118 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



giving in addition a summarized account of experiments relative to 

 the effect of food and food constituents on the quality of milk and 

 butter conducted at the station during a period of six years; analyses 

 and coefficients of digestibility obtained in experiments with sheep of 

 barnyard millet, with a discussion of its feeding value; a discussion of 

 dried distillery grains, with analyses and results of digestion experi- 

 ments with sheep; coefficients of digestibility of a number of feeding 

 stuffs obtained in experiments with sheep; analyses of purslane and 

 ''Parson's six-dollar feed;" results of fertilizer inspection during the 

 year; analyses of wood ashes, sludge, and phosphatic slag, with notes 

 on their value for manurial purposes; brief notes on several plant dis- 

 eases and on the Russian thistle; an account of investigations carried 

 on for some time on the influence of various chemical solutions upon 

 the germination of seed; brief notes on a number of insects trouble- 

 some during the year; results of comparisons of several nitrogenous 

 fertilizers; an account of experiments with leguminous crops as nitro- 

 gen gatherers; results of comparisons of muriate and sulphate of pot- 

 ash and of different phosphates; an account of soil tests with grass and 

 onions; results of experiments with corn in which a special fertilizer 

 was compared with a fertilizer rich in potash, and manure alone was 

 compared with manure and potash; notes on the relative value of soy 

 beans and cowpeas for green manuring; results of experiments in 

 manuring grass lands, and an account of feeding experiments with 

 poultry. 



GENERAL OUTLOOK. 



In Massachusetts intensive agricultural methods prevail and problems 

 of food supply for plants and animals are important. To these, and 

 closely related problems, such as diseases and insects injurious to plants 

 and animals, the station has given much attention. There are also 

 important investigations in dairying, fruit growing, poultry raising, 

 and market gardening. The inspection services performed by the 

 station and the analysis of miscellaneous articles for farmers are 

 important, but have grown to such proportions as to become burden- 

 some. The utilization of the work of advanced students in connec- 

 tion with the entomological investigations of this station is a good 

 example of the advantage of the combination of an experiment station 

 and agricultural college in a single institution, provided it is well 

 equipped for higher work in special lines. 



