The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-26
SCIENTIFIC WORK
 ID ASSIST FARMERS Experiments at Auburn Are of
 Great Benefit ISSUE OF BULLETINS Feature of Experimental Work Is Co., operation of Chemical and Agri- cultural Departments in Soil
 Adant atfou
ISSUE OF BULLETINS

Auburn, December 25-(Special.) )-Bulle- tins of vital interest to the farmers of Alabama will be forthcoming, within a few weeks, as result of the experi-
 mental work accomplished at Auburn on
 the experiment farm. Some of the re-
 suits to be revealed are remarkable. The first bulletin probably will be the
 press bulletin on the varieties of corn
 and the success that has attended the ef-
 forts to grow them. The next will be | a press bulletin on the varieties of cot
 ton in the score of Auburn experiments. An extended bulletin on soy beans will follow, and if the printing funds at the
 disposal of the station permit, bulletin
 on fertilizer experiments with cotton. In the department of entomology Dr.
 W. E. Hinds, state entomologist, and
 professor of entomology, is busy with
 the proofs of series of three boil beevii
 articles, namely "The Boil Weevil Ad-
 vance in Alabama" "Fighting the Boil
 weevii' and Destroying the Boil Weevil by Clean Farming" The boil weevil series will be ready for distribution with in few weeks
 One Feature of Work
 One feature of the work which is be- ing conducted at Auburn toward the de- velopment of the states agricultural re- sources Is the cooperation of all depart
 ments of the college and the overlapping
 of the duties of various departments in their work toward the common end. Most closely allied are the departments of chemistry and agriculture. The functions
 of the two have become interwoven, so
 depends upon the other.
 Thus with each change in the form of
 agricultural products, brought about by
 breeding processes, the new form is dts
 patched to the chemical department, to
 undergo analysis In this way the
 chemical changes which accompany
 change of form can be determined, and
 the work furthered for good by the elim-
 ination or the addition of the substances
 found necessary to greatest efficiency.
 One example of the work of the chem
 ical department in parallel to the work
 of the farm is the research which is be-
 ing conducted by Prof. c. l.. Hare of the department of chemistry in determination of the amount of oil in cotton seed and in determination of the method of in
 creasing the amount of oil by breeding. Interesting Experiment
 One of the experiments most inter- esting to Alabama farmers in the his tory of local researches will be effected soon, when about 200 varieties of cow
 peas. brought from all parts of the
 world, will be tested, that their qualities for efficiency may be determined More than 50 varieties of cotton and 20 va rieties of cowpeas, corn, oats, wheat, clover and sorghum are being tested on the farm at present, to determine the
 respective merits of each variety.
 Another interesting experiment Is that in fertilizers. An attempt Is being made to determine the efficacy of the substitu- tion of raw phosphate for acid phosphate
 on some farm products, and under some conditions. In this way the saving of
 8 ton can be effected. The study of the newer nitrogenous fertilizers is be- ing conducted, also, and nitrate of soda and the new calcium cyanide, made from air by electricity.
 Experiment With Oats
 One of the most delicate experiments imaginable is that which in being con-
 ducted at the Auburn experiment farm in the course of the work in oats breed ing Each year about 10000 separate ped igreed oats plants are grown. Each of the 10000 plants is weighed and meas ured, and the best 100 are selected. With
 the seed of these 100 plants crop is grown the next year and another selection
 made. The pedigrees of some of the
 plants now growing on the farm date back 15 years. The work is minute and
 exhaustive. The record of every plant is entered, like the account of a bank de- positor. 't-.
 More remarkable still is the work &C., complished in crossing the more sum- cessful varieties of oats Crossing oats is one of the most delicate experiments known to the station.
 The work in breeding of oats is still in progress, and it will be another year or more before the force of the local farm are sufficiently satisfied with re-
 suits to distribute seed. However, re-
 marlsable results have been attained so far. Bulletin 1S7, issued by the depart ment here, gave the results of the work until the past few years, and the bulle- tins proved one of the most popular productions issued by the station. It is responsible for tho present general and profitable use of nitrate of soda on oats,
 system encouraged by experiments in Auburn. The yield of oats has improved greatly in the last four years, and va- riety far purer than any to be found on
 the market has been secured. Success. ! too, has marked efforts to breed va rietv of oats with an increased resist