University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1908-09-24
WORK OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

In Wisconsin DIR. $. NJ. Babcock OF
the Agricultural College. invented a
rapid determination OF the amount OF
fat in milk. The Babcock test has be
come world-famous. 1t was started in
he official exhibit of the American Col
leges of Agriculture and Experiment
stations at the Louisiana Purchase EX
position that the Use OF the test saved
per cent of butter fat annually, worth
ut Is cents a pound for butter. an am
nual aggregate OF S3..Sl .l3?. 1t i not
always that the exact or even approx
mate value Of the work OF the Expert
ment Station can be thus put into
figures.
At the New York Station at Geneva
is the largest collection of fruit trees
in the world. some 5000 varitirS being
under observation. As Il result of cN-
perimcntS there the appletree belt-the
zone in which apples may he commerci
ally grown-haS been pushed from fifty
To one hundred miles northward 1t
would be difficult even to estimate what
this result has added to the apple pro-
duction. The same Station found a
cure for mildew on cucumber and saved
the Long Island industry. 1t pointed
ont the values and dangers in commercial
fertilizers. made important experiments
in the digestiblity OF feed stuffs and in
dairying and horticulture added much |
practical value to industrial knowledge. /
What has been done at the New York |
Station has been done in varying degree
and on lines of local adaptation in each /
OF the ffty-four experiment stations
maintained as national laboratories of
research for the farmer.
In Kansas the Experiment Station in
troduced kaflir corn as IA drought resist
ant product. There are now 100000
acres of kaflir corn in Kansas and the
value of the annual crop is S5.OO0OO0.
This result followed the INTRODUCED ion of
the corn by the Kansas Station and
the pointing out that an acre of KafIir
corn produced more beef. pork and milk
than an acre of maize. The Illinois Sta
tion has attacked maize or Indian corn l
as its greatest problem. Illinois is the
center OF the great corn region. J
The Station has been studying corn t
from every standpoint. The experiments a
conducted in corn breeding have already i
brought valuable results. 1t has been o
demonstrated that the right selection t
of grandfather is important in corn n
growing. The Missouri Station in CO. a
operation with the Texas Station. has h
Texas fever. the most dan b
gerous disease among Southwestern cat
tie. and has largely removed its ter e
rors. The Minnesota and North Dakota h
Stations have developed new varieties &C
Of wheat of distinct value. The variety c.
peculiarly adapted to those states has
added a million dollars to the value G
Of wheat production. OF
The Minnesota Station has introduced h,
new variety of corn adapted to north b,
,rn ATTITUDES and because of this the W
INIT of corn production has been extend h,
I'd northward fifty miles within ten p.
years. 70
The United States tariff law of 1890 w
placed a bounty of | 81 cents a pound 81
lpon maple sugar that would analvze in
70 per cent by poIariscope test and of 70
cents upon sugar that by the same tn
est would show 30 per cent. 1t has th
'een almost impossible under the
Methods in use when the law was en- TO
cted to produce maple sugar meeting la
hese conditions. The Vermont Station br
ook the matter up. introduced new ii,
Methods. made repeated experiments and an
ractically revOlutioniZed the maple m.
ugar production. vo