Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1916-10-13
o. A. G. EXPERIMENT STATION
HAS SEVEN BRANCHES.
Werk is Carried on For Benefit of
Farmers Over Entire State
of Oregon.

Southern Oregon branch experiment
station, Talent.
John Jacob Astor branch expert
ment station, Astoria.
Hood River branch experiment sta
tion, Hood River.
Eastern Oregon dry farming branch
experiment station, Moro.
Umatilla branch experiment sta
tion, Hermiston.
Eastern Oregon branch experiment
station, Union.
Harvey branch experiment station
Burns.
The central station at Corvallis
serves the entire state. The results
obtained in it's Investigations of soils
farm crops, horticulture. crop pests
dairy, poultry and animal husbandry
are worth hundreds of thousands OF
dollars each year to Oregon farmers
That they are appreciated is shown by
the fact that ON the average more
than 1000 circulars, bulletins and let
ters are sent out daily in answering
correspondence. Upon these results
are based a large part of resident
and extension instruction in agricul-
ture. The central station receives no
state appropriation.
The Southern Oregon experiment
station serves the ten million dollar
per year industry and other agricul-
tural interests of the Rogue River
valley. 1t is already recognized as
the leading "Pear" experiment sta
ton in the world; and its discoveries
related to the use of SULPHUR as a fer
tilizer for alfalfa in the Rogue River
valley are worth more each year than
all of Oregon experiment stations
have ever cost her.
The John Jacob Astor experiment
station was established for the pun
pose of experimental study of the
problems peculiar to tide land agri-
culture. Oregon has many thousand
acres of these lands, most of which
are only partly reclaimed.
The Hood River branch experiment
station is concerned with investiga-
tions of the problems of the Hood
River orchardists. The results al
ready obtained in the control of ap-
Pile scab and in the use of nitrate of
soda as fertilizer have been worth
hundreds of thousands of dollars to
the Hood River valley this year.
The Eastern Oregon dry farming
branch experiment station is prob
ably the most important "wheat" ex-
pertinent station in the dry farming
section of the United States. Its in
vestigations. which are applicable to
the entire Columbia river basin, may
be grouped as follows:
l. Variety testing and improve
ment of field crops.
e Tillage experiments.
3. Crop ratation Investigations.
Hundreds of varieties and selec
tions of cereals have been under test
during the past five years. Some OF
these have shown marked superb
ority over the varieties commonly
grown in that section. Three of the
new spring varieties have exceeded
the yield of "Bluestem from 20 per
cent to 80 per cent every year Like
wise three of the new winter vaTie-
ties or strains have given an average
yield from S.3 bushels to 5.6 bushels
greater than the local varieties. A
four bushel increase in the acre yield
of wheat in the counties of Whsco.
Sherman, Gillian and Morrow would
at one dollar per bushel bring to the
wheat growers of these counties an
additional income of 81, 100000.
The Umatilla branch experiment
station was established for the pur-
pose of investigating farming on the
sandy lands along the Columbia. In
portant additions to our knowledge
of the action of water in such soils
have been gained and a system of
handling the water has been devised
which is much more economical in the
use of both water and labor than that
previously used
The Eastern Oregon branch ex-
pertinent station at Union is the old
est and most extensive of the branch
experiment stations. The work has
consisted principally of:
l. Testing of new and old varie-
ties of cereals, forage crops, vege-
tables and fruits.
2. Breeding experiments with fall
vheats.
3. Hog feeding experiments.
4. Cattle feeding experiments.
In eastern Oregon there is a de-
mand for a heavy yielding hulless
barley for feeding purposes. The sta
tion by liberalization, has produced
several new varieties, some of which
are excellent yielders and are now
known quite extensively Throughout
the Grande Ronde valley. Varieties