. EL, Dir.; Chem. W. W. Skinner, M. S., Asst. Chem. 



A. J. McClatchie, M. A., Agr. and Hort. T. D. A. Cockerell (East Las Vegas, N. 

 Gr. II. True, B. S., Animal Husb. Mex.), Consulting Ent.' 



Tohn J. Thornber, M. A., Bot. S. M. Woodward, Consulting Met. 



J. W. Shelor, Clerk. 



LINES OF WORK. 



During the past year the work of the Arizona Station has been 

 mainly a continuation of lines of investigation taken up in previous 

 years, including* investigations of garden, forage, and green manuring 

 crops, grains, varieties of eucalyptus and fruits; experiments with the 

 date palm and with sugar beets; studies of methods of irrigation; 

 investigation of the irrigation waters of the Territory, with particular 

 reference to their fertilizing value and salt content; investigations of 

 soil moisture; methods of stock feeding and dairy management for 

 southern Arizona; study of range conditions, including native grasses 

 and also arid- region grasses, saltbushes, and forage plants from other 

 parts of the world. The station is cooperating with this Office in irri- 

 gation investigations; with the Bureau of Soils of this Department, in 

 soil mapping and investigations of alkali soils; with the Bureau of 

 Chemistry, in studies of the influence of environment on the sugar con- 

 tent of muskmelons; and with the Bureau of Plant Industry, in 

 experiments in date culture, plant breeding, and range improvement. 

 For the range experiments the station has secured control of about 350 

 acres of land near Tucson, which has been placed in charge of the 

 botanist of the station. One of the main objects of this work is to 

 demonstrate the advantages of range reserves as a means of not only 

 preserving and improving the ranges, but also of conserving moisture 

 and preventing soil erosion and floods. In cooperation with the Bureau 

 of Soils of this Department the station has completed a soil and alkali 

 survey of Salt River Valley and the Buckeye country, which will for 

 the first time give definite information concerning the nature and 

 extent of the various types of soil and the amount, kind, and distribu- 

 tion of alkali salts in this region. 



The date-palm orchard, after one year's operations, shows 71 per 

 cent of the stock in good condition, 11 per cent doubtful, and 18 per 

 cent dead. This result is considered quite satisfactory in view of the 

 experimental methods of shipment employed, the two months' journey 

 of the trees during the hot season, and the unfavorable conditions at 

 the time the plants arrived. The department of animal husbandry, 

 in addition to its scientific investigations, is doing important demon- 

 strative and cooperative work in the testing of cows, the use of hand 

 separators, and the dehorning of calves, in order to introduce improved 

 methods in this important branch of agriculture. Winter irrigation 



