1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 29 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICtJLTURE. 



WM. P. BROOKS, AGRICULTCRIST ; E. S. FULTON^ E. F. GASKILL, 



ASSISTANTS. 



The work in the department of agriculture during the past 

 year has covered the usual field of experiment, and has been 

 devoted chiefly to an eff(jrt to tlirow light upon some of the 

 many prol)lems connected with the use of manures and fertili- 

 zers. The number of field i)lots used in this work has been 318 ; 

 the number of closed plots, 153 ; and the number of pots in 

 vegetation cxi)erinients, 330. In the majority of our experi- 

 ments, repetition from year to year, extending over a consider- 

 able period, is desirable in order that accidental variations may 

 be as far as possible eliminated, and in order to bring out the 

 variation in results connected with the varying character of oiu* 

 seasons. A detailed account of the results will be presented 

 for only a small proportion of the experiments in progress. 



No inconsiderable share of the time of the agriculturist is 

 occupied in answering the many questions which annually come 

 to the station on all matters pertaining to the practice of agri- 

 culture. The number of such inquiries answered during the 

 past year has been 824. Experience indicates that inquiries of 

 the same general character are likely to be sent in many times 

 during the year, and we are therefore adopting in this depart- 

 ment, in so far as circumstances warrant, the plan of sending 

 circulars, with such comments as the statement of individual 

 conditions seems to require, which has been referred to in the 

 report of the director. 



The more important results of the experiments reported in 

 detail may be briefly stated as follows : — 



I. — Experiment to determine the relative value as sources 

 of nitrogen of barnyard manure, nitrate of soda, sulfate of am- 



