184 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



STATION STAFF. 



John W. Heston, M. A., Ph. D., LL. D., President of the College and Acting Director. 

 E. C. Chilcott, M. S., V. Dir.; Agr. W. S. Thornber, Asst. Hort. 



Jas. H. Shepard, B. S., Chem. A. B. Holm, B. S., Asst. in Soils. 



De Alton Saunders, M. A., Bot. A. H. Wheaton, Asst. in Dairying. 



E. L. Moore, B. S., D. V. S., Animal Path. R. F. Kerr, Libr. 

 N. E. Hansen, M. S., Hort. R. A. Larson, Accountant. 



Frank G. Orr, Sec. 



LINES OF WORK. 



The work of the South Dakota Station during the past year has 

 proceeded along the same general lines as noted in previous reports, 

 attention being given to the analysis of soils, forage plants, and grain; 

 studies of diseases of plants and animals; experiments in testing 

 varieties and breeding vegetables, cereals, and fruits; tree planting; 

 digestion experiments, and studies of the effect of farm manure and 

 methods of tillage on soil moisture and the physical condition of soils. 

 The department of chemistry has completed the work in soil analysis 

 and prepared the results for publication. The veterinarian is study- 

 ing diseases of sheep and swine, and the assistant in dairying is doing 

 some work in testing milk. A State veterinarian appointed July 1, 

 1901, will cooperate with the station veterinarian in studying anthrax. 



The station is cooperating with the Bureau of Forestry of this 

 Department in tree planting and with the Bureau of Plant Industry in 

 experiments for renewing worn-out pasture lands. The latter experi- 

 ments are being conducted at Highmore, where about 20 acres are 

 devoted to the purpose, besides about 50 acres devoted to tests of 

 forage crops. The station has also tested a large number of varieties 

 of wheat, barley, spelt, and other plants sent out by this Department. 

 Macaroni wheats have made a good showing. In the horticultural 

 department breeding experiments are being conducted on a very 

 extensive scale. Many thousand seedlings of native fruits are being 

 raised for the purpose of originating new varieties suited to the cli- 

 mate, and hardy stocks of various kinds are being tried. An effort is 

 being made to improve the stubble berry or nightshade {Solarium 

 nigrum) as found upon the prairies of the State. The fruit of this 

 plant is much used by the prairie settlers for canning and for making 

 pies and preserves. The need of a hardy race of strawberries has led 

 the station to begin crossing the wild strawberries of the Dakotas and 

 Manitoba with cultivated sorts. Breeding experiments are being con- 

 ducted also with hazelnuts, wild grapes, and buffalo berries. The legis- 

 lature at its last session appropriated $40,000 for an engineering and 

 physics building for the college and $10,000 for a building to be 

 devoted to plant breeding. The latter will directly benefit the station. 

 At the beginning of the present fiscal year the director was removed 

 and the president of the college was made acting director of the station. 



