The San Francisco call., 1896-06-21
EXPERIMENTS
in THE DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.
Professor Hilgard's Annual Report.

| One Of the largess and most valuable
| volumes, from practical standpoint issued
| in California this year is Professor Hilgards
recently published Report of work OF the ag
ricultural experiment stations OF the Univer-
sity of California" This illustrated book of
| 4S1 octave pages is sent free to every citizen
of California who applies for it, and it repre-
| sents an enormous amount of energetic and
successful experimentation. The reviewer has
| been told by many farmers, fruit-growers and
home builders in various parts of California
| that for their requirements these large annual
reports, edited, and in great part written, by
Professor Hilgard, are by far the most useful
| volumes published in the State. Their repu-
| tation elsewhere is also very high, and deserv-
| edly so.
| The present volume shows how wide
range of work is being carried on, not only at
Berkeley and at the various experiment and
| forestry stations, but all over California, at
| Farm Institutes and various other associa-
tions of viticulturists, fruit-growers, dairymen
and farmers generally. This is particularly
| important side of the work and does much to
popuarize the entire university and bring its
best men into closer relations with the people.
Regent Reinsteins recent suggestion that at
least fifty meetings should be held annually in
different parts of the State outlines most de-
sirable policy. and this volume well illustrates
the wealth OF practical knowledge possessed
by Professor Hilgard and his staff of able asso-
ciates.
In the volume under consideration lists OF
| the station-workers and of the courses in agri-
| culture offered by the university are followed
| by Professor Hilgard's general review OF the
work of the year, always an interesting re-
| sumo, and quite essential to the full under
standing of the body of the book. Next comes
about 200 pages of reports from the agricul-
tural and viticultural labora tories ut Berkeley.
1t would be impossible to condense into
paragraph the extent and range.of this dlvi-
sion, which must be of interest to many hun
dreds of landowners, embracing as it does re-
ports upon soils and waters from many dis
tricts not hitherto studied, studies upon alkali
and alkali soils, fertilization of land, foods,
fodder stuffs, sugar beets, California fruits,
canaigre, etc.
The second main division of the volume,
written by Professor Woodwork, is devoted to
entomology and plant diseases, nearly forty
pages in all. In these days, when there are so
many exaggerated and ignorant statements
| put forth in this field, these simple, reliable
| chapters are especially valuable to horticul-
| turists.
| The third division, some thirty pages, con-
| tains very timely paper on the preparation
| of fruit spe cimens for exhibition, paper on
| the Russian thistle and paper on timber
physics, the latter illustrating part OF the for
estry work OF the university.
The fourth division is devoted to the culture
| work of the central station the four substa-
| tions and the two forestry stations. About 80
| pages are occupied with these TOPICS which to
many readers will seem one OF the most immedi-
ateIy interesting portions ofthe volume. Every
! line tells of hard, honest and useful work done
| in this field by the entire staff from the work
! men and foremen of the outlying stations to
! Professor Hilgard and his colleagues at Berke-
| ley Excellent business management, capable
| and persistent experimentation, carefully in
| te1preted results of value to every department
of agriculture shown by these close
packed pages, upon the greenhouses and
central station grounds, the botanic
! garden, the new plants of the year
| (such as modioa and Australian salt bush) the
new vegetables and fruits, the routine and
special work at the various sub-sta lions 1t
i would be good thing for California II more
| OF these experiment and forestry stations could
be established iii other parts of the State where
/ the soil and climate are widely different from
til sol and climate of any o: the stations now
/ in existence 1t is very evident that every one
of these stations, while benetiting the whole
! State, is of especial value to the district in
| which it is situa ted.
! Lack of space forbids further review of this
| report, which is credit 10 the university In
fact, we should be inclined to say that work of
this honest, capable sort mas more than local
significance and is an honor to California and
the Pacific Coast, gaining recognition in scien-
! tiic circles over the United States and Europe,
and doing really invaluable service in max
| ing the resources of our State known abroad.
| The indefatigable workers of the university's
| agricultural department are packing their
successive annual reports SO full of facts that
no landowner can afford to be without them.
AS we said at the beginning, the books are
! sent without charge to those who will use
| them. Any farmer who has in his library the
entire series of State University Agricultural
Department bulletins and reports. and uses
them understandingly, will be greatly helped
| in his business.