The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-09-01
AGRICULTURAL. HlMENT
STATION OF NEBRASKA.

STATION OF NEBRASKA.
For eighteen years the Nebraska ex-
pertinent station has been doing Good
work for the people of that state and
to no snlal extent for Ii agriculture
list all over the country. During the
earlier years the state assisted the sta
ton very little. but there has been AN
advance along this line in recent years
by cooperation of the university staff
and by state appropriations. A re-
view of some of the experimental work
done by the station has been prepared
and distributed. The station proved
the adaptibility of he soil and Innate
of the state to the sugar beet industry
operation. Later it has been shown
that sugar beet seeds may be raised
in the state though there has not been
any raised in commercial quantities.
The best annual forage crops for the
state has been ascertained and the
world made acquainted with the facts.
The value of sorghum as a feeding
crop was early made known by the
station.
The winter wheat section of the
state has been greatly enlarged through
the experiments of the station. Five
years ago seed Of the turkey red and
big frame wheats We're sent to more
$iAllt AOI1i III liiC
northern part of the state. These two
varieties have been almost universally
lu.scesSful where trials ave been made.
TIE large increase in the production of
wheat has been largely due to these
trials. There haze also been trials
western part Of The state that have
been highly satisfactory.
The station has proved that bronze
grass has been a great success In many
parts of the state. Fal sowing is rec
commended upon we'll prepared ground
in central and eastern parts of the
state.
The Kherson oats. imported by the
station from Russia has been mach the
most productive in central and western
parts of the state. 1t yields Beveral
bushels more per acre than any other
"ariety. The only variety that will
come within ten bushels OF it being
the Texas red and the color ct that
makes it objectionable for market.
Extensive experiments to ascertain
varieties of corn suitable to different
localities have resulted in a very large
ly increased interest in the growing
of corn. The most progressive farmers
ton have increased their yields fully
ten bushels per acre. There will yet
be more increase by continuation OF
these same methods.
The Importance of preserving or in
creasing the humus in the Coil has
been recognized and manure and rota-
ton found to be the desirable plan OF
operation. Land in meadow or pasture
has made good returns for the time
SO occupied and been found to pro-
duee ar increased yield Of corn when
again put into that crop. The sta
ton has rover the advantages and
profit Of spraying trees and the work
whom avhihitad or tho ctota fojr ~, fb,
meeting Of the horticultural society has
attracted great attention. The station
a conducted experiments that show
the ACCESSIBILITY of sowing cover crops
that cause some trees to mature their
wood in trees and has become more
has been found profitable. The forest
conditions Of the state have been
studied and two large government re-
serves have been established and trees
successfully planted. The destruction
of prairie dogs under advice from the
station has added much grazing land
and the study of alfalfa n cloSer has
in their general adoption.
The killing of cattle by %pasturing on
She second crop sorghum and the corn
stalk diseases as we'll as hog cholera
have all been considered and much
valued knowledge distributed. The sta
ton was the first to demonstrate the
success of treating milk fever by in
lating the udder with air. This treat
ment is now commonly used and fully
D5 per cent. of the cases are cured
while formerly it was considered fatal
almost all times.
While there have thus been many OK
pefiments that aid the grain grower,
the feeder has not been neglected and
the station has fed and exhibited sue
cessfully. Dairy products bring the
farmers double in the last six years.
An experiment was made with two
year-old steers and it was found that
twenty-five horned steers gained thir-
teen pounds each more han the same
number OF dehorned steers running to-
gether in the same pasture. There was
special care to have the steers rs near
alike in quality and condition as pos
sible.
The bulletins are published in $4,000
editions, but this number is becoming
too small to accommodate those who
ask for them.