University of Florida - Tower / Seminole Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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THE EXPERIMENT STATION. The object of the Experiment Station i to conduct original research on uieful problem connected with Florida agriculture; and when these problems have been solved, to publish the finding of the research workers. In short, it is an institution for the discovering of new facts useful to agriculture, and for ublishing them so that the agricultural constituency of the tate, and. in many cases, of the world, may profit by the investigations. The compiling of agricultural information, the carrying out of demonstration work to show again the applicability of proved facta, and the holding of Farmers’ Institutes, are not proper functions of an Experiment Station. Since its foundation in 1 88, the Experiment Station ha published 24 annual reports. 113 bulletins and 206 press bulletins. The annual reports, as a whole, give a concise history of the Experiment Station, and of the progress made In different lines of investigation. During the f» cal year ending June 30, 1012, one annual report. four bulletins, and twenty pres bulletin were istued. The total number of printed pages of these three series of publication amounted to 1,$17,000. Of this number. |J tS|l0 page were distributed. A revision of the mailing list on the first of the year gave us a total of 17,693 names. The literature is distributed to every post-office in the State, reaching nearly every community in Florida, no matter how far removed from railway transportation. KTarr. The men engaged in scientific investigation at the Experiment Station were chosen specially for their fitness to do certain line of investigational work. From time to time these men have become so expert in their line that other States, more wealthy and more able to pay large salaries, have enticed them away. ’ This is rather unfortunate for Florida, but we can take comfort in the fact that the men taken away were more than mediocre in their line. The work of the staff is carried on by projects rather than by departments. For convenience in accounting, etc., various project are included under separate departmental name . A project once started is pursued until definite conclusion are reached, whether the investigations re- quire the co-operation of different departments or not; and not infrequently two. and sometimes three, investigator are working on the same problem. KxratIMENT STATION HALL. This new building, first occupied two years ago, was constructed especially for the use of the Experiment Station. For this purpose the State gave $40,000 for building and $7,500 for equipment. In constructing the building, each head of a department planned hi own laboratories, according to the needs of hi particular problems. After the laboratories had been planned individually, the plan were then assembled and grouped, so a to ensure the greatest economy in space. Finally the architect was given the task of completing the building according to the need of these different laboratories. This method has given u a building that ha been pronounced by competent authority to be the best for it purpose in the country. The illustration on another page shows the building and its surroundings. THE IIOCHCVLTl'RAL CS0VNM. The Experiment Station took charge of the e grounds in 1907. Just before this the fields had been cleared of hammock vegetation and pine growth. This left much of the land in a more or less raw state. Roads had to be laid out. the ground surveyed, and the soil reduced to agricultural consistency. The illustration on another page show what is popularly known a the Bamboo Drive. The St. Augustine grass makes an excellent turf of sufficient firmness to allow pleasure vehicles, such a car-liages and automobiles, to run over it without damage to the roadway. The roadways that are used for heavy teaming have been surfaced with clay. The illustration on the adjoining page will show the excellent condition of this material and how it may be u«cd to good effect in producing pleasing results on horticul-tural grounds. IX)SS OF FERTILIZERS.—Florida uses more fertilizer per capita than any other State in the Union. What becomes of the fertilizer when applied to the soil, is a question of paramount importance to us. It has long been known that when a fertilizer is applied to the soil for a decade or more, only a small part of it i removed in the crops taken from the soil. But a to

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Experiment Station Huildinc

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whether the fertilizer remained in the toil, leaked out. or escaped a gaseous material, there wa no satisfactory information applicable to Florida condition . During the eleven month from June 1. 1011, to May I. 1012, our chemist found that an amount of ammonia equal to 1,411 pound of nitrate of soda leached out of an acre of noil; that an amount of phosphoric acid equal to li pound of 1C per cent, acid phosphate also leached out. together with an amount of potasn equal to 104 pound of high-grade sulphate of potash, and an amount of lime equal to (01 pound of ground limestone. Other analyse will be made to discover how much of the original fertilizing substance supplied to the soil have remained without leaching or have escaped as gases. PLANT BREEDING —Kn Important line of work ha been taken up In the project of plant breeding. Hybrid have b n made between the l.yon and Florida velvet bean. The multiform progeny of the e hybrid plant ha been studies! from year to year, ami the laws of inheritance of the difference discovered. From the progeny of these hybrids tnc br t strains have been selected, and are being bred to constancy. Several of them promise to become uitcful farm crop . Some are nearly two months earlier than the velvet bean. The e new legumes, like the varieties introduced from tropical region , will be tested a to their value for farm crops, before being finally recommended. cxmdMt:NT8 CAKRin ot:r. PORK PRODUCTION — Among the important investigations for Florida, at the present time, is the study of pork pro-duction. Dozens of different balanced ration have been used in feeding experiment to establish their rttness or unfltne . for producing pork at a rcanonablc cost. That good pork can be ?reduced in Florida with thoroughbred pig , i shown by the act that a herd of 1? such nig , when 180 day old. averaged 127 pounds, the largest weighing 180 pound . At 200 day these pigs weighed on the average 143 pound , while the largest weighed 210 pounds. Among the dozen of ration that were tried, the one giving the bo»t result wa composed of equal part , by weight, of corn and sweet potatoes. Tne cost of each pound gained In the herd fed on this ration wa 6.8 cent . The average daily gain per head wa 0.971 lb. MILK PRODUCTION.—Many different ration have been trl«l with our dairy herd. A little previous work of an exset nature had been done along thin line, it became ncccsiary to teat ncarlv all the different kind of forage raised in Florida. Because the states north of u« cannot produce the aame kind of foraft that jrrow moat luxuriantly in Florida, their result of feeding te t cannot, for the moat part, be utilized by u . During the period from Jnnuary 1 to June 1, when tall feed was largely supplemented by pasture, the eo t of producing a gallon of milk wa 7J cent —counting only the cost of the feed. The coat of feed required to produce a gallon of milk when stall feed wa not used to any large extent, wa lowered to 4.7 cent . When commercial feed were used, the cost of feed for producing a gallon of milk wa raised to about 18 cents. FORAGR CROPS —A the raising of farm aniamls depend on the production of abundant and cheap forage, thi latter problem demand the closest attention of the Kxperimcnt Station. Hundreds of different kind of forage crop have been tested out, ami from them score of the best varieties have been selected. Among the gravies, it ha been found that the Rhodes grass, an introduction from South Africa, i exceedingly promising, and may revolutionize the cattle industry in Florida. Natal gras. , another introduction from South Africa, promises to lie an extremely useful hay gras for Central and South Florida. The Yokohama velvet bean, the Chinese velvet bean, and the I.yon velvet bean, are three different legume not known to hundred of farmers In the State of Florida. Each one of these three new varieties hold It own important place; and, in addition to giving a large amount of forage, the)' have the property of adding fertility to the soil by extracting nitrogen from the air and building it up into vegetable substance, which enriches the roil for other plants. H’HITKFl.Y,—Thi ha been a pe«t to the citrus growers for over 25 years. After exhausting ever)’ known remedy for the control of these insects, the Experiment Station began investigating the control of the pest by mean of it natural enemies. Three specie of fungi have been found capable of destroying myriads of white fly. These fungi have been studied by member of the staff. The pathology and physiology of the whltelly have also been thoroughly studied, so that we now have rule which a citrus grower can apply so a to use the fungi to control or exterminate the whltefly. This investigation shows strikingly the advisability of enlisting natural means of control in the combat with insect pests.