Jan., 1924] PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS 17 



At the outset a number of unexpected influences, disturbing temporarily the 

 heat metabolism, were encountered, such as sudden changes of environment, 

 drinking large quantity of water, etc. While the results obtained show rather 

 clear-cut contrasts of temperature effects, more investigation along this line 

 will be necessary before it is advisable to draw any final conclusions. 



The possible influence of temperature on the economy of feeding live stock 

 has formed the basis of a number of feeding experiments contrasting the econ- 

 omy of feeding steers under open lot with more protected conditions; but there 

 is practically nothing on record indicative of the influence of environmental 

 temperature on basal requirements, i.e., whether the energy requirements of 

 feed are greater, or whether rations should be balanced differently in cold 

 winter weather than during the more temperate seasons. 



A technical treatise covering the first two years' work on the physiology of 

 basal metabolism under submaintenance, maintenance, and fattening rations 

 has been issued as publication No. 324 of the Nutrition Laboratory of the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington, which is co-operating in the work. This 

 treatise, written by Dr. F. G. Benedict, director of the Nutrition Laboratory, 

 and E. G. Ritzman of this Station, contains 42 text figures and 86 tables of 

 data; presents many new physiological observations on the effect of different 

 planes of nutrition on the vital activities of animals; and sets forth in a con- 

 vincing way the remarkable facility with which animal life adapts itself to 

 different standards of nutrition. Steers passing through a whole winter season 

 in a state of undernutrition showed a capacity to pick up in spring and with 

 equal opportunity to attain a marketable state of flesh with steers wintered 

 under normal conditions. 



Considerable evidence is also given on the extensive fluctuations occurring, 

 from day to day in live body weight, the factors that cause these variations, 

 and the error in placing too great dependence on live body weight as a measure 

 of the productive value of a ration. 



Studies on the Effects of Fungicides and Insecticides on Plants. 



Experiments have been made by O. Butler (Botany) for the purpose of deter- 

 mining the effect of the composition of Bordeaux mixture on the injury pro- 

 duced in the absence of rain or dew. The work was done with radish growing 

 in normal light and heavy shade, but it was not found that the plants in shade 

 were more sensitive than those in light, or that there was any correlation be- 

 tween the composition of the wash used and injury produced. 



A Study of the Toxic Action of Fungicide's to Parasitic Fungi. 



The toxicity of the copper fungicides was particularly studied by O. Butler 

 and W. L. Doran (Botany), and the work performed may be summarized as 

 follows: The Uredinales are twice as resistant to the toxic action of copper 

 as are other fungi. Urediniospores of these fungi are three times as resistant 

 to copper as are aeciospores. 



The conidia of Venturia inaequalis are very sensitive to copper— much more 

 so than any other fungus spores studied. 



Burgundy mixture is more toxic to the spores of Alternaria solani than is 

 Bordeaux mixture, a result in harmony with data secured in field experiments. 



