Agricultural Experiment Station
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AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION KANSAS STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE MANHATTAN, KANSAS DIRECTOR’S REPORT 1926-1928 PRINTED BY KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT B. P. WALKER, STATE PRINTER TOPEKA 1928 12-5328 KANSAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION STATE BOARD OF REGENTS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, June 30, 1928. To His Excellency, Ben S. Paulen, Governor of Kansas: I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the Agricultural Experiment Station of the Kansas State Agricultural College for the biennium ending June 30, 1928. The report includes a brief state- ment of the work in progress during this period, changes in personnel of the station staff, a list of publications of the station and of the scientific contributions of the station staff, and a statement of re- ceipts and expenditures of the biennium under review. L. E. CALL, Director. (3) TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL............................................. 3 INTRODUCTION.... ................................................. 5 COÖPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES................................... 5 THE PURNELL ACT.................................................. 6 THE SOIL SURVEY................................................... 6 LAND, BUILDINGS, AND, EQUIPMENT.................................... 7 PERSONNEL.................................. ........................ 9 SCOPE OF THE STATION WORK, JULY 1, 1926, JUNE 30, 1928........... 11 STUDIES IN THE ECONOMICS OF AGRICULTURE.......................... 16 CONSERVATION OF THE SoIL......................................... 22 INVESTIGATIONS IN THE PLANT INDUSTRIES............................ 32 DISEASES OF PLANTS........................................... 60 INJURIOUS INSECTS AND OTHER PESTS................................. 67 INVESTIGATIONS IN THE LIVE-STOCK INDUSTRIES......................... 82 DISEASES OF FARM ANIMALS......................................... 109 STUDIES IN HOME ECONOMICS ....................................................................................... 122 BRANCH EXPERIMENT STATIONS.....,................................................ 126 Fort Hays Branch EXPERIMENT Station. .127 Garden City Branch Experiment Station. ..134 Colby Branch Experiment Station.. 137 Tribune Branch Experiment Station.. .. 139 STATION PUBLICATIONS................................................................... 140 SOME INFORMATION REGARDING EACH PUBLICATION ISSUED.......................................... 141 PUBLICATIONS BY DEPARTMENTS...................................... 146 FINANCIAL STATEMENT, 1926-'27.............................................. 152 FINANCIAL STATEMENT, 1927-'28............................................................. 153 (4) DIRECTOR’S REPORT1 INTRODUCTION During the biennium ending June 30, 1928, the work of the Agri- cultural Experiment Station, including the four branch stations, comprised 115 active major projects which had been definitely or- ganized and planned.These projects included studies in five distinct fields of rural endeavor, as follows: Studies in the economics of agri- culture, studies in soil conservation, investigations in the plant in- dustries, investigations in the animal industries, and studies in home economics. A number of miscellaneous agricultural problems were also investigated.The following report makes brief mention of each of the more important projects and summarizes the more important results secured during the biennium. COÖPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES The station has been fortunate in having coöperative relationships with a number of related agencies.The extensive and cordial coöp- eration that has existed in the past with the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture has been continued and the work somewhat expanded. The coöperative work with the United States Department of Agriculture has included investigations in small grain production and breeding, corn breeding, and the control of cereal diseases with the Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases; investigations in dry-land agriculture with the Office of Dry-land Agriculture; investigations with alfalfa diseases with the Office of Forage Crops and Vegetable Diseases; and experiments with alfalfa, the sorghums, turf grass, and other forage crops with the Office of Forage Crop Investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry; a survey of five counties with the Division of Land Classification and Survey of the Bureau of Chem- istry and Soils; a study of factors influencing the palatability and quality of meat and other live-stock problems with the Division of Animal Husbandry of the Bureau of Animal Industry; investiga- tions in the propagation and distribution of forest trees with the Forest Service; and investigations in farm organization, cost of pro- duction, land utilization, wheat marketing, and hay grading in coöp- eration with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Coöperative relations have been continued with the Kansas State Board of Agriculture in connection with the regulatory activities of the board. The station has provided facilities for analytical deter- minations of feeding-stuffs, live-stock remedies, and dairy products and has maintained in coöperation with the board a state seed- testing laboratory.Coöperative research in a limited way has also been undertaken on industrial projects with two commercial agencies. 1. Contribution No. 39 from the director’s office. (5) 6 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION THE PURNELL ACT The Purnell act, approved by President Coolidge February 24, 1925, authorized a federal appropriation for the support of the Agricultural Experiment Station of $20,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1926, with increases of $10,000 annually until the fiscal year ending June 30, 1930, when a maximum annual appropriation of $60,000 would be made.The grants of money authorized by the Purnell act were “made subject to legislative assent of the several states and territories to the purpose of said grants.” The Kansas legislature, complying with this provision, passed in its forty-second regular session, February, 1927, house concurrent resolution No. 13 as follows: RELATING to the acceptance by the State of Kansas of the provisions of an act of congress approved February 24, 1925, for the more complete endow- ment of agricultural experiment stations. “Be it resolved by the house of representatives of the state of Kansas, the senate concurring therein: That the provisions of the act of congress entitled ‘An act to authorize the more complete endowment of agricultural experiment stations, and for other purposes,’ approved February 24, 1925, be and the same is hereby accepted by the state of Kansas, and the federal appropriations are hereby placed under the control of the State Board of Regents, subject to the rules and regulations expressed or implied in the act of congress above named.” The Purnell act particularly authorizes investigations in the fields of agricultural economics, rural life, and home economics, as well as support for investigational work “bearing directly upon the produc- tion, manufacture, preparation, use, distribution, and marketing of agricultural products.” For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1928, the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station received as a result of the Purnell act a grant of $40,000. The money was expended as follows: 35 per cent for investigational work in agricultural economics, including marketing, 20 per cent for investigational work in home economics, and 45 per cent for the support of all other kinds of investigational work of the station. THE SOIL SURVEY The state soil survey resumed in 1925 has been continued during the past biennium. The survey is being made in coöperation with the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture. Prior to this biennium, a reconnaissance soil survey had been made of the western half of the state and a detailed survey of 11 counties and some smaller areas in the eastern part of the state.During the past biennium detailed surveys of Clay, La- bette, Wilson, and Doniphan counties have been completed and are now in progress in Johnson and Crawford counties.There remain 42 counties in eastern Kansas yet to be surveyed. (Fig. 1.). It is planned to push these fundamental investigations of the soil re- sources of Kansas as rapidly as the support of the work will permit. D IRECTOR ’S R EPORT, 1926-1928 7 LAND, BUILDINGS, AND EQUIPMENT One tract of land embracing 1.6 acres was purchased during the biennium from Mr. Wm. M. Aye. This tract was secured to com- plete the area purchased during the preceding biennium to provide a larger area for plant breeding for the Department of Agronomy. New buildings constructed during the biennium include a sheep barn for the Department of Animal Husbandry, a laying house for the Department of Poultry Husbandry, a new residence for the superintendent of the Fort Hays Branch Experiment Station, and other smaller buildings for the branch stations mentioned later in this report. FIG. 1.—Map of Kansas showing progress of state soil survey. The new sheep barn is used primarily for housing the flock of sheep maintained for investigational and instructional purposes. The barn consists of a two-story central portion 32 feet wide and 52 feet long, with one-story wings 32 feet wide and 90 feet long on each side. The first floor of the central portion is divided into bins, a combination lambing and shearing room, a sleeping room for the shepherd, and a central driveway. The upper story is used for hay and a central driveway.