Annual report of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station

              A55
:I92I
North Carolina State Library
Raleigh
FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT
NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION
CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY THE
NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AND THE
NORTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
AND ENGINEERING
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1921
Statistical Report Year Ending December 1, 1921
fa
North Carolina State Library
Norfh Carolina State Library,
Raleigh
FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT
*c
NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION
CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY THE
NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AND THE
NORTH CAROLINA STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
AND ENGINEERING
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1921
Statistical Report Year Ending December 1, 1921
LETTER OF SUBMITTAL
Ealeigh, 1ST, C, June 30, 1921.
To His Excellency, Cameron Morrison,
Governor of North Carolina.
Sir :—I have the honor to submit herewith report of the operations of
the iigricultural Experiment Station, conducted jointly by the Worth
Carolina Department of Agriculture and the Worth Carolina State Col-lege
of Agriculture and Engineering, for the year ended June 30, 1921.
This work is under the immediate direction of the "Joint Committee for
Agricultural Work," provided for in chapter 68 of the Public Laws of
1913, and amended by chapter 223 of the Public Laws of 1917, and the
report is made in accordance with the requirements of the act of Con-gress,
approved March 2, 1887, and known as the Hatch Act.
Very respectfully,
B. W. KlLGORE,
Director.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Letter of Submittal 3
Staff of Workers 5
General Summary of the Work of the Station During the Year 7
Financial Report 15
Report of the Division of Agronomy 17
Report of the Division of Animal Industry 39
Report of the Division of Entomology 52
Report of the Division of Horticulture 60
Report of the Division of Plant Pathology and Bacteriology 67
Report of the Division of Markets and Rural Organization 69
Report on Drainage 79
BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
*W. A. Graham, Chairman.
F. P. Latham Belhaven *A. T. McCallum Red Springs
J. J. Harris Macon *C. C. Wright Hunting Creek
*R. L. Woodard Pamlico W. B. McLelland Stony Point
*Clarence Poe Raleigh H. Q. Alexander Matthews
R. W. Scott Haw River A. Cannon Horse Shoe
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE COLLEGE
^Governor Cameron Morrison, Chairman.
M. B. Stickley Concord *T. T. Thorne Rocky Mount
T. T. Ballenger Tryon *C. W. Gold.. Greensboro
W. H. Williamson Raleigh T. E. Vann Como
*0. L. Clark Clarkton P. S. Boyd Mooresville
W. R. Bonsal Hamlet W. S. Lee Charlotte
D. R. Noland Crabtree C. F. Tomlinson High Point
Claude B. Williams Elizabeth City *J. F. Diggs... Rockingham
Clarence Poe Raleigh E. R. Johnson Currituck
*W. C. Riddick (President College), Raleigh.
STAFF OF THE NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT
STATION AND EXTENSION SERVICE
ADMINISTRATION
B. W. Kilgore Director of Experiment Station and Extension Service
C. B. Williams Vice-Director Experiment Station
F. E. Miller Assistant Director Branch Stations
J. M. Gray Assistant Director Extension
R. W. Green Agricultural Editor
A. F. Bowen '. Bursar
Miss S. D. Jones __ Bursar
Miss Mary S. Birdsong v
. Secretary to Director
H. C. Evans Auditor and Executive Assistant
AGRONOMY
C. B. Williams Chief in Agronomy G. M. Garren Assistant in Plant Breeding
W. F. Pate Soil Agronomist fW. E. Hearn Soil Survey
S. K. Jackson Assistant in Soils |S. O. Perkins Assistant in Soil Survey
H. B. Mann Assistant in Soils S. F. Dwidson Assistant in Soil Survey
R. Y. Winters....Plant Breeding Agronomist W. A. Davis Assistant in Soil Survey
S. W. Hill Assistant in Plant Breeding fR. E. Devereux Assistant in Soil Survey
P. H. Kime Assistant in Plant Breeding W. D. Lee Assistant in Soil Survey
A.R. Russell, Assistant in Field Experiments
CHEMISTRY
W. G. Haywood Fertilizer Chemist E. S. Dewar Assistant Chemist
. F. W. Sherwood Assistant Chemist G. L. Arthur Assistant Chemist
L. M. Nixon Assistant Feed Chemist B. C. Williams Assistant Chemist
Z. B. Bradford Assistant Chemist
ENTOMOLOGY
Franklin Sherman, Jr., fC. L. Sams Bee-keeping
Chief in Entomology W. B. Mabee Extension Entomologist
Z. P. Metcalf Entomologist C. S. Brimley Assistant Entomologist
R. W. Leiby Assistant Entomologist T. B. Mitchell Assistant Entomologist
HORTICULTURE
C. D. Matthews, L. H. Nelson Assistant Horticulturist
Chief Division of Horticulture J. M. Dyer.... Assistant Horticulturist
J. P. Pillsbury Horticulturist W. W. Magill Extension Horticulturist
C. F. Williams Assistant Horticulturist
ANIMAL INDUSTRY
R. S. Curtis, John E. Ivey Asst. Poultry Investigations
Acting Chief in Animal Industry tF. R. Farnham..Assistant in Dairy Farming
Stanley Combes Dairy Experimenter t A. C. Kimrey Assistant in Dairy Farming
B. F. Kaupp, fD. R. Noland Assistant in Dairy Farming
Poultry Investigator and Pathologist fF. T. Peden Assistant in Beef Cattle
tJ. A. Arey Dairy Farming E \rl Hostetler,
tW. W. Shay Swine Extension Assistant in Beef Cattle and Swine
"i"A. G. Oliver Poultry Extension fGEORGE Ev\ns...Assistant in Sheep Extension
J. O. Halverson, Feed Chemist and Specialist in Nutrition
6 Officers and Staff
plant pathology
F. A. Wolf Plant Pathologist S. G. Lehman Assistant in Bacteriology
DRAINAGE
F. O. Bartel Drainage Engineer
MARKETS AND RURAL ORGANIZATION
B. F. Brown Chief Division of Markets
GORRELL Shumaker Marketing Fruits and Vegetables
Fred. R. Yoder Credit Unions
tP. H. Hart Cotton Grading
T. B. Parker Warehouse Organization
fJ. P. Brown Warehouse Inspection and Operation
J. M. Workman Warehouse Construction
V. W. Lewis Livestock Marketing
tFRANK Parker Agricultural Statistician
Wm. H. Rhodes, Jr Assistant Statistician
Wm. D. Jones, Jr Census Statistician
FARM MANAGEMENT
|J. M. Johnson Farm Management
BRANCH STATIONS
F. T. Meacham Assistant Director, Iredell Branch Station
R. E. Currin, Jr Assistant Director Edgecombe Branch Station
E. G. Moss Assistant Director, Granville Branch Station
S. C. Clapp Assistant Director, Buncombe Branch Station
A. S. Cline. Assistant Director, Black Land Branch Station
Chas. Dearing Assistant Director, Coastal Plain Station
FARM ENGINEERING
E. R. Raney Farm Machinery Extension
FARM DEMONSTRATION WORK
C. R. Hudson State Agent
H. H. B. Mask Assistant State Agent
E. S. Millsaps District Agent, Piedmont District
T. D. McLean District Agent, Central District
O. F. McCrary District Agent, Northeastern District
E. W. Gaither District Agent, Southeastern District
HOME DEMONSTRATION WORK
Mrs. Jane S. McKimmon State Home Demonstration Agent
Miss Maude E. Wallace Assistant State Home Demonstration Agent
Miss Martha Creighton Piedmont District Agent
Mrs. Estelle T. Smith Eastern District Agent
Mrs. Cornelia C. Morris Central District Agent
Miss Mamie Sue Jones : Tidewater District Agent
*Member of Joint Committee for Agricultural Work.
fin cooperation with United States Department of Agriculture.
FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION
For the Year Ended June 30, 1921
B. W. Kilgore, Director
F. E. Miller, Assistant Director Branch Stations
R. W. Green, Agricultural Editor
The experimental work of the Central station at Raleigh and the six
branch station farms has been more closely correlated during the year
covered by this report. Considerable progress is reported in many lines
of investigation, while practical applications of the results of experi-ments
have been made through the Agricultural Extension Service.
Few other states have as close working arrangements between exten-sion
services and experiment stations as has North Carolina, and as a
consequence this State is in a good position to make results of investi-gations
immediately available to the farmers through the farm demon-stration
agents.
During the year members of the station staff have contributed a num-ber
of articles to scientific journals that reflect credit upon North
Carolina, and help in the general advance of agricultural science. The
work of Dr. Leiby, in connection with a study of polembryonic insects
is particularly noteworthy in this connection.
CHANGES IN STAFF
Changes in staff since the last annual report include the following
:
Resignations—H. B. Krausz, farm forester; J. H. Henley, specialist
in credit unions; A. C. Foster, extension plant pathologist.
Appointments—W. W. Magill, extension horticulturist; Fred R.
Yoder, specialist in rural credits; V. W. Lewis, specialist in livestock
marketing; C. F. Williams, research assistant in horticulture.
The following paragraphs, under divisional headings, summarize the
progress of experimental work during the year. More complete accounts
of the work will be found in the reports of the chiefs of divisions.
AGRONOMY
Approximately one million acres have been surveyed and mapped
during the last year in the soil survey work. The counties of Onslow
and Cherokee have been finished and about one-half of Cumberland has
been worked.
olina State Library
Raleiqh
8 FORTY-FOUBTB AnM'AL REPORT N. C. AgRI. Exi>. STATION
Investigations in soil fertility have been continued as in previous
years and new projects begun on three different types of soil in different
sections of the State to determine the soil deficiencies, plant-food con-stituents,
and the most profitable kinds and amounts of fertilizers to use.
Experiments at the Black Land station have shown that for the suc-cessful
production of crops it is absolutely necessary that the soil be
furnished lime, except on newly cultivated land, where no fertilizer is
now needed.
At the Mountain station results show that the use of phosphoric acid,
nitrogen and lime produce better yields on both bottom and upland
soils.
In tests at the Coastal Plain station it has been found that the use of
fairly large quantities of fertilizer pays if other factors are favorable,
and that nitrogen and lime are needed for the soil.
Results of rotation tests on the Edgecombe station show that the rota-tion
of corn and cotton is no better than corn or cotton each grown
continuously on the same land. A large percentage of nitrogen and
potash is needed in the fertilizers used, and large applications of the
fertilizer should be made.
Lime is essential to soils at Piedmont station for growing legumes,
and the use of large quantities of nitrogen and phosphoric acid on
general crops has been found necessary for best results. Decaying
organic matter is valuable for increasing the crop-producing power of
the soil.
Results of experiments on Central station have continued to bring
out the importance of having more vegetable matter incorporated into
the soil and making heavier applications of fertilizers on the best pay-ing
crops. The importance of lime and manure on leguminous crops
has also been brought out.
Experiments on old and new land have been tried out at Reidsville,
and it was found that fresh land is best for tobacco, while corn does
much better on old land. Evidence shows that it is better to prime
tobacco than to cut it. Application of phosphoric acid on fresh land is
of great benefit to the growth of tobacco, and lime is also advantageous.
The outstanding features of tests at Oxford show that potash is abso-lutely
essential for tobacco, for without it leaf-spot disease makes the
tobacco almost worthless, and that dolomitic limestone increases the
yield without decreasing the quality.
Another important fact brought out in tests is that by using mag-nesia
the disease of "sand-drown" can be prevented. This can be done
in a practical and inexpensive manner by using dolomitic limestone.
In cotton spacing tests the thickest spacing has produced the highest
yield of seed cotton and lint per acre.
Seed-improvement work has been continued at the stations, and at the
Central farm a seed house has been built for the storage and care of
Director's Summary
ANIMAL INDUSTRY
It has been found that cattle can he wintered on orchard grass pasture
at about half the cost of wintering them in barns. With horses and
mules results show that the use of cotton seed meal cheapens the rations
slightly, and does not effect the health of the animals.
The results of the work with lambs have shown that lambs can be
dropped in December and January, and put on the market during March
and April and command a premium because of their earliness.
In the feeding tests with poultry, experiments show that it requires
7.2 pounds of feed to produce one dozen eggs. Velvet bean meal pro-duces
a deleterious effect upon the birds. Artificial illumination
proved successful in egg production, the hens under lights averaging
42.2 more eggs per year than the others. Tests conducted for three
consecutive years showed that a flock of hens left on range averaged 71
eggs per year, while a flock on dry lot averaged 33 eggs per year.
Feed tests with hogs show that meat from hogs that have been fed
on peanuts shrinks slightly less than that from hogs fed on corn and
tankage. The carcass of a hog is composed of about 8 per cent bone.
ENTOMOLOGY
During the year 474 species of insects not heretofore known to occur
in the State have been added to the list of species now on record, which
makes a total of 6,221 included in the list.
Experiments in the use of dry dust poisons for control of cabbage
worms have proven effective when given often, and are safe with ordi-nary
precaution.
August is the most favorable month for cultivating infected lands to
destroy cut-worm moths.
Investigations and experiments with household insects, such as cock-roaches,
bed-bugs, flees and weevils, have been conducted and valuable
data obtained for fighting these pests.
The cowpea. weevil experiments with air-slacked lime have shown
that this is the most satisfactory method for controlling these pests,
while experiments for controlling the tobacco flee beetle have proven
that trap-bed methods are easiest and most effective.
The fumigation of mills has been simplified and put on a practical
basis, thus effecting a great saving for the mills of the State.
HORTICULTURE
In the investigational work with pecans it has been found that the
Schley, Stuart and Alley varieties are best suited for Eastern North
Carolina. Work of improving and standardizing individual yields
by bud selection has been started since it has been found that some
trees of the same variety under identical conditions are heavy yielders
10 Forty-fourth Annual Report N". C. Agri. Exp. Station
while others are poor producers, and the nuts of the different trees vary
in size. In top-working the pecan trees, both grafting and budding
should be used to secure best results.
ISTone of the varieties of strawberries tested so far have shown them-selves
superior to the Klondike and Missionary as commercial varieties.
Several of the varieties have been found to be valuable for home use.
As a result of investigations during the year, recommendations re-garding
the choice of varieties of Irish potatoes and cabbage for the
western part of the State, the varieties of sweet potatoes for storage,
and the most desirable methods to employ in the management of the
storage house, can be given.
Investigational work with peaches and apples has been continued as
in previous years.
PLANT PATHOLOGY AND BACTERIOLOGY
The work with rust-resistant wheat has been continued and although
rust infection has been unusually severe throughout the State, the
resistant varieties have remained remarkably free from rust.
More concentrated attention has been given to studies on the physi-ology
of plant pathogenic bacteria, stressing mainly the hydrogen ion
concentration, and should be completed during the coming year. Studies
on Phoma blight of soybeans and treatment of seed-borne infections
should also be completed during the year.
MARKETS AND RURAL ORGANIZATION
A number of successful cooperative marketing associations have been
organized with the aid of this division this year, including the Mount
Olive Truckers Association, the Scotland County Cantaloupe Associa-tion,
which sold around 200,000 crates of cantaloupes, and a sweet
potato marketing association in Nash and Edgecombe counties. All
of these associations handled standardized products.
Considerable improvement has been made in grading and packing all
fruits and vegetables as a result of the work of this division, especially
Irish and sweet potatoes, strawberries, and apples. A careful study
was made this year of grades for cucumbers and peaches with an idea
of standardizing them next season.
The work of cotton classing and grading has made considerable prog-ress
this year, the total number of bales classed during the year being
64,246. Active interest is indicated in warehouse construction work by
the numerous inquiries that have been received from all over the State.
Two new warehouses having an aggregate capacity of 10,000 bales are
in course of construction in the State.
Wo new credit unions were organized during the year but six are now
being organized. Because of the bad crops and low prices received by
farmers, the chief business of the unions this year has been borrowing
Director's Summary 11
money from the banks for the members. Ten unions report that they
were able to borrow money when it was impossible for the members to
borrow as individual members.
FARM DRAINAGE
Farms in 17 counties were visited for the purpose of giving advice
and assistance on tile drainage. Surveys and reports have been made
for 12 farms, while stakes and grades for construction were given on
10 farms for the installation of approximately seven miles of tile.
Eleven examinations of a preliminary nature on proposed drainage
districts covering an area of 52,450 acres were made during the year.
Increasing interest in soil erosion is shown by calls from farmers for
assistance in locating terraces and giving demonstrations in terracing.
More tiles were installed and a larger number of drainage districts, cov-ering
a larger acreage, were examined than last year.
BRANCH EXPERIMENT STATIONS
The location of the six branch experiment stations or field laboratories
gives the subject-matter divisions opportunities to study agricultural
problems of local importance. Each station represents one of the well-defined
agricultural sections of the State in regard to soil type, climate
and cultural practices. The stations serve as a base of agricultural
information for their respective sections. With this arrangement, the
Agronomy Division, for example, has an opportunity to investigate
first hand the fertilizer requirements for the different farm crops
on the principal soil types of the State; also to determine varieties,
crop rotations and cultural methods best suited to the several localities.
Likewise each group of workers, under the North Carolina Agricultural
Experiment Station, has a chance to carry on their projects under
conditions which are representative of the chief farming sections.
The information gained in this way serves as a guide in advising
farm practices over the State. While the branch stations should lead
their respective sections in agriculture, it is not their purpose to show
neighbors how to run a farm, but rather to determine facts which are
applicable to better farming.
Black Land Station—Wenona
This station is located in Washington County, at Wenona, on the
Norfolk Southern Railroad. The soil is typical of that large area
of peat soils which extends from Virginia down well into eastern
North Carolina. This section is developing and shows great promise.
The station of two hundred acres was established in 1913, and since
that time a great deal of the work has been done along the lines of
development, and much information has been obtained regarding meth-ods
of clearing the cut-over land and drainage. At present 120 acres
of the station lands are tile-drained and under cultivation.
12 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exr. Station
The principal experiments now under way are lime and fertilizer
tests, cultural practices, corn selection and improvement and trial tests
with pasture mixtures, soybeans, cowpeas and truck crops. At present
corn is the only crop tried that succeeded well the first year after the
land was cleared. Lime is decidedly the first constituent needed by
the soil after drainage for good crop results, and finely ground lime-stone
is better than marl or hydrated lime.
Coastal Plain Station
—
Willard
This station is located in Pender County, one and one-half miles north
of Willard on the Wilmington branch of the Atlantic Coast Line Rail-road.
The farm was established in 1905, and at that time contained 2 J 8
acres. In the spring of 1921 31 acres, bordering the property on the
south, were purchased, which provides space for enlarging the experi-mental
planting.
The purpose of the station is to study the agricultural problems of
the coastal plain region, and to encourage diversification of farm crops.
The farm has many visitors seeking information on various farm sub-jects,
and particularly that of diversification since the boll weevil has
appeared in some localities.
Results of the grape investigations show that the Muscadine is one of
the safest fruit crops for the coastal plain region, and with this in view
a four-acre planting of the Thomas, James and Scuppernong varieties,
was made last spring to study first hand the value of this crop from the
commercial standpoint, also to supply fruit for enlarging the grape
utilization work.
The production of pedigreed seed has received special attention with
the view of furnishing the farmers of this section with good seed of the
proper varieties at a reasonable cost. Cleveland Big Boll cotton, Mam-moth
Yellow and Virginia soybeans, and Pee Dee No. 5 field corn were
grown for seed distribution purposes this past year.
The outstanding experiments under way at this station are Muscadine
grape investigations and utilization ; dairy feeding tests and Jersey herd
development work; poultry feeding tests; horticultural experiments, in-cluding
tests with Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes ; dewberries, straw-berries,
and observation garden planting ; pecan, apple and peach variety
studies; agronomy fertilization and rotation tests; and cotton anthrac-nose
studies.
The progress and scope of the experimental work is covered in the
reports of the subject-matter divisions.
Edgecombe Station—Kingsboro
Edgecombe County is one of our leading cotton and livestock counties,
and the soil of this county is the very best for general agriculture. The
experiment station is located two miles from Kingsboro on the old high-
Director's Summary 13
way between Rocky Mount and Tarboro. The farm of 202 acres was
established in 1902, and the soil is representative of the best land in the
section.
The outstanding work on this station is the extensive agronomy fer-tilizer
and rotation experiments, the seed selection and improvement of
varieties, the seven-acre variety pecan orchard and the swine feeding
experiments. A great deal of information has been obtained relative to
these subjects, which is being generally used in this section. The general
crop land is used for growing feed for the livestock work and producing
improved seed.
The improvement and introduction of the Mexican Big Boll cotton in
this section has given splendid results. Many of the leading farmers
in Edgecombe County, and that vicinity, are now growing this variety
with good results. Several of the large growers pooled their last year's
crop and received a premium for their staple.
Mountain Station—Swannanoa
The mountain section of this State is especially adapted to fruit, truck
crops, dairying, poultry and pasture crops, and the experiment station
is conducted in view of assisting in the development of these industries.
The experimental farm is located two miles northeast of Swannanoa,
on the hard-surface road between Asheville and Black Mountain. The
station was established in 1908 and consists of 305 acres. The soil is
typical of the mountain region and responds readily to good handling.
At present the experimental work consists largely of agronomy fer-tilizer
and rotation tests ; seed improvement and selection ; variety studies
of soybeans, Irish potatoes and cabbage; truck crop production, and
variety and pruning investigations with apples and home plantings of
small fruits. Much valuable information has been secured along these
lines, which is followed generally by the mountain farmers.
This section is especially suited to the poultry industry, in view of
the ready market for all poultry products, and plans are under considera-tion
for establishing an experimental poultry plant on the station dur-ing
the coming year. The work of getting ready for the dairy project
is already under way.
Piedmont Experiment Station—Statesville
The popularity of this station was emphasized by the attendance at
the main farmers' picnic held last August, which numbered around
7,000 people. Several smaller meetings were held during the year,
with good attendance, for the purpose of studying the work of the farm.
The station is located one mile west of Statesville on the highway. The
soil is typical of the Piedmont section, and is well suited to general
farming. This experimental farm of 208 acres, was established in 1903
and has shown steady growth since that time.
14 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
The object of the station is to study agricultural problems of the Pied-mont
section, and to gather knowledge relative to better farming for
that section. The major experiments of the station are a series of fer-tilizer
and rotation tests with corn, cotton, oats, rye and wheat; seed
improvement and selection work, principally with cotton, corn and
wheat; variety studies with apples, peaches, pears, pecans, cherries and
plums ; feeding experiments with swine and sheep, and winter feeding of
beef cattle. A series of pastures are planned that will provide grazing
for hogs and sheep practically the year round, besides growing in rota-tion
with pasture crops sufficient silage corn for feeding tests with beef
cattle during the winter.
King cotton has proven to be well adapted to this section, and has
been highly improved by selection. As a result, the station is growing
this improved strain and distributing the seed to the farmers at a rea-sonable
cost.
Tobacco Station—Oxford
This station is located in Granville County, one mile from the town of
Oxford, and is well within the old tobacco belt. The station farm of
250 acres was established in 1913, and the work here has been carried on
in cooperation writh the Office of Tobacco Investigation, United States
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. The agricultural re-gions
served by this station take in all the tobacco growling areas in
North Carolina, although conditions at the station farm are more typical
of the old tobacco belt.
The experimental work here is largely confined to tobacco and crops
that work in rotation with tobacco. The outstanding tobacco experi-ments
under way are fertilizer tests, variety tests, rotation systems for
tobacco, tobacco after cowpeas, permanent tobacco seed beds, potash and
lime experiments, and plant nutrition investigations, with continuous
cropping, legume effects, and general crop effects.
The station has many visitors seeking information on tobacco culture.
This past summer representatives of the various fertilizer manufac-turers
met at the station to study the results of the fertilizer and rota-tion
experiments. This information has a great deal of influence on
the kind and quantity of fertilizer used by the tobacco growers, particu-larly
in the old belt.
The results of one experiment alone this year will mean a great sav-ing
to the tobacco growers. It was found that magnesium in the form
of dolomitic limestone applied at the rate of 1,000 pounds per acre
would prevent "sand-drown," a common tobacco disease. It was fur-ther
shown that this disease can also be checked in the early stages by
a side application of magnesium.
The progress and details of all experiments on the branch stations will
be noted in the succeeding reports from the divisions.
Financial Keport 15
PUBLICATIONS
One bulletin, No. 242, "The Green June Beetle or Fig-Eater," and
supplement, have been issued this year with a total edition of 3,500
copies. About 1,950 of these were mailed. An annual report of 1,000
copies was issued and distributed.
Circular letters and post-cards have been multigraphed or mimeo-graphed
for the various divisions throughout the year totaling 31,642.
Arrangement have been made whereby all letterheads are printed in this
office on the multigraph and distributed to the divisions on request at a
saving of approximately 60 per cent of the former costs.
The reports of the heads of divisions and the financial statement
follow.
FINANCIAL REPORT
The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station,
In Account With the United States Appropriation, 1920-1921.
Dr.
Hatch Fund Adams Fund
To receipts from the Treasurer of the United States,
as per appropriations for the fiscal year ended
June 30, 1921, under acts of Congress approved
March 2, 1887 (Hatch Fund), and March 16, 1906
(Adams Fund) $15,000.00 $15,000.00
Cr.
Salaries $11,863.84 $13,949.17
Labor 3,136.16 828.77
Postage and stationery 81.75
Heat, light, water and power 105.00
Traveling expenses 35.31
Total $15,000.00 $15,000.00
The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station,
In Account With Farm and Miscellaneous Receipts.
Dr.
Receipts from other sources than the United States for the year
ending June 30, 1921 $ 3,532.46
Borrowed from bank 3,750.00
Total $ 7,282.46
16 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT
Cr.
Labor $ 720.48
Publications 6.00
Postage and stationery 330.72
Freight and express 156.63
Heat, light, water and power 412.65
Chemical and laboratory supplies 268.03
Seeds, plants, and sundry supplies 462.81
Fertilizers . 574.42
Feeding stuffs 946.41
Library 62.62
Tools, machinery and appliances 297.11
Furniture and fixtures 88.50
Scientific apparatus and specimens 70.00
Traveling expenses 176.05
Contingent expenses ... 351.48
Buildings and land 1,438.06
Balance 920.49
Total $ 7,282.46
We, the undersigned, duly appointed auditors of the corporation, do
hereby certify that we have examined the books and accounts of the
North Carolina Experiment Station for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1921; that we have found the same well kept and classified as above,
and that the receipts for the year from the Treasury of the United States
are shown to have been $30,000, and the corresponding disbursements
$30,000, for all of which proper vouchers are on file, and have been
by us examined and found correct, thus leaving nothing.
And we further certify that the expenditures have been solely for the
purposes set forth in the acts of Congress, approved March 2, 1887, and
March 16, 1906.
(Signed) C. F. Tomlinson,
T. T. Baelenger,
J. F. Diggs,
Auditors.
(Seal)
Attest : A. F. Bowen, Custodian.
North Carolina State Library
Raleigh
REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF AGRONOMY
To the Director: It is felt that, notwithstanding many disturbing
factors, the agronomy experimental field work, in the main, has gone
forward without any material interruption, except certain soil investiga-tions
carried on by our former soil chemist. With assurance from the
Director, it is felt that financial conditions will be such during the com-ing
spring so as to employ a soil chemist in the division to continue the
soil investigations needed to be taken up in connection with our field
work.
The work at present is conducted along the lines indicated below
:
SOIL SURVEY
During the year the soil survey work which is being carried on in the
State jointly by the Division of Agronomy and the Federal Bureau of
Soils has gone forward as rapidly as is consistent with the best interest
of the work. Since the last report, Onslow and Cherokee counties have
been finished and about half of Cumberland County has been worked.
Approximately 1,000,000 acres have been surveyed and mapped during
the past year.
As every one must realize who is at all familiar with agricultural
work, the soil survey properly conducted is fundamental to the most
intelligent planning and conducting of work in^soil fertility, crop
adaptation, crop rotation and fertilization of crops.
It has been observed particularly during the past few years, the grow-ing
demand for the soil survey reports issued for the different counties.
Not only are many farmers interested in these, but teachers and rural
school teachers, settlers, lumbermen, highway engineers and others.
For the past six months our field force has been temporarily reduced
materially.
MAINTAINING THE PRODUCTIVENESS OF OUR SOILS
Any system of farming that leaves the land poorer year after year,
even if for the time being fair profits are being secured by the practice,
is going to result disastrously in the long run on the prosperity of the
people of the State. This being true, every precaution practicable
should be exercised to protect and safeguard the fertility of our soils,
because upon their continued productiveness will, to a large extent, be
based our advancement.
It is much easier to maintain our soils than it will be to restore their
productivity after they have once been exhausted. Earlier generations
with their crude methods of tillage and lack of information with refer-ence
to the fundamental principles of soil fertility were able to
abandon exhausted fields and emigrate to virgin regions to the west of
us. With the increase of population this is not now possible to any
great extent, and as the years go by and the density of population still
2
is Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
further increases, it will be less so. It is, therefore, encumbent upon us
as a farming people in North Carolina to try to build up and maintain
our soils in a highly productive state. For unless this is done, farming
as a business cannot be expected to be remunerative enough to attract our
young people.
To a large extent, the productivity of the soil will have to be main-tained
and built up by fairly simple means. The growth of leguminous
crops, such as cowpeas, soybeans, and clovers is to play a very important
part in this operation. On the average farm in North Carolina, as a
matter of fact, this is the most economical and practical means to begin
with after the land has been cleared and drained, where needed. It is
not possible, as a general proposition, to increase the fertility of all the
land on the average general farm, where feeds are not bought, by the
use of livestock. Legumes when inoculated and properly cultivated are
able to take a large amount of nitrogen from the illimitable supply of
the air, and when these crops are turned into the soil they will carry this
essential constituent of plant-food to the soil for succeeding crops. Of
course, it is fallacious to conclude that because one is growing
leguminous crops on his land, and is removing them year after year,
that he is practicing a system that is going to build up the yielding
power of his land. Such has never been done and cannot be done,
because of the fact that there is a continual drain from the land of the
available plant-food constituents, except possibly in the case of nitro-gen,
which may probably be ordinarily maintained at about the same
amount. If one is to use legumes in a Avay, and it may be said in the
only way, to increase the organic matter and nitrogen supply of his soil,
a portion at least of the crops will have to find their way back into the
soil. On very poor soils, deficient in organic matter, it will be necessary
for best results, on an average, that most of the leguminous crops grown
be plowed in for a time. Every progressive farmer, no doubt, in his
experience has frequently observed that marked yields of crops have
followed after the plowing in of a good growth of some leguminous crop,
like cowpeas or soybeans, provided the turning under is done in such
a way and at such a time as to permit of a thorough rotting of the
material before the following crop is planted.
It could hardly be too strongly emphasized for the present year that
larger acreages than heretofore should be devoted to the growing of such
summer-growing legumes as cowpeas and soybeans. Two of the main
crying needs of most of our soils in this State is for nitrogen and
organic matter, and in order to supply these needs these crops must be
grown more largely for soil-improving purposes only. Where they are
cut and fed only about one in two and one-half tons of the organic mat-ter
contained in the crop will, under average conditions, find its way
back to the soil in the manure, and ordinarily, not more than 50 to 60
per cent of the plant-food they contain will ever get back in the fields.
Ageonomy 19
The mistake should not be made, however, in assuming for the average
soil that one can depend solely upon the use of legumes for soil-building
purposes. Phosphoric acid, generally, is a deficient constituent in
North Carolina soils, and will have to be used where needed at the right
time and in the right way in connection with the leguminous crops
plowed in, but if most of the nitrogen needed by the non-leguminous
crops, like cotton, corn and small grains, is supplied by a previous
leguminous crop turned under, then the cost for the right kind of fer-tilizers
will be much less per acre than it is at the present time, and
thereby materially reducing the cost of producing the crop. In order
to grow legumes and other crops in rotation with them satisfactorily, it
will be necessary to use lime in a rational way on most of our soils.
When North Carolina farmers fully appreciate the importance of
legumes, they will grow them in much greater amounts, and when used
rationally their annual yields and profits should be materially increased.
SOIL FERTILITY INVESTIGATIONS IN OPERATION
During the year, soil fertility field investigations have been con-ducted
mainly at the following places : Buncombe Farm, Swannanoa
;
Iredell Farm, Statesville; Edgecombe Farm, Rocky Mount; Washing-ton
Farm, Wenona ; Pender Farm, Willard ; Granville Farm, Oxford.
For the study of the plant-food requirements of the leading types of
soil in different parts of the State, the following tests have been con-tinued
during the year on the soils and at the places indicated
:
For Mountain Section
Porter's Loam at Swannanoa, Toxaway Loam at Swannanoa.
For Piedmont Section
Wilkes Sandy Loam at McLeansville, Davidson Clay Loam at Lin-wood,
Mecklenburg Clay Loam at Concord, Cecil Clay Loam at States-ville,
Durham Sandy Loam at Oxford.
For Coastal Plain Section
Norfolk Fine Sandy Loam at Rocky Mount, Portsmouth Fine Sandy
Loam at Pamlico, Muck at Moyock, Norfolk Fine Sandy Loam at
Willard.
New Soil Fertility Investigations
During the year the following work has been started, in each case in
cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Plant Industry, to determine
the soil deficiencies; best proportion of plant-food constituents; best
carriers of and amounts of potash and nitrogen; and the most profitable
amounts of fertilizers to use per acre for different crops : On Ruston
20 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
Sandy Loam on the farm of S. J. Currie, near Fayetteville ; on George-ville
Sandy Loam on the farm of R. F. Lynch, near Ashboro; on
Portsmouth Sandy Loam on the Bradham farm, near Newton.
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS
In Wilkes County.—Experiments have been started to study the
effects of applications of sulphur, gypsum and lime on alfalfa grown on
a Cecil Clay soil.
In Anson County.—Experiments have been put out on one of the
slatey soils of this county to determine if the growth and turning under
of cowpeas wTith and without lime will improve or hurt the soil. It is
claimed by some of the best farmers of that section that the turning
under of a crop of cowpeas will materially reduce a crop of cotton
following.
In Washington County.—At the Wenona Farm, experiments were
started this year to determine the value of different methods of pre-paring
and cultivating the soil for corn, soybeans, cowpeas, sorghum,
oats, sudan grass and rye. Also experiments have been started at this
place to determine the grasses and grass mixtures best suited to the
black-land soils of the eastern portion of the State.
In Wake and Edgecombe Counties.—Tests to determine the effects
applications of lime, sulphur and gypsum will have upon the quality of
peanuts.
In Martin County.—Experiments on rather large areas were started
this year on the farm of B. B. Everett, at Palmyra, to determine the
value of the use of gypsum on peanuts used in different quantities and
applied at different dates.
SOME RESULTS OF FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS AT DIFFERENT
FARMS
At Washington Farm.—Results have been secured on the peaty soils
of this farm showing quite conclusively, after good drainage has been
established, that lime in some form is absolutely necessary for the suc-cessful
production of crops. Three forms of lime have been studied.
Both burnt lime and ground limestone have continued to give better
results than marl. Applied at the rate of one ton per acre, burnt lime
has shown up best. This is partially explained by the finer condition
and hence quicker action of burnt lime.
So far, neither nitrogen, phosphoric acid, nor potash has given much
benefit on these soils with corn.
Stable manure seems to increase the growth of crab-grass, which
chokes out the native grasses to a great extent.
Deep plowing and planting on a ridge has given strong indications
that the practice of merely disking and planting and cultivating on
the level should be changed. Ridging appears to be necessary for these
Agronomy 21
soils for them to give their best returns in their present stage of de-composition.
Due to insect ravages and crop diseases, it seems imperative that a
suitable crop rotation be worked out for these black-land soils to aid in
the elimination of some of the losses from these causes.
At Pender Farm.—Drainage is a big problem at this farm due to large
annual rainfalls with heavy rains at intervals.
For the successful growing of crops the addition of both nitrogen and
phosphoric acid have been found to be essential. Potash, too, has shown
to advantage.
In the crop rotations practiced, lime has given large returns, and in
order to grow leguminous crops to supply both nitrogen and organic
matter to the soil, lime is a big factor.
Acid phosphate appears to be a more efficient carrier of phosphoric
acid than either basic slag or soft phosphate on the soils of this farm.
At Edgecombe Farm.—The main fertilizer tests at this farm consist
of fields A, B and C, on which is used a three-year rotation of corn,
cotton and peanuts with cover crops every year. In these tests and on
this type of soil, nitrogen and phosphoric acid and potash all should
ordinarily be supplied for best paying crop yields.
On field A, an application of nitrogen and potash has paid better on
an average than a complete fertilizer. With larger amounts of nitro-gen
and potash, phosphoric acid begins to show up. The results show
as a whole that the formulas used by farmers are frequently not the
best for most economical gains. More nitrogen and potash should be
used, with the phosphoric acid remaining about the same.
In the rotation tests on this farm, the results show that corn every
year and cotton every year is better than a rotation of corn and cotton,
where fertilizer is used in all cases and no leguminous cover crop is
grown. When legumes are used in the rotation and another crop of
oats added, better yields of all crops are secured.
The use of rock phosphate has not given as good results in the main
fertilizer tests as has the use of acid phosphate.
In the study of different carriers of nitrogen, nitrate of soda still
leads with ammonium sulphate coming second in efficiency, when
measured by crop yields. All the carriers of organic nitrogen show
from their lesser yields that suitable inorganic forms give greater
efficiency.
A test to determine the effect of winter-killing on crimson clover, using
seed from foreign and native sources, did not show any decided differ-ence
in the yields from seed from different sources.
Iredell Farm.—On the type of soils of this farm the evidence is still
conclusive that phosphoric acid and nitrogen are the controlling plant-food
constituents for better crop yields. Lime is now giving good re-sults
and the yield of crops indicates that if more organic materials
22 Forty-fourth Annual Report X. C. Agri. Exp. Station
were incorporated in the soils, which could be secured from the use of
legumes and lime, the capacity of the soil to make larger crops would
be increased by the increased efficiency of fertilizers added.
In rotation tests, the results show that corn every year and wheat
every year with fertilizer is just as good as a two-year rotation of corn
and wheat with fertilizers; and that when legumes are added in the
rotation, such as red clover, cowpeas or soybeans, much better crop
yields are secured.
In the study of different forms of nitrogen carriers, nitrate of soda
and ammonium sulphate have given greater efficiency uniformly from
the beginning. No noticeable residual effect is manifested in plats re-ceiving
organic carriers of nitrogen over those on which the inorganic
carriers were^ used.
In the regular fertilizer experiments, rock phosphate has not shown
as great efficiency as has the use of acid phosphate. In a test where
rock phosphate was used in amounts varying from 500 to 4,000 pounds,
a complete fertilizer has shown up better in all cases with corn and
wheat, except in the case where 4,000 pounds of rock phosphate were
used. This latter plat seemed a litle more fertile from the beginning
and has kept up so.
In the spring of 1919 a test was started at this farm to determine the
value of soft phosphate against acid phosphate. Up to this time, acid
phosphate has given greater yields of both cotton and corn.
Buncombe Farm.—In the regular fertilizer experiments at the Bun-combe
Farm, phosphoric acid, nitrogen and lime seem to be the con-trolling
factors for better yields on both bottom and upland soils.
Acid phosphate, with stable manure and with legumes, continues to
show up as a more efficient source of phosphoric acid than does finely
ground phosphate rock.
The use of lime is continuing to show up on the soils of this farm to
good advantage, especially when legumes enter into the rotations.
In 1918 an experiment was begun to compare the availability of acid
phosphate, soft phosphate and basic slag, with limestone and complete
fertilizer. The results so far are not conclusive.
Central Farm.—The results of the experiments here have continued to
bring out the importance of having more vegetable matter incorporated
into the soil so that crops will be enabled to take best advantage of the
applications of plant-food. Nitrogen and phosphoric acid are the main
limiting plant-food constituents, while potash is of little importance
for increased production until after nitrogen and phosphoric acid have
been applied in goodly amounts.
An experiment has been conducted to determine the value of
phospho-germ as a fertilizer. The results have shown that this ma-terial
has but little value as a fertilizing material on the soils of this
farm during the first year or so. Where we have had a good crop of
Agronomy 23
soybeans, after harvesting the seed, plowed into the soil, it was quite
noticeable this past dry season the land remained in better tilth and
worked better all the year.
With fields. A and B at this farm, which had been grown continu-ously
in cotton and corn for a number of years, the yields continued to
decline from all the different fertilizer treatments used up to 1918,
when manure was added uniformly over all the plats at the rate of seven
tons per acre. The west half of all plats was then limed at the rate of
one ton of ground limestone per acre, except those plats in the regu-lar
fertilizer series which had previously received lime, which, by
the extra application, now receive an application of two tons of lime-stone
on the west end every three years. Two crops of soybeans have
now been grown and turned in on all the plats. The yields have been
increased of both soybeans and money crops on both ends of the plats,
and remarkably so on the limed end, over what was secured from them
before the lime and manure were added. The results from these experi-ments
have brought out the almost impossibility of building up some of
our very poor Piedmont soils by sole dependence upon the growth of
leguminous crops until after the soil has been enlivened by at least a
small application of stable manure. In the Piedmont region of the
State many of these soils are so dead, apparently, that legumes fail to
grow satisfactorily on them, even under the most favorable weather
conditions, until after the soil is helped in the way indicated above.
The use of fertilizers alone cannot be depended upon to build up their
productivity when such crops as corn and cotton are solely grown on
them.
SOME PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS FROM SOIL FERTILITY WORK
At Buncombe Farm.—(1) The proper use of lime on both upland and
bottom-land soils pays well. (2) The use of rotations including red
clover and other suitable legumes are wise for best results. (3) The
use of larger quantities of fertilizers, including a larger percentage of
phosphates than is commonly used by farmers is usually profitable.
At Washington Farm.—(1) Fertilizers are not now needed nor are
they profitable with ordinary crops on newiy cultivated land. (2) Lime
is very necessary for the growth of crops to advantage. It should be
finely ground and be applied every other year at the rate of about two
tons per acre until the excessive acidity of these two soils is destroyed.
At Pender Farm.—(1) The use of nitrogen in available forms is a
big factor in the most economic growth of crops. (2) The use of fairly
large quantities of fertilizer will pay, if other factors are favorable
for crop production. (3) Lime is necessary for growing soil-improving
crops and the building up of these soils.
At Edgecombe Farm.—(1) The use of larger applications of fer-tilizers,
including a larger percentage of nitrogen and potash in the
24 Forty-fourth Annual Report ~N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
mixtures than is commonly used. (2) Nitrogen in some soluble form
is one of the first limiting factors in crop growth. (3) A rotation of
corn and cotton has been found to be no better than corn or cotton
grown each continuously on the same land. (4) Sludge has been found
to be a poor carrier of nitrogen for crops. (5) Acid phosphate has
been found to be more efficient than other carriers of phosphoric acid
thus far tried out.
At Iredell Farm.—(1) The use of larger quantities of nitrogen and
phosphoric acid on general crops has been found to be necessary for
best results. (2) Lime became essential if legumes are to be grown
successfully. (3) Rotations that include soil-improving crops have
shown the value of decaying organic matter on crop-producing power*
of the soil. (4) When rock phosphate is used, larger applications at
lone; interval? is recommended.
At Central Farm.—(1) The value of incorporating decaying organic
matter in these soils is of prime importance. (2) The great value of
the use of lime on legumes has been demonstrated. (3) Heavier appli-cations
of fertilizing materials for the best paying crops is advisable.
(4) Lespedeza has been found not to be a suitable hay crop in this
section of the State. (5) Phospho-germ has shown up of little value
on these soils as a fertilizing material compared with the ordinary fer-tilizing
materials. (6) Crimson clover, without lime, has been found
to be a failure on these soils. (7) A proper system of crop rotation
including legumes will pay.
TOBACCO EXPERIMENTS
Quite extensive work with tobacco is being conducted at Reidsville
and at Oxford in cooperation with the Office of Tobacco Investigations
of the United States Department of Agriculture. Below is given a
brief resume of this work
:
At Reidsville.—During the year there has been sustained a small re-duction
in the experimental work with tobacco being carried on at this
farm, mainly due to the fact that the superintendent had to take on
outside additional work temporarily in connection with the standardiza-tion
of tobacco grades. The reduction consisted of omission of the test
of the relative value of harvesting by priming, as compared with
harvesting by taking off the entire plant at one time by cutting off the
stalks. Sufficient evidence seems, however, to have been accumulated
both here and at Oxford, at least for the present, to establish the su-periority
of priming over cutting. Even in the old belt, 'farmers now
quite generally have taken up priming and are in a position to judge
for themselves as to the merits of the two methods.
The study of general fertilizer tests, too, has been discontinued and a
bulletin is now in process of preparation embodying the results of these
tests covering a period of ten years.
Agronomy 25
Both of these changes, however, have been brought about in accord-ance
with an already approved plan for changing the work gradually
in the general nutrition scheme involving crop effects on the soil as
well as mere fertilizer effects. An important feature of this work here,
and which is not duplicated elsewhere so far as we are aware, is the
conducting of these nutrition experiments on freshly cleared hardwood
land in duplicate with the same experiments on old land of similar
character. The primary observation of this work is the striking
superiority of tobacco on the fresh as compared with the old land,
while the exact reverse of this is true in respect to corn, corn being
much better on the old land.
The second noteworthy observation of the results of this experiment
during the past year is the decided benefit that comes from an applica-tion
of phosphoric acid on the fresh land, with corn showing the
deficiency even more than the tobacco. It was also observed that lime
gave a better growth of both tobacco and corn on the fresh land as well
as on the old land, although this benefit was not quite as decided as in
1920, the difference perhaps being chiefly due to the unusually dry
season; lack of moisture apparently being the chief factor limiting the
plant growth this past year.
A further observation, not entirely expected, was the clearly dis-cernible
characteristic potash deficiency on the plats receiving no
potash, even on the fresh land. As has been noted in previous years
where experiments of this kind were conducted on old land the small
grain (wheat, oats and rye) were considerably better on the fresh land
where they succeeded tobacco than where they followed corn. Addi-tional
evidence of the depleting effects of corn, as compared with to-bacco,
was shown on Field 5 (old land) continuing the plats from the
third successive year continuously in tobacco, continuously in corn, and
in tobacco in rotation with corn. Nothing was more outstanding in the
experiment here than the marked superiority of the growth of tobacco on
the plats for the third successive year in tobacco as compared with the
tobacco grown on the plats where corn intervened in 1920.
Another observation on this particular set of plats was the relative
deterioration of the lime plats. In 1919 and 1920, lime in addition to
a complete fertilizer gave a very noticeable improvement in the yield.
This year the effect of lime in improving the yield was not so noticeable.
Dry weather or some other factor may have had a marked influence.
But the presumption seems reasonable that lime gave a better yield at
first because it hastened the decay and nitrification of the soil's accumu-lated
store of organic material. But in this particular system of con-tinuous
planting to an intercultivated crop without provision for re-storing
the consumed organic matter, the soil even in this short time
under the accelerating influence of the lime has apparently become rela-tively
poorer than the unlimed plats.
26 Forty-fourth Annual Report ~N. C. A(;ri. Exp. Station
In addition to these tests distinctively referred to as nutrition experi-ments,
the plan is to take up from time to time specially planned experi-ments
on special problems important to tobacco culture. One of the
most important of these special problems at the present time is in
regard to the form of potash to use both as affecting the yield and
quality of tobacco, and also their influence on certain diseases to which
tobacco is subject, especially "sand-drown," ordinary leaf-spot, and
wild-fire. Sufficient experimental evidence has been obtained in the
last few years to entirely reopen this question as to the form of potash
preferable to use for the tobacco crop. Due to the unusually dry sea-son,
the potash experiments did not yield as remarkable results as
last year. "Sand-drown" was scarcely in evidence at all in this section
(the first time in several years), so the experiment showed almost noth-ing
in regard to them, but there was, nevertheless, a very noticeable
superiority of growth where the muriate of potash, kainit and manure
salts were applied over the use of sulphate of potash. Magnesia, which
was expected to exert an important influence in preventing "sand-drown"
did not, of course, give any convincing results this year, since practically
no "sand-drown" occurred on any of the fields.
At Opoford.—In the regular fertilizer tests there are 36 plats of
% ~acre each, used in testing out the various sources of nitrogen, phos-phoric
acid and potash, and combinations of these various sources, both
as to quality and amounts. One-half of these plats are limed at the
rate of one ton per acre, broadcast of dolomitic limestone. The out-standing
features of these tests are that potash is absolutely essential for
tobacco, for without it the common disease of leaf-spot is so bad that
the tobacco is practically worthless. Secondly, dolomitic limestone in-creased
the yield on practically all the plats without decreasing quality.
Another series of 10 plats known as special potash plats are also
being run. Under these plats the same amounts of nitrogen and phos-phoric
acid are used on all plats with varying amounts of potash from
12, 24, 36 and 80 pounds of actual potash (K2 0) per acre; also two
check plats are being run with no potash used. Both muriate and sul-phate
of potash are being used in the comparisons. The outstanding
result of these experiments at the present time is that muriate of potash
gives a larger yield of tobacco which for the past four years has been
selling for as much per pound as the tobacco grown from the sulphate
of potash. However, there is yet some question about the use of muriate
too largely, as it does injure the burning quality. One-half of these
plats were limed.
In Variety Tests.—A large number of so-called varieties have been
tested out in an effort to classify these types. So far, we have tried out
about one hundred different varieties, some of which are distinct types
or varieties, while a large number of the so-called varieties are of the
same general type only under a different name, possibly named for the
man who grew this tobacco successfully and sold it for a high price.
Agronomy 27
We have made a few crosses and have some hybrids which show some
promise. However, this takes time.
In the tests of rotation systems for tobacco several rotations have
been practiced, • viz. : a two-, a three-, and a fonr-year rotation. The
three-year rotation, as follows, may prove to be most generally popu-lar,
viz.
:
First year.—Tobacco, followed by oats, or wheat, or oats and vetch for hay.
Second year.—Oats or wheat, followed by cowpeas or soybeans for hay, or
plowed under; then seeded to Abruzzi rye for seed.
Third year.—Rye harvested for seed. Cut the rye as high as possible to
leave as much stubble on the land as can be done; then let lay fallow all
summer and plow deep for tobacco in the fall.
A four-year rotation can be used with corn and grasses in the plans
with good results. Where tobacco land is limited, a two-year rotation
consisting of tobacco and some small grain can be used.
A test of tobacco after cowpeas is being run. This is a two-year
rotation with tobacco first year, followed by fall-sown oats, cut for hay
or seed; then the land is seeded to cowpeas or soybeans, broadcast and
plowed under, after which the land is seeded to rye as a cover crop.
The object of this experiment is to see if the nitrogen secured by the
cowpeas and turned back into the soil would grow tobacco with enough
quality to justify the attempt. During the first four years the tobacco
on this plat was topped low and harvested by cutting, and the quality
was very poor. Notwithstanding that, no nitrogen from commercial
fertilizer was used, and the phosphoric acid and potash were increased,
running as high on some of the plats as 1,200 pounds of 16 per cent
acid phosphate and 200 pounds of 50 per cent sulphate of potash per
acre. When the tobacco was topped high and planted 24 inches in the
drill in four-foot rows and harvested by priming the leaves off as they
matured, tobacco of average good quality was secured with a yield rang-ing
from 800 to 1,100 pounds per acre.
In permanent tobacco seed-bed tests the object is to maintain a perma-nent
tobacco seed bed, located conveniently near the house of the farmer,
if possible, and keep it free from disease by sterilizing each year with
live steam. This has been found to be entirely practical as well as
economical. If the farmer has a portable steam boiler which he can
use for steaming the bed, the plants grow faster, are more uniform in
size and are healthier. The cost, when coal is used, is about half what
it would be if burned by open fires with wood. However, a very large
number of farmers do not burn their beds at all, but get up new beds
each year. This is all right as long as suitable land is available, and
they can be located so they will be free from any fungus diseases which
are so common in tobacco beds.
The potash and lime experiments consist of 18 plats, six major plats,
fertilized with the same amount of nitrogen and phosphoric acid from
28 Forty-fouktii Annial Report N. C. A<;ki. Exp. Station
the same sources, but under each of these plats, different kinds of potash
are used, viz. : German sulphate, Nebraska sulphate, German muriate,
Trona muriate, manure salts and kainit. These plats were divided into
sections A, B and C. Under A, ground limestone derived from prac-tically
pure calvite was used. Under B, no limestone was used. Under
C, dolomitic limestone was applied. The limestone was applied in the
drill at the rate of 1,000 pounds per acre. The object of this experiment
was to control a disease which is commonly known as "sand-drown."
After working with this disease for three or four years, we were led to
believe magnesia would prevent it ; therefore, we found in field tests
that this was absolutely true, and this can be done in a practical and
inexpensive manner by using dolomitic limestone which contains from
20 to 35 per cent of magnesium carbonate. The results of this experi-ment
are undoubtedly of the most far-reaching importance of anything
accomplished on the tobacco stations for the past few years, and we
believe will mean millions of dollars to the tobacco farmers of this
State alone. Practically all of the larger fertilizer companies ' sent
representatives to Oxford last summer to observe the results, and a
number of them are now making plans to use magnesia in some form in
their tobacco fertilizers next year.
The plant nutrition investigations are planned to study crops and
legume effects. The part dealing with crop effects consists of two fields
of 45 plats each, a total of 90 plats, on which is planted the first year
tobacco, cotton and corn, using the same fertilizer for each crop. The
second year wheat, oats and rye are sown on these plats. The plats are
so arranged that wheat follows cotton, corn and tobacco; also the same
is true of oats and rye as with wheat. During the rotation, each of the
major crops—cotton, corn and tobacco—follow each of the small grain
plats. By this means accurate data can be obtained as to the crop
effect of each of these six crops. Some good results are being secured.
The part of the experiment dealing with legume effects consists of two
fields of 63 plats each, giving a total of 126 plats of ^ -acre each. The
object of this experiment is to find out by actual field tests the relative
value of the various annual legumes, such as crimson clover, hairy vetch,
cowpeas and soybeans, as compared with grass and fallow plats. These
plats are planted to tobacco, cotton and corn without any commercial
nitrogen being added in the fertilizers, but phosphoric acid and potash
are used. The same amount is used under all plats except the check,
to which a complete fertilizer is added. After the cotton, corn and
tobacco are harvested, wheat, oats and rye are planted in a similar
manner as under the crop effect section. By this means we have cotton,
corn and tobacco following the legume crops and the grass crop ; thereby
enabling us to study the relative values of the legumes on all the main
crops, also the crop effect and residual effect on the small grain crops.
This is an extremely interesting experiment and one, we believe, that
will be of considerable value to agriculture.
Agkonomy 29
A continuous cropping experiment is being run. In this experiment
one field of 15 plats is used, on which tobacco, cotton and corn are
cropped each year. One series of plats tobacco follows tobacco each
year; cotton follows cotton; and corn follows corn; and then a rotation of
tobacco follows cotton and corn, and vice versa for each of the crops.
This is used as a check against both sections of the main plant nutrition
experiments. We have already found that it is dangerous to have
tobacco follow tobacco, especially in territory where "tobacco wilt"
might be expected—as on the plats where tobacco has been cropped con-tinuously
for five or six years 50 to 60 per cent of it was affected with
the wilt. In adjoining plats, where a two-year rotation is being fol-lowed
with only a space of a few feet apart, there was no wilt. Be-sides
the danger of plant diseases, the soil fertility is being diminished.
PROFITABLENESS OF FERTILIZING CORN GROWN ON UPLAND
AND BOTTOM LAND IN MOUNTAINS
For many years the Division of Agronomy has conducted fertilizer
experiments on both upland and mountain soils. As a result of these
experiments it has been found that the fertilization of corn will pay a
profit if the proper kinds and amounts are used. In fact, without the
proper use of commercial fertilizers or farm manures, the growth of this
crop will seldom be profitable with most poor mountain soils under
normal market conditions. What this amount and proportion should
be is given in the resume below
:
Toxaway Loam (Bottom soil).—(1) With only two fertilizer con-stituents
used phosphoric acid combined with potash gave the greatest
increase in bushels of corn and also the greatest net returns. When
nitrogen and potash were used only a small gain was made and just 43
cents over what the fertilizer cost, while nitrogen and phosphoric acid
gave an increase of 17.6 bushels of corn over the untreated plats showing
a profit of $17.34. With the use of a complete fertilizer (nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash) an increase of 28.3 bushels was secured,
making a gain of $29.76. This is $4.78 less than what was obtained
with a mixture of phosphoric acid and potash. Taking into considera-tion
both increase in yield obtained and the value of the increase, it is
very evident that phosphoric acid is the dominant or controlling con-stituent
of plant food for increasing the yields and profits in corn
growing on this type of soil.
(2) Lime, when used alone, has given fairly large increases each year
on the untreated plats with a corresponding net return, and in conjunc-tion
with a complete fertilizer larger yields and returns have been
secured than on any other plats except those on which the fertilizer ap-plication
was increased from 400 pounds per acre to 600 and 800 pounds
per acre, respectively.
30 FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT N. C. AgRI. Exp. STATION
Under the conditions of the experiment, the results show that for corn
grown on this type of soil, lime may be used at a profit alone and with
a much greater profit when applied in conjunction with a complete
fertilizer.
(3) The amount of nitrogen used in the. normal fertilizer (400 pounds
per acre applied in these experiments was 3 per cent or 12 pounds
per acre. This amount was varied so as to give 6 and 24 pounds of
nitrogen per acre. The yield and value of both corn and stover was
decreased as the size of the application of nitrogen was increased. In
fact, the use of nitrogen in any amount did not give as great an increase
over the no-treatment plat as did the combination of phosphoric acid
and potash. The net returns were, too, not as large from the former.
Until other crop-producing factors are controlled the use of nitrogen
is not profitable for growing corn on this type of soil.
(4) The amount of phosphoric acid in the normal fertilizer (400
pounds per acre) was 7 per cent, which is equivalent to 28 pounds
per acre. This quantity was varied to include 14 and 56 pounds of
phosphoric acid per acre with normal amounts of nitrogen and potash.
The yield of both grain and straw increased over the unfertilized plats
as the amount of phosphoric acid was increased. The net returns
secured per acre were $15.26 when 14 pounds of phosphoric acid were
used; $29.26 with the use of 28 pounds; and $33.57 when 56 pounds of
phosphoric acid were used. Under the conditions of the experiment
it is evident that when normal quantities of nitrogen and potash are
applied, 56 pounds of phosphoric acid is the most profitable amount
to use.
(5) The amount of potash in the normal fertilizer (400 pounds per
acre) was 1% per cent, which is equivalent to 6 pounds per acre. This
amount was varied so as to include 3 and 12 pounds of potash per
acre with normal amounts of nitrogen and phosphoric acid. The
results show that 6 pounds of potash is sufficient for corn on this, type of
soil when nitrogen and potash in normal amounts are used with it.
(6) Varying the amounts of the normal fertilizer applications (400
pounds per acre) from 200 to 600 and 800 pounds per acre gave pro-gressively
increased yields and profits as the quantity of fertilizer was
increased. The results of the applications after deducting the cost of
the fertilizer show the following net profits
:
200 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a profit of $21.01
400 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a profit of 29.76
600 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a profit of 42.31
800 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a profit of 45.69
Putting this in a slightly different way, the first 200 pounds of fer-tilizer
yielded a net profit of $10.51 for each 100 pounds of fertilizer
used; the application of 400 pounds of fertilizer yielded $7.44 per 100
pounds; while 600 pounds made $7.05 profit per 100 pounds, and 800
pounds yielded $5.71 profit per 100 pounds of fertilizer used.
Agronomy 31
(7) From the chemical analyses of the various bottom-land soils in
the western part of the State the indications are that these results will
apply generally to these soils.
(8) In the production of corn on average bottom-land soils of the
character of this, taking all the results secured as a whole, it is recom-mended
that on well prepared seed beds that at least 600 pounds of fer-tilizer
per acre be used, analyzing 10 per cent phosphoric acid, l 1/-*
to 2 per cent nitrogen, and 1 per cent potash.
It should be the plan of every farmer to reduce the necessity for the
use of nitrogen in the fertilizers purchased. This can be done to some
extent at least by the growing and plowing in of leguminous crops and
crop residues grown in rotation with corn.
Porter s Loam (Upland soil).—(1) Nitrogen, when used alone in
normal amounts (12 pounds per. acre), did not produce enough in-crease
over the unfertilized plat to pay for the fertilizer applied.
(2) With the use of a normal amount of phosphoric acid (28 pounds
per acre) alone, an increase in yield of corn was secured of 14.5 bushels,
having a net value of $15.82. This yield and profit is greater by far
than when either nitrogen or potash were used alone. It is evident from
these results that phosphoric acid is the limiting plant-food factor to
be first applied for the production of corn on this type of soil.
(3) With a normal amount of potash (6 pounds^per acre) a net profit
of $7.36 was secured.
(4) With the use of a mixture carrying normal amounts of nitrogen
and phosphoric acid, and no potash, after paying for the fertilizer, a
net profit was obtained of $16.13 per acre. The increase in yield of
corn from this treatment was 15.6 bushels, and is larger than any from
any other combination consisting of two constituents of plant food, and
also from the normal (]STPK) application.
(7) Using all three plant-food constituents combined in a complete
acid used in the mixture, the increase in yield is barely larger than
with the use of potash alone.
(6) By the use of a combination of phosphoric acid and potash, leav-ing
out nitrogen, the average yields and profits were not as great as with
phosphoric acid alone.
(7) Using all three plant-food constituents combined in a complete
fertilizer, an increase in yield was secured sufficient to give a net profit
of $12.25 per acre. This is not as large as when phosphoric acid was
used alone or with the combinations of nitrogen and phosphoric acid.
(8) The results show that the use of lime alone has given increased
yields and profits ; and in combination with a complete fertilizer, larger
yields and net profits have been secured than with a complete fertilizer
without lime.
(9) From a study of all the results secured, it is evident, first, that
phosphoric acid is the controlling plant-food constituent for increasing
yields and profits in growing corn ; second, that unless more phosphoric
32 Forty-fotjbth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
acid is applied the use of nitrogen and potash will be made at a loss;
and, third, that lime can be used with profit with the rotation used in this
experiment and with a complete fertilizer.
(10) The amount of nitrogen in the normal fertilizer mixture (400
pounds per acre) was 3 per cent, or 12 pounds per acre. This amount
was varied so as to give 6, 24 and 36 pounds to the acre with the normal
amounts of phosphoric acid and potash. The value of the increase with
6 pounds of nitrogen was $14.15. This is $1.95 more than that from the
use of 12 pounds of nitrogen; and lacks only 63 cents of being as much
as that from 24 pounds of nitrogen; and 60 cents of being as much as
from 36 pounds of nitrogen. Although the increase in yield of corn is
some greater from the use of the heavier applications of nitrogen it is
not enough to much more than pay for the increase in the cost of the
heavier applications. From the results, it is probable that 6 pounds of
nitrogen is enough to use on this type of soil, until after other limiting
factors of crop production are met.
(11) The amount of phosphoric acid in the normal fertilizer (400
pounds per acre) was 7 per cent, which is equivalent to 28 pounds per
acre. This quantity was varied to include 14, 56 and 84 pounds of
phosphoric acid per acre with normal quantities of nitrogen and potash.
The largest increase in yield was secured from an application of 84
pounds of phosphoric acid, but the largest net returns were secured from
the use of 56 pounds of phosphoric acid. The results have shown that
phosphoric acid alone gave a greater increase in yield and net profits
than from any of the above treatments. This indicates that either 28
pounds of phosphoric acid is enough to use for corn growing, or there
are some other factors not satisfied when the phosphoric acid applica-tion
is increased.
(12) The amount of potash in the normal fertilizer (400 pounds per
acre) was l 1
/^ per cent, or 6 pounds per acre. This amount was varied
so as to. include 3, 12, and 18 pounds of potash per acre. With the
exception of 12 pounds of potash, which gave one bushel more increase
than did 3 pounds of potash, the plat which received normal amounts of
nitrogen and phosphoric acid and % normal, or 3 pounds of potash, gave
the highest average increase and the largest net returns. From a study
of the chemical analysis of this type of soil and these results, it is
probable that 3 pounds of potash are enough to use in the produc-tion
of corn until other factors are changed.
(13) Varying the amounts of the normal fertilizer application (400
pounds per acre) from 200 to 600, 800 and 1,000 pounds per acre gave
increased yields for each of the applications, except where 400 pounds
were used to the acre. The most profitable application was at the rate
of 800 pounds per acre of the normal mixture. After deducting the
Ageonomy 33
cost of fertilizer the different quantities of fertilizer per acre showed
the following profits :
200 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a net profit of $ 6.49
400 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a net profit of 6.18
600 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a net profit of 8.56
800 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a net profit of 16.17
1,000 pounds of fertilizer per acre gave a net profit of 15.53
Putting this in a slightly different way, the use of 200 pounds of fer-tilizer
yielded a net profit of $3.25 for each 100 pounds of fertilizer
used; an application of 400 pounds of fertilizer made a profit of $1.55
per 100 pounds; while 600 pounds made $1.43 profit per 100 pounds;
800 pounds of fertilizer yielded $2.02 per 100 pounds, and 1,000 pounds
yielded $1.55 profit per 100 pounds of fertilizer used.
(14) from the chemical analysis of the various upland soils in the
western part of the State, the indications are that the. results herein
reported will apply very well to most of them.
(15) In the production of corn on average upland soils of the charac-ter
of this, taking all the results herein reported as a whole, it is recom-mended
for well prepared seed beds that something like 400 to 600
pounds of a fertilizer mixture analyzing 10 per cent phosphoric acid,
2 per cent nitrogen and 1 per cent potash, be applied. When soils of
this character are built up the nitrogen in the mixture may be reduced
or be entirely eliminated. This condition of the soil should be strived
for by the growth and plowing into the soil of leguminous crops and
crop residues.
EFFECT OF FERTILIZATION UPON OPENING OF COTTON
Since the coming of the cotton boll weevil early fruiting and opening
of cotton became of great importance. It is of interest in this connec-tion
to know that at the Iredell Farm during the past season those
plats which received heavy applications of lime and high percentages of
acid phosphate in a complete fertilizer, applied at planting time on a
clover sod, were the ones on which the cotton shed its fruit least and
opened its cotton early.
COMING OF THE COTTON BOLL WEEVIL
In all probability, cotton growing will always occupy an important
position in our agriculture in this State, provided our people adjust
their methods of growing this crop to reduce the damage from this pest
to the minimum. Below are given some of the precautions that will
have to be observed in most effectively meeting this pest of the cotton
grower. They are as follows :
1. Be calm under the attack and do not become stampeded. Meet his attack
with courage and without being frightened if you wish to win out.
2. The most effective means of combating the boll weevil is by the use of
generally good methods of farming.
3
34 Forty-fourth Annual Report 1ST. C. Agri. Exp. Station
3. Plant cotton only on uplands. One will run a big risk to plant bottom-lands
or lands near wooded areas.
4. Use at least 600 pounds of fertilizer to the acre, containing a larger pro-portion
of phosphoric acid than is ordinarily used, avoiding the use of
fertilizers too rich in nitrogen, especially on soils rich in this con-stituent.
Apply all the fertilizer before planting the cotton and keep
the plants growing vigorously from the start without promoting too
rank a growth of plants.
5. Early breaking of the land for cotton in the fall or winter with a two-horse
plow, and planting as early in the spring as the ground is warm
enough to germinate the seed. Cultivate well and frequently after the
crop is up to keep them growing vigorously from the start.
6. Keep fields free from rubbish, grass, weeds and bushes. This means
smaller acreage to cotton than has generally been cultivated in the
past on the farms of the State.
7. With early spring infestation, pick and destroy all squares that have
been punctured. These will usually be at the end of rows near woods,
hedgerows, stumps, or fodder stacks. In planting use plenty of well-matured
seed.
8. Secure and maintain a moderately thick stand of the plants in the rows
not exceeding 8 to 12 inches between plants. This will tend to cause
the plants to make smaller growth and to make the cotton mature
quicker. Give the cotton plenty of space between the rows (about 4
feet), so that the sunshine can get in to dry up the infested bolls and
open the early sound ones.
9. Grow plenty of food and feed crops to meet the needs of the farm to
make it as self-sustaining as possible.
10. Avoid excessive rank growth of cotton, as this gives a place for the
weevil to hide from the heat and get plenty of food for their growth
and multiplication.
11. Use for planting purposes, early fruiting and early opening varieties of
cotton, like Cleveland Big Boll, Mexican Big Boll, Express and Edge-combe-
Cook.
12. Field select seed of cotton each year from plants that set and open the
largest amount of bolls under boll weevil conditions.
13. Grow more summer and winter-growing legumes like soybeans, clovers,
and vetches, and use part of them, as far as is practicable to do so, to
improve the producing power of the soil, as this is one of the most
effective means found of making cotton with or without the boll weevil.
14. After the cotton is gathered, by immediately destroying the cotton stalks,
and weeds, chopping up the stalks and other material, and plowing
them in five or six inches deep in the fall before frost, and putting the
land into suitable cover crops. This will destroy the winter homes and
food plants of the weevil and other injurious insects.
15. Plant cotton only on well drained and fairly fertile soils, remembering
that those things should be avoided that will tend to promote too
rank and late growth of cotton stalks. If the land is too wet at certain
times of the year, be sure to plant on ridges. This will tend to make
them grow off earlier and mature quicker.
Agronomy 35
16. Reduce the acreage of cotton to the plow so as to be able to prepare the
land early and thoroughly. Get the crop planted early and cultivate
thoroughly at frequent intervals.
17. As far as possible locate the cotton fields in the open, far away from the
woods or other places where the weevil may be harboring during the
winter.
18. Establish on every farm a good crop rotation best suited to the particular
conditions on and needs of the farm in which suitable leguminous crops
grown with the main money crop are utilized after growth in such
a way as far as practicable to do so, so that they will aid in building
up the producing power of the soil. This cannot ordinarily be done
unless it is planned in advance that a certain portion of the legumes
shall go back into the soil for soil-improving purposes.
RESULTS OF WORK IN PLANT BREEDING
At Central Farm.—The field work of the cotton studies under Adams'
Project No. 14 has been discontinued and the time previously given to
project work has been used in preparing the results of the past eight
years for publication, and in a laboratory study of fibers from the dif-ferent
strains. In the study of fibers, width of fiber, tensile strength
and number of twists per inch, have been given special attention. The
different strains isolated from King cotton have shown considerable
variation in width of fiber and number of twists per inch. In correla-tion
tables, where width of fiber and tensile strength are compared, there
is a positive correlation between broad fiber and high tensile strength.
In the comparison of width of fiber and twist, the largest number of
twists per inch are associated with the narrowest fibers.
The study of cotton fibers from different varieties and from the same
variety grown in different parts of the State, was suggested by requests
from cotton manufacturers and cotton brokers, that wxe recommend a
certain variety of cotton because of its excellent body and spinning
qualities. The variety in question was not a high yielder, so micro-scopic
examinations were made to determine the qualities of its fibers
which might account for its good body and spinning qualities. When
compared with fibers from King, Cleveland and Cook, the variety recom-mended
by the mills had greater breadth of fiber and fewer number of
twists per inch. It also had greater strength than the above varieties.
When compared with our selected strain of Mexican Big Boll, however,
the wddth of fiber was the same and the breaking strength of Mexican
was greater. These studies are being continued to determine further
microscopic qualities that may be associated with body and good spin-ning
qualities.
The cotton "Place Effect" study under Adams' Project No. 15 in co-operation
wTith the Mississippi Experiment Station was continued but
no comparison w^as made this season on account of the failure to save
seed last year. The strain was grown in Mississippi and in North
Carolina this year so that seed will be available for the comparison next
year.
36 Fobty-foi 'rtii Annual Repoet N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
SPACING AND SEEDING TESTS
The cotton spacing tests have been continued on the Central and
Edgecombe farms. In these tests, one plat has been left unthinned and
four others were thinned to 8, 12, 18 and 24 inches between plants in the
row. Tn both of the tests thus far the thickest spacing has produced
the highest yield of seed cotton and lint per acre.
At the Iredell Farm further studies have been made of the different
rates and dates of seeding wheat and oats. The seedings of October 15
have continued to give best results in this locality. The results of this
and the past five years indicate a period between October 10 and 25 to be
the best time for seeding small grain in this locality. The date of
seedings have been made every fifteen days, beginning with September 1
and extending through to and including December 15. The seedings
made September 1 and 15 have been severely damaged by rust and have
been less resistant to cold than the October 15 seedings. During the
past three years the seedings made December 15 have withstood the cold,
but have yielded four bushels per acre less than the seedings of October
15. The seedings were made at the rate of 30, 60, 90 and 120 pounds
per acre. When seeded October 15, a 60-pound seeding gave the best
results for oats and the 90-pound seeding for wheat. As the time of
seeding was delayed, the heavier seedings gave slightly heavier yields.
This was particularity true during severe winters.
SEED IMPROVEMENT WORK WITH DIFFERENT CROPS
Corn.—Seed patches from select corn are being grown at the Central,
Buncombe, Iredell, Granville, Edgecombe and Washington farms. Each
of these farms are stocked with the best strain of corn for their re-spective
sections of the State in which they are located. These corns
have yielded from 5 to 7.5 bushels more than the unselected strains gen-erally
grown in the State.
Cotton.—High yielding strains of cotton are being selected on the
Edgecombe, Pender and Iredell farms. The Mexican Big Boll strain,
Wo. 18, at the Edgecombe Earm, and No. 6 at the Central Earm, have
given good results in all sections of the State. These strains furnish l%e_
inch staple and are by far the best cottons of their class grown in the
State. They have only been exceeded in yield of lint by Cleveland Big
Boll, a shorter staple cotton. The Pender Farm has been stocked with
a good strain of Cleveland Big Boll. The early strain of King 29 is
being selected each year for the upper Piedmont section.
Soybeans.—The soybean selection work is conducted at the Central
Farm. This has consisted of pure line selection from the Mammoth
Yellow, Haberlandt and Virginia varieties. The Mammoth Yellow
beans have been selected for high yield of seed and increased oil content
and the others for greater yields of seed. Mammoth Yellow strain, No.
101, has averaged 4.1 bushels per acre more than the general crop seed
Agronomy 37
of this variety. Strain No. 38 from Haberlandt has averaged 6.3 bush-els
more than the general crop seed of this variety. Selection No. 12
from the Virginia variety has averaged 2.1 bushels per acre more than
the original variety. The soybean work at the Buncombe Farm has
attracted particular attention from farmers. At this farm the Haber-landt
has stood out as of superior value for both soil improvement and
for feed. Through the work of the Extension Service these strains have
been distributed and are this year being grown by private growers.
Wheat.—The strain of Leap's Prolific (Nos. 12 and 32) have been
further increased. In the variety tests this season, these two strains
were outyielded by Purple Straw, an early strain of wheat which is
being selected at the Granville Farm. The past season was very favor-able
to rust infection and the late varieties were more severely damaged
by rust. One hundred and fifty bushels of strain No. 12 have been sold
this year to growers who are prepared to grow it for seed purposes.
Reports from seed sold last season have been very favorable to this
strain in spite of the poor season. Strain No. 32, grown at the Iredell
Farm, could not be offered for sale on account of the mixture with oats.
The best seed have been returned for planting.
Rye.—Strain No. 4 of Abruzzi rye, selected at the Central Farm, has
been further increased and was again compared with the best available
commercial seed. In the comparison on the Station Farm, our strain
No. 4 yielded 5.8 bushels per acre more than the best commercial strain
in the test. It yielded 9.4 bushels per acre more than Rosin rye. From
the increase plats of this strain 65 bushels have been sold to growers
who stated they were prepared to grow it for seed purposes. The
Abruzzi rye is earlier in the spring and more upright in habit of growth
than the common rye, which fits in better for grazing purposes than the
common rye.
Seed House.—The recently constructed seed house at the Central
Farm is very well adapted for the care and storage of seed. The build-ing
is 20 x 20 feet with a ten-foot pitch and is constructed from a double,
fabricated steel garage. Solid ends were used instead of the large double
doors and regular windows, and service doors were placed at convenient
points on the sides. The building has a cement floor and cement walls
extending two feet above the floor. A close joint is made between the
steel sides and the cement to prevent the entrance of mice or insects.
Ventilation is supplied by 3-inch terra cotta pipes in the floor, a small
window on each side, and a regulated ventilator at the top. During the
past summer the small grain stored in it has been successfully protected
from insects by the use of heat. One heating during the summer proved
sufficient protection against the angoumois moth and grain weevil
(Colondra granoria) which were present in considerable number just
before the treatment.
Rust Resistance in Wheat.—In cooperation with the Division of Plant
Pathology, wheat plantings have been made to study the relative yield
38 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
and rust resistance of the western wheats in comparison with our local
varieties. These comparisons have been made on the Central Farm dur-ing
the past two years. The western wheats have included Kanred, Beard-less,
Winter Fife, Malskotf, Michigan Amber, Barletta and a few special
selections denoted by number. The local strains with which they were
compared are Leap's Prolific, Purple Straw, Stoner, Fulcaster, Fultz,
and Alabama Blue Stem and Pool. While Kanred, the leading one of
the western wheats, has shown considerably more resistance to rust, it
has not yielded so well as the best of our local varieties. Among the
local varieties, the earlier strains of Purple Straw have yielded best
under heavy rust infection. It was thought that possibly the transfer
of seed from Kansas would influence the standing of Kanred, so the
past season's comparisons were made with seed grown here the previous
year. Home-grown seed of the Kanred made a relatively better stand-ing,
but even under these conditions its yield was almost doubled by the
early strain of Purple Straw.
PUBLICATIONS
The following publications have been prepared and published during
the year, embodying the results and observations of field work by the
Division of Agronomy
:
Bulletins—
I—Fertilizers for Crops Commonly Grown in North Carolina.
II—Results of Phospho-Germ Experiments Conducted During 1919-1920
(State Department Bulletin, May, 1921).
Results of Fertilizer Experiments with Corn at the Buncombe Farm,
for 1911-1917 (In press).
In closing I wish to commend individually the workers of the Division.
They have each rendered conscientious and faithful service to the station
and to the State.
Respectfully submitted,
C. B. Williams,
Chief, Division of Agronomy.
REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY
To the Director:—It is not the intention in the following report to
set forth in every detail the work performed by the various workers of
the Animal Industry Division, but rather to indicate clearly and con-cisely
a statement of the various phases of work now under way or
completed during the last fiscal year.
Some few problems of lesser importance have been dropped due to
the stringency of funds. "Wherever possible, however, all problems of
a short-time nature were concluded. This was done in an effort to
help out in the readjustment taking place. The chief efforts of the
Division from this standpoint were to continue all experimental prob-lems
of a distinctly research nature and all extension problems which
could not be dropped or curtailed without seriously interfering with
the work.
If it is your desire to have further details concerning any of the
experimental or extension problems, such will be gladly furnished upon
request.
The following is a summarized report of the Experiment Station
offices in the Animal Industry Division
:
OFFICE OF BEEF CATTLE AND SHEEP
R. S. Curtis, In Charge
Assisted by F. T. Peden and George Evans
1. Cotton Seed Meal Studies.
The rapidly increasing use of cotton seed meal in Southern livestock
work is making necessary the accumulation of much additional knowl-edge
concerning the use of cotton seed meal as a feed for farm animals.
This work is being conducted with about 25 cows and heifers and 15
calves. The chief discovery during the past year is that females fed on
a heavy ration of cotton seed meal usually abort, and where young calves
from other cows are fed on the milk from such animals the transmission
of the toxicity through this source of feed is clearly evident after a few
weeks. This is noted in the emaciated condition of the calves and
their generally unthrifty condition, whereas similar calves fed on normal
milk grow off without interruption.
This work is cooperative between the Dairy Experimental Office and
the Office of Beef Cattle and Sheep. Such a noted scientist as Dr. E. V.
McCollum of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., after going over
this work here last August, pronounces it an important and well con-ducted
line of work of very wide interest, not only from the animal
standpoint, but from the standpoint of the consumption of milk by
humans.
2. Milk Sickness or Trembles.
This problem has passed the stage of an animal industry feeding prob-lem,
it having been well established in the laboratory and in the field of
this State that white snake root is the cause of the existing trouble
which occurs chiefly in the mountains.
40 Forty-fourth Annfal Report N". C. Agri. Exp. Station
The results of this work have recently been confirmed by Dr. Walter
G. Sackett of the University of Chicago, his work substantiating our
statements of the presence of a toxic principle in white snake root.
This problem thus passes to the stage of isolating the toxic substance.
A complete report of the work performed at this station is reported in
Technical Bulletin No. 15.
3. Bone and Muscle Building Requirements in Southern Cattle.
This study was inaugurated during the last year with a herd of
purebred Hereford cattle, donated by J. E. Latham of Greensboro, N. C.
The purpose of this work is to study the bone and muscle building
requirements of cattle. Kinds of feed and character of soils on which
grown enter into this study to determine whether feed or soil deficien-cies
of the South are different from other sections of the country.
In addition to the customary means of measuring growth by weight
an absolute system of measurements are being used to determine not
only the size of the bone, but the various measurements of various parts
of the body.
4. Cost of Producing Feeder Cattle.
This work is being conducted on the farm of T. L. Gwyn, in Haywood
County, with F. T. Peden, an employee of the Division, in charge of the
details of the work.
The problems involved are as follows:
(a) Original cost of calves.
(b) Cost of wintering as calves, yearlings and two-year-olds.
(c) Cost of pasture during same period.
(d) Cost of wintering on various feeds.
(e) Cost of wintering on winter pasture.
The winter pasture phase of this work is one of the interesting points
brought out, that is, that cattle can be wintered on orchard grass grazed
from the pasture at about one-half the cost when similar cattle are win-tered
in barns.
The results of the first three years work on this farm were covered in
bulletins published simultaneously by the United States Department at
Washington, D. C, with whom we were cooperating, and the North
Carolina Experiment Station.
The results of the second three years work have been published in
United States Department Bulletin No. 954, and the edition from this
State is just now ready to come from the press. We are just now enter-ing
into the third three years work. The results of these experiments
have been widely applied throughout Western North Carolina.
5. The Effect of Cotton Seed Meal on the Health and Reproduction
of Breeding Sheep.
This experiment has been completed with the conclusion that cotton
seed meal is a safe feed for breeding ewes when fed at the rate of not
over one pound of cotton seed meal per 100 pounds live weight.
The use of this feed is growing greatly in favor, especially when the
product is fed in the form of crushed cake, either in conjunction with
corn silage or pasture.
Results are being compiled for publication.
Animal Industry 41
6. Cost of Producing Early Lambs for Market.
This work is being conducted at the Statesville Test Farm with 35
breeding ewes. The results of this work have shown clearly that
lambs can be dropped in December and January, and put on the market
during March and April, commanding at this time a premium because
of their early availability.
The lambs from this farm last year were sold at 17% cents per pound
gross weight, while lambs of similar breeding dropped on the Central
Test Farm, at Raleigh, about one month earlier, were sold at 20 cents
per pound live weight.
ANIMAL NUTRITION AVORK
J. 0. Halverson, In Charge
1. Studies on Soft Pork.
Experiments in cooperation with Mr. Earl Hostetler, in charge of
swine investigations, are being conducted to determine the efficiency of
peanuts and peanut by-products on the carcass of hogs.
This work will be continued on a much larger scale when pens for
individual feeding are constructed, as the problem has reached the stage
where individual feeding has become a necessity.
Data has been worked up in a "Critical Review of the Present Status
of Soft Pork Investigations." This is ready for publication in the near
future.
2. Mineral Supplements, Chiefly Calciums for Southern Conditions.
Data has been accumulated to show indirectly the pronounced influ-ence
of calcium in the ration and its relation to the extent and economy
of gain in animals.
This work will be continued, as it is an unusually important problem.
3. Nutritive Value of the Peanut.
This study, supplementary to that of "Soft Pork," has been actively
prosecuted with young growing albino rats.
Preliminary experiments have shown the necessity of repeating pre-viously
published work, using longer feeding periods in order to ascer-tain
the effect on growth, reproduction and lactation, as well as the
effect of the ration on rearing the young from such mothers from wean-ing
age to maturity.
A chemical analysis indicates that the peanut is of high feeding value,
especially in protein and oil. Experiments show, however, that there
are definite deficiencies.
When this work is concluded supplements to the peanut with sub-stances
directly related to farm animals, such as peanut and soybean
hay and alfalfa meal, will be given to determine the adequacy and
amount necessary. One such preliminary experiment with alfalfa meal
has been conducted.
4. The Toxicity of White Snake Root.
The general conclusions on the poisonous nature of white snake root
causing trembles or milk sickness, published in Technical Bulletin No.
15, of the North Carolina Experiment Station, has recently been con-firmed
by Dr. Walter G. Sackett, in work done at the University of
Chicago.
42 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
This work substantiated the presence of a toxic principle in the white
snake root. It appears that further animal feeding experiments to
establish this toxicity are unnecessary.
The problem is thus open for the isolation of a toxic glucoside, or
principle.
5. Onion Flavor in Milk.
This work is being conducted in cooperation with Mr. Stanley Combs,
in charge of dairy investigations. Mr. Combs is actively engaged in
working out a process for removing the onion flavor from the milk while
Dr. Halverson is working on a similar plan to remove the flavor from
butter.
Definite results have been obtained by treating onion-flavored butter
with a washing process. Laboratory workers could not detect any dif-ference
from that of good rendered butter.
The process devised is comparatively inexpensive, and it appears that
such expensive fats, if of sufficient quantity, can be recovered and made
palatable. Much more work needs to be done, however, to establish
definite methods.
POULTRY INVESTIGATIONS AND PATHOLOGY
B. F. Kaupp, In Charge
Assisted by J. E. Ivey, M. V. Louder and E. G. Wardin
The investigational phases of this office are along three main lines of
endeavor:
(a) Disease investigations.
(b) Nutritional investigations.
(c) Breeding studies.
1. Studies in Diseases of Fowls.
A brief resume will be given below of the various specific studies
made:
(a) Apparent Oviductitis of a Hen. Mr. Wernle of Chicago has been
cooperating in this work and has given some very interesting data on
his experience with this disease since last report.
(b) Entero-Hepatitis of Turkeys. It is quite probable that this dis-ease
is less prevalent in the mountains than elsewhere. Tests showed
that poults taken from flocks where blackhead did not exist, and these
poults placed with hens that had been with turkeys infected with black-head
at some time in their lives would begin to die as soon as said
poults were about five weeks old.
(c) A Bacteriological Study of the Abscess of the Feet of Single-comb
White Leghorns. This trouble is more prevalent with Leghorns than
with the larger breeds. The disease is probably due to a weakened
condition and lack of resistance to the bacteria when tissues are
injured.
(d) Paralysis of the Fowl. Paralysis Of the domestic fowl is due to
a degeneration of the motor nerve ganglia. When paralysis once occurs
in a flock it again reoccurs among the young birds each year after that
time. The disease may be combated by substituting a new flock on
clean ground.
(e) Volvulus of the Free Portion of the Small Intestines of a Hen.
A case of this has been observed in a Single-comb Rhode Island Red
hen.
Animal Industry 43
(f) Myxo-Sarcoma of a Barred Plymouth Rock Hen. The tumors in-volved
the liver, pericardium and other of the visceral organs.
(g) Lympho-Sarcoma of a Single-comb White Leghorn Hen. This
condition was studied and will be reported later.
(h) Cysto-Lipo-Chondro-Osteo-Adeno-Carci-momata. This compound
tumor was studied in a Golden Wyandotte cock. Some areas showed
fatty tissue, others bone surrounded with hyaline cartilage, and still
other areas showed gland tissue.
(i) Physiology of Respiration of the Domestic Fowl. Studies were
made of respiration in the fowl, goose, duck, and turkey, and the aver-age
length of breath recorded.
(j) Physiology of Blood Pressure. Blood pressure was taken from
the femoral artery connecting directly the femoral artery with the
manometer. Average blood pressure of all tests was 115 mm.
(k) Physiology of the Pulse of Fowls. In fowls inspiration raises
blood pressure. From the preliminary tests made it appears that the
pulse of a chicken is about 300 times per minute.
2. Breeding Work—Inheritance Studies.
The study of inheritance of egg production has progressed satisfac-torily.
However, some difficulty has been encountered in getting a com-mon
flock from which to develop and prove common males and common
females with which to proceed to study the powers of transmission of
egg-laying qualities by the female.
3. Studies in Feeding Problems.
(a) Amount of Feed Per Hen Per Year. The amount of mash con-sumed
increases as the hen comes into laying and the quantity used de-pends
directly upon the number of eggs layed. Experiments showed
that it requires 7.2 pounds of feed to produce one dozen eggs.
(b) Fattening Chickens. The cost per pound increase for feed alone
was shown to be 8 cents for the minimum and 23 cents per pound for
the maximum.
(c) Cramming Fattening. In 15 birds there was a gain of 28.3 per
cent. In another lot of 12 birds there was a gain of 29 per cent, in
which case the cost per pound gain for feed alone was 15 cents.
(d) Velvet Bean Meal Tests. Tests were conducted with ground vel-vet
beans, and where 22% per cent of velvet beans were fed in the ration
it produced a deleterious effect upon the health of birds and their per-formance.
(e) Peanut Meal Tests. Where a 20 per cent peanut meal ration was
used in combination with other grains there was a gain of 22 per cent at
a cost per pound gain for feed consumed of 14 cents.
4. Egg Production Problems and Studies.
(a) Artificial Illumination. Where artificial illumination was used
the hens averaged 42.2 more eggs per year than in the control lots. The
hens under lights averaged 28 per cent greater production for the year
and produced a dozen eggs for 7.1 pounds of feed consumed, while the
controls produced one dozen eggs for 9.6 pounds of feed consumed.
(b) Effects of Straw Lofts on Egg Production. Experiments showed
that egg production was not affected.
(c) The Value of Animal and Vegetable Proteins. The vegetable
feeds did not replace the animal feeds and did not bring the pullets
into early heavy egg production. The conclusion is that animal foods
are necessary.
44 Forty-fourth Annual Report N. C. Agri. Exp. Station
(d) Growth of Single-comb White Leghorn Pullets. A curve has
been plotted with which to make comparisons in growth in the use of
other feeds.
(e) Growth of Single-comb Rhode Island Reds. A curve is now avail-able
for use in comparison with other feeding tests with this breed.
(f) Studies of Factors Influencing the Hatchability of Eggs. The
experiment showed that there is a difference of 20 per cent in hatch-ability
in favor of turning eggs five times a day versus eggs turned once
each day.
(g) Influence of Moisture Content. In one series where the eggs
were sprayed there was 64.5 per cent of the fertile eggs hatched, while
in the other series not sprayed there was 54.3 per cent of the fertile
eggs hatched.
(h) Dry Lot versus Range. This test was conducted with Single-comb
Rhode Island Reds, equally divided on a basis of physical signs
and development. The flock on range layed 71 eggs per hen per year,
and the flock on dry lot layed 33 eggs per hen per year. The test was
conducted for three consecutive years.
(i) The second three years work consisted in studies of the most sim-ple
means of compensation. Green feed and meat scrap were given in
the mash, but even under this condition the profit for the range flock
was $1.08 per hen, and for the dry lot 56 cents per hen. The aver-age
for the egg production was 69.9 eggs in the former and 61.1 eggs in
the latter per hen per year.
5. Growth Studies and Health.
(a) Velvet Bean Meal Tests. This single test indicated that ground
beans, even in only 14 per cent is injurious to the health of the chicks.
(b) Value of Different Animal Proteins. The following is a tabula-tion
of the value of different animal proteins:
Kind of Protein Wt. 7 Weeks Wt. 8 Wks. Number Tests
D. Tankage 0.50 0.64 3
Blood Meal 0.56 0.69 3
Soybean Meal and Dried Milk.... 0.70 0.82 3
D. Tankage and Peanut Meal.... 0.54 0.60 1
Meat Scrap 0.59 0.7 2
6. Physics of Incubation.
The indications are that the present hygrometers on the markets, of
which we have knowledge, are inaccurate for incubator work.
7. Experimental Extension Project.
In cooperation with the county agent of Polk County, this office con-ducted
a three-years test in the methods that would be most acceptable
to educate people past school age, and which are now following farm
work.
The final conclusions are:
(a) Personal contact in actual teaching in poultry schools is advisable.
(b) Circular letters and bulletins are not used to advantage.
(c) They do not readily adopt the study-club method.
8. Miscellaneous Work.
(a) During the year 1,680 letters were written on incubation, brood-ing,
feeding, disease, poultry-house construction and marketing.
(b) Dr. Kaupp is secretary of the State Poultry Association and has
been active in this capacity. The Sixth Annual Official State Poultry
Animal Industry 45
Show was held at Salisbury in December, 1920, in connection with the
North Carolina Livestock and Poultry Associations meeting.
(c) Culling Demonstrations. A culling school was held at the State
College for county demonstration agents. A one-day culling school was
also held at Salisbury during the poultry show. Between 75 and 100
people attended the school.
(d) Articles for Papers. During the year 32 articles were prepared
from this office and used in papers of different types, such as farm
papers,* and others of a purely technical nature, as for example, The
Journal of the American Association of Instructors and Investigators in
Poultry Husbandry.
(e) During the year there was a large number of persons interested
in poultry personally conducted over the poultry plant. Several scientific
workers made visits to go over the work being done.
(f) Special poultry students gave demonstrations in culling, lectures
on selection of birds for mating, and judged at several of the county and
community fairs during the past year.
(g) A large number of premiums were won at fairs by Experiment
Station poultry. Three silver cups, one medal, and a diploma were won
at the 1920 State Fair; at the Official State Poultry Show held in Salis-bury
30 first premiums were won, 22 seconds, 8 thirds, 4 fourths, 1 fifth,
2 cups, 1 A.P.A. medal and 5 diplomas; two firsts and one A.P.A.
diploma were won at the Madison Square Garden Show, New York City.
(h) Several donations in poultry were given for worthy causes dur-ing
the year.
SWINE EXPERIMENTAL WORJl
Earl H. Hostetler, In Charge
1. Purebred Herd Work—Duroc-Jerseys.
This herd is maintained for demonstrations and exhibition purposes
and also for the purpose of raising good uniform pigs for the experi-mental
work. It is very essential to have pigs of uniform breeding,
and free from disease and worms, to do accurate experimental work.
2. Effect of Feeding Salt to Swine.
This experiment was conducted to determine whether pigs of differ-ent
sizes will consume enough feed from a self-feeder to prove fatal
after the salt has been withheld for a definite period.
Seven pigs were used—two of them to receive salt from a self-feeder
and the others to receive a definite amount of salt in the ration. No
deaths have resulted to date.
3. Percentage of Bone in the Carcass of Swine.
This experiment was conducted to determine the amount of bone in
the carcass of a hog. Two dressed carcasses were used, the meat all
removed and the bones were then boiled.
The results are as follows:
Hog No. 1—Weight, 226 lbs. Bone, 17.7 lbs.
Hog No. 2—Weight, 176 lbs. Bone, 15. lbs.
The results show that the carcass of a hog is composed of about 8 per
cent bone.
4. Peanuts and Peanut Meal for Swine.
This experiment was to determine the value of peanuts and peanut
meal when fed with other feeds to form a more nearly balanced ration.
46 Fokty-fouktb Annual Report !N". C. Agri. Exp. Station
Two rations were used—one containing a large per cent of peanuts and
the other a large per cent of peanut meal, that will be equal in feeding
value and contain the same amount of true digestible protein and other
constituents.
The results were that the pigs all made good gains and when slaugh-tered
the carcasses were all soft or medium. The feeding period was
131 days, so that the test was thorough.
5. Comparison of Different Feeds Upon the Shrinkage of Meat.
This work was conducted to determine whether various feeds will
influence the shrinkage of meat made from hogs fed these different
rations.
Feed apparently has some slight effect on shrinkage. Meat made
from hogs that have been fed on peanuts shrink slightly less than that
made from hogs that have been fed corn and tankage.
6. Curing Meat in Warm Weather.
Two methods were used: (a) Curing in brine in the usual manner,
(b) Pumping brine mixture into the meat.
The results were that meat which was brine pumped was edible but
had a very poor flavor. The meat which was not pumped spoiled.
7. Cost of Raising Pigs.
This work was to determine the cost of raising pigs until weaning
time when they were 70 days old, which is the usual time of weaning
pigs in the Experiment Station herd. This work is not completed but
results are available on a similar project from some of the test farms.
8. Soybean Pasture for Hogs.
Soybean pasture, when supplemented with a 2 per cent ration of
grain, made the most economical gains on hogs at the Edgecombe Test
Farm, where a herd of grade Berkshires is maintained to raise pigs for
experimental work.
Peanut pasture was also used at this farm to determine the compara-tive
cost of raising hogs on grazing crops and in dry lots. A determina-tion
was also made of the effect of different feeds upon the carcass of
hogs.
In this latter phase of the work the Bureau of Animal Industry, at
Washington, D. C, cooperated with the Experiment Station. Part of
the hogs which had been produced under varying conditions were
shipped to Washington to make physical and chemical analysis of the
carcass. This work is incomplete but progressing satisfactorily.
9. Cost of Raising Pigs on Statesville and Edgecombe Test Farms.
The litters from the herds at both of these farms are used in this
work. The average cost of raising pigs until weaning time on the
Edgecombe Test Farm is $4.07 per pig, this being an average of five
and one-third years work.
At the Statesville Test Farm the cost of raising each Poland-China
pig until weaned is $3.97, this work covering a period of five and
three-fourths years.
10. Feeding Farm Work Animals.
An experiment was conducted to determine whether cotton seed meal
in the ration will effect the health of horses and mules, and whether it
will cheapen the cost of the ration.
Animal Industry 47
The results show that the use of cotton seed meal cheapened the
ration slightly and the animals apparently were in good health and
condition otherwise.
The results of six years work are summarized and ready for publica-tion.
This covers the work conducted on the Edgecombe Test Farm.
A similar piece of work was conducted at Statesville, where the results
were similar. The use of cotton seed meal in the ration cheapened the
cost of keeping each work animal $2.93 per year.
The results of seven years work on this farm are ready for publica-tion.
11. Miscellaneous Work.
At the recent State Fair 20 hogs from the Experiment Station
Duroc-Jersey herd competed for premiums. A large number of pre-miums
was won, among them the grand championship on a junior year-ling
boar.
DAIRY EXPERIMENTAL OFFICE
Stanley Combs, In Charge
The work of the Dairy Experimental Office is confined to the following:
(a) Pender Test Farm, Willard, N. C.
(b) Central Test Farm, Raleigh, N. C.
(c) L. F. Uzzle Herd, Wilsons Mills, N. C.
1. Herd Development Work, Pender Test Farm.
The work on this farm is largely a continuation of the herd develop-ment
work that has been in progress for some time. The milking herd
consists of 22 cows, 21 of which are daughters of Eminent 19th, No.
78,620.
Two herd sires are maintained. Fourteen of the cows are in the
register of merit and hold three State records, as follows:
(a) Pender Eminent Lass E, No. 369,040, is the champion junior four-year-
old cow in North Carolina, with a record of 10,751.8 pounds of milk,
and 563.99 pounds of fat. North Carolina has only three such cows to
date, and one of these is an Eminent bred cow and a half sister of
Lass E.
(b) Pender Eminent Lass L, No. 369,046, holds the State record for
all junior two-year-old cows in North Carolina, with a record of 9,987.7
pounds of milk and 523.24 pounds of fat. All of these records have
been completed within the last twelve months.
2. Cotton Seed Meal as a Source of Protein for Maturing Dairy
Heifers.
The heifer calves produced in this herd are all retained. They are
immediately placed in the feeding experiment to determine whether
cotton seed meal is superior in quality to peanut meal as a source of
protein for maturing dairy cows. This work is incomplete, as it is
necessarily a long-time experiment.
3. Financial Report of the Pender Herd.
This herd is paying its own way, which is very unusual considering
the fact that real experimental work is usually conducted at a loss.
This speaks well for the way in which the herd has been bred up and
handled. A mediocre or average herd subjected to experimental work
could not make such a record.
48 Forty-fourth Annual Report N". C. Agri. Exp. Station
The production of milk for the year ending October 31 amounts to
148,730.7 pounds, and of fat 7,652.4 pounds. A complete report of this
herd is available for examination.
4. Velvet Bean Meal Experiment.
This office, in cooperation with the South Carolina and Alabama
stations, conducted experiments to determine the comparative feeding
value of velvet bean meal and wheat bran, as a protein supplement to
cotton seed meal.
Twelve cows were used in the Pender herd to conduct the North Caro-lina
part of this work. The results show that a velvet bean meal ration
lacks palatability, and that cows will not readily consume a full ration.
When the animals were allowed to graze it was found necessary to
change the grain mixture in order that they might consume a full
ration.
5. Effect of Cotton Seed Meal Upon the Growth and Reproduction of
Cows.
This work is conducted cooperatively by Messrs. Combs and Curtis,
inasmuch as it is a problem that concerns both beef and dairy cattle.
A herd of Ayrshires is used for this work and during the last year
definite results have been obtained. The following facts are impor-tant
and are therefore given in some detail.
Lot No. 1 consisted of 8 cows, which were fed a ration of cotton seed
meal and cotton seed hulls.
(a) Cow No. 101 dropped twin calves in February, 1921. Both calves
were allowed to nurse the dam for six weeks. At this time one calf
was found to be totally blind and the eye-sight of the other affected.
The latter calf was transferred to a nurse cow receiving a normal ra-tion.
The calf grew and retained its sight. At six months of age
there was approximately 200 pounds difference in the weight of the
two calves, thus furnishing evidence that milk from animals on re-stricted
rations is not normal.
(b) Cow No. 102 aborted twin calves at seven months. Post mortem
showed these calves to have blind eyes, congested heart and liver,
together with soft bones, indicating a lack of minerals.
(c) Cow No. 103 aborted at eight and one-half months. Calf blind
and bones soft. The calves from both No. 102 and No. 103 showed
oedema in the joints of the legs.
(d) Cow No. 104 failed to breed. She has developed two typical cases
of dropsy during the year and is subject to fits from time to time.
(e) Cow No. 105 aborted at about five and one-half months. Failed to
come in milk and was later slaughtered.
(f) Cow No. 106 aborted at about seven and one-half months; calf
blind and had developed a cataract in each eye.
(g) Cow No. 107 aborted at eight months. Calf blind. Cow now
has developed a cataract in each eye. Other portions of her eye show
cloudiness.
(h) Cow No. 108 died after showing a dropsied condition, and had
suffered from several fits.
Lot No. 2 consisted of 4 cows, which were fed a ration of cracked
corn, corn stover and corn silage.
(a) Cow No. 201 calved a few days before normal time. Calf weak,
head drawn upward and backward. Calf lived only a couple of days.
Animal Industry 49
(b) Cow No. 202 suffered for about ten weeks with a dropsied condi-tion,
her head and neck being swollen. The neck was swollen and
head drawn to the side for several weeks. Oedema of the legs appeared
and these swellings broke and matter appeared for several days.
Finally, after being off feed for some time, this cow aborted.
(c) Cow No. 203 calved a few clays ahead of time. Calf similar to
that from No. 201 and lived only a couple of days.
(d) Cow No. 204 carried calf about two weeks over time. Calf weak
but was able to stand alone. It never nursed without help and died in
about 60 hours.
Lot No. 3 consisted of 4 cows, which were fed a ration of crushed
corn, cotton seed meal, cotton seed hulls, corn stover and silage.
(a) Cow No. 301 went off feed early in the year. Remained in weak
condition for several months, getting so low that it was thought best to
turn her on pasture to prevent death. During this time she jumped
from a truck, causing abortion the same day. She was later slaugh-tered.
(b) Cow No. 302 failed to breed and was slaughtered.
(c) Cow No. 303 aborted at about eight months.
(d) Cow No. 304 aborted.
Lot No. 4 consisted of 4 cows, which were fed a ration of cotton seed
meal and corn silage.
(a) Cow No. 401. After the experience with the other three cows of
this lot, this cow was placed on normal ration, but not early enough to
save the calf.
(b) Cows Nos. 402, 403 and 404. These cows all went off feed early
in the gestation period, No. 404 finally dying. The other two were
changing so rapidly that it was thought best to place them on normal
ration. After regaining health they were again put back on the experi-mental
feed. Both aborted and are in poor condition at the present
time.
Lot No. 5 consisted of 4 cows, which were fed a check ration with
normal results.
The milk from the cows on these various rations is used for feeding
calves. Calves are secured from the herds of local dairymen. There
appears to be a considerable difference in the feeding value of the milk
from different lots. Some of the calves grow slowly even when given as
much as fourteen pounds of this milk daily.
6. Private Herd Work.
A cooperative piece of work has been inaugurated at Wilsons Mills
, in a large commercial dairy herd. This herd has been operated for
several years without any profit and Mr. Combs has taken the matter in
hand with the idea of putting the herd on a paying basis. The results
at present look encouraging.
7. Onion-flavored Milk.
This office is still working with the "Onion-flavored Milk Problem,"
with very gratifying results. This odor and flavor is produced by allyl
sulphide, a compound of sulphur. This compound may be precipitated
with mercuric chloride (HgCl2 ) or platinum chloride (PtCl 4 ).
Numerous samples of fresh milk were treated with various amounts
of allyl sulphide and heated in a water bath to a temperature of 140 to
150 degrees Fahrenheit. While being held at this temperature a current
of air was passed through the milk by means of a small foot pump.
This treatment proved successful.
50 Forty-fourth Annual Report X. C. A.gri. Exp. Station
This treatment of pumping air through the milk was repeated with
natural onion-flavored milk, produced by feeding a cow 1VL» pounds of
green onion tops one and one-half hours before milking. This treatment
is giving encouraging results and if worked out in a commercial way
will mean much to the dairy industry of the South.
8. Miscellaneous Work.
Considerable time has been spent in the past year making plans for
the enlargement o