HIGHLIGHTS
of
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
p
V
12~t4 (ad6Ace-Fall and Winter Grazing for Alabama 
... Insect Damage to
Corn Can Be Greatly Reduced .. Safe Storage for Crops .. Research System
Serves All of Alabama ... Effect of Depth of Seedbed Preparation on Cotton
Yields .. More Eggs for Fall Market .. Portable Pens for Raising Calves..
Beef Breeders Aided by Sire-Testing Program ... Factors Affecting Prices of
Livestock and Livestock Products.
VOL. 1, No. 2 -FALL 1954
S E R V IN G A L L 0 f A L A B A 
M A
AG RI C ULT URA L E
STATION SYSTEM
of filec
X P ER IM ENT
ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Research Units Form System
SERVING ALL OF ALABAMA
2. V. SMITH, Director
On the cover of each issue of HIGH-
LIGHTS is - "Serving All of Alabama."
It is a continuing reminder of the du-
ties of your Agricultural Experiment
Station System. The map on the cover
diagrams the System's organization and
related parts. To be aware of how it
serves the State through agricultural
research, it is necessary to understand
the interrelationships of the research
units shown on the map.
The Main Station, located at Auburn,
is the nerve center or headquarters of
the System. At the Main Station are
the subject matter departments deal-
ing with production of crops and ani-
mals, engineering, insects and diseases
of plants and animals, farm economics,
forestry, home economics, and publica-
tion of research results. Located here
are scientific laboratories where basic
and applied research of state-wide im-
portance is done. Also at the Main
Station are most of the highly trained
scientists needed to plan and conduct
technical experiments. This concentra-
tion of technical staff and scientific lab-
oratories has been found to be an
economical organization 
for the solu-
tion of the varied agricultural problems.
Radiating from the Main Station like
spokes from a hub are lines to 23 out-
lying research units. Eight dots repre-
sent the Black Belt, Gulf Coast, Lower
Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Sand Moun-
tain, Tennessee Valley, Upper Coastal
Plain, and Wiregrass Substations. Two
others represent the Chilton Area and
North Alabama Horticulture Substa-
tions. Field experiments are carried out
on these substations. 
These usually deal
with problems that are peculiar to the
area and that differ from those in other
areas because of differences in soil,
climate, topography, and crops grown.
Each substation is under supervision
of a superintendent who has one or two
assistants. Because of the breadth of
the problems to be attacked, the super-
intendents and the Main Station scien-
tists cooperate in planning and carrying
on experiments at the substations.
Six of the dots represent Experiment
Fields that are located on lesser soil
areas having peculiar problems. These
fields, as well as the Plant Breeding
Unit and the Foundation Seed Stocks
Farm, are under supervision of the De-
partment of Agronomy and Soils. An-
other 5 dots represent Forestry Units
located on several of the State's major
forest types. The Forestry Department
is responsible for the research on these
units.
For every 50 bushels of corn pro-
duced in Alabama, farmers "donated"
11 bushels to stored grain insects. This
loss is estimated to have totaled nearly
16 million dollars a year during the last
5 years.
Insects that cause the most damage
to stored corn are the rice (corn) wee-
vil and the Indian and Angoumois grain
moths. Other important species are the
Mediterranean grain moth, the dark
and yellow mealworms, and the cadelle.
The rice weevil and grain moths attack
corn in the field, especially in the sou-
thern half of Alabama. Brought into
the crib with the corn, they continue to
feed on the stored grain. Mealworms
and cadelle attack corn after it is put
in the crib.
Loss from these pests can be greatly
reduced by proper use of control meas-
ures. Research on their control has
been done by the API Agricultural Ex-
periment Station for many years. Ac-
tually, stored grain pest control begins
with selection of proper varieties. How-
ever, only measures that can be used
on the 1954 crop are given here.
DATE OF HARVEST. Stored grain in-
sects begin to damage corn in the field
as soon as it begins to dry. Since dam-
age continues while corn is in the field,
it should be harvested as soon as dry
enough to store.
CRIB PREPARATION. Proper prepara-
tion of crib before storing grain is very
important. The crib should be cleaned
completely and inner surface sprayed.
Recommended are 21/2% sprays of
DDT, methoxychlor, or TDE, either as
wettable powders or emulsion.
If the corn is to be fumigated, the
crib must be made as nearly air tight
as possible. An economical, practical
Last, the dot west of Mobile Bay
represents the Ornamental Horticulture
Field Station, which is supervised by a
resident plant pathologist who cooper-
ates with other scientists at the Main
Station.
Thus, the map diagrams the inter-
relationship of research units forming
the Experiment Station System of the
Alabama Polytechnic Institute. To-
gether they are "Serving All of Ala-
bama" through agricultural research.
way is to line inside with 15-pound
asphalt felt storm sheeting.
FUMIGATION. Fumigation is an ef-
fective way of killing insects in stored
corn. In southern Alabama, corn should
be fumigated about 2 weeks after stor-
age. In northern Alabama, fall fumiga-
tion may not be necessary unless the
corn is infested when harvested. Fumi-
gation should be done when weather is
warm and insects are active (not un-
der 65
0
F.).
These fumigants are recommended:
(1) A 3-to-1 mixture of ethylene di-
chloride and carbon tetrachloride ap-
plied at rate of 6 gal. per 1,000 cubic
feet in steel bins and 7% gal. in wooden
bins.
(2) A 4-to-1 mixture of carbon tet-
rachloride and carbon disulphide ap-
plied at rate of 5 gal. per 1,000 cubic
feet in steel bins and 61/4 gal. in wooden
bins.
(3) Methyl bromide applied at rate
of 1 lb. per 1,000 cubic feet in steel
bins and 11/4 lb. in wooden bins.
Since gases from fumigants are toxic
to all animals, care should be taken to
prevent exposing them to the fumigant
during and immediately after applica-
tion. The fumigated grain is safe to
feed to livestock after the bin has been
thoroughly aired.
Stored grain should be examined at
monthly intervals for re-occurrence of
insects. Fumigants have no residual ef-
fect, and insect populations may build
up. A second fumigation is frequently
necessary in late spring.
For more detailed information, write
API Agricultural Experiment Station, Au-
burn, Ala., for copy of Leaflet 40, "Control
of Insects in Stored Grain."
INSECT DAMAGE TO STORED CORN
Can Be Greatly Reduced
W. G. EDEN, Entomologist
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THIS- NOT THIS
R'ede4'rd R'eda&
4
.5e
J. L. BUTT, Associate
Agricultural Enyineer
FARM STORAGE IS SAFE AND PROFITABLE
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GRAZING FOR ALABAMA
W R. LANGFORD, Associate Agronomist
oI f It S all '1 I io I .1i t .
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FIG. 2. In combination with eats (left),
crimson clover supplies very little grazing
even in late winter. With ryegrass tright),
it furnishes good grazing. This picture
was token January 26, 1954.
FIG. 3. Growth of cool-season perennial
grasses in November, Piedmont Substation.
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-DEPTH OF SEEDBED PREPARATION*
T. L. COF Y, C. M. STOKES, F. A. KUMMER, Dep.rtrnent of Agricutural Engineering
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N
JS 
PL
40 1950
Wet Year
Effect of tillage
depth on root for-
motion in two dif-
ferent seasons.
11 4 1951
Dry Year
IN tI
1 685
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PORTABLE PENS SUPERIOR for RAISING CALVES outside pens even 
at temperatures as
low as 8
? 
F. (as in Auburn, November,
K. M. AUTREY, Head, Dairy Husbandry Department 
1950). Little or no bedding is needed
For years colds, pneumonia, and in- taminated forage in the lot contributed even in winter, provided pens are
ternal parasites have been roadblocks to the spread of parasites and disease moved weekly and placed on well-
to dairy herd improvement in Alabama. germs among the barn-raised calves, drained ground.
In some cases, dairymen have suffered From the 3 years' results, the follow- (3) Calf area must be kept free of
losses of 50-75% of their replacement ing conclusions and recommendations contamination by older animals.
heifers. are made: (4) If calves are raised in a barn
Research covering a three-year pe-
riod has shown that at API Agricultural
Experiment Station the "portable pen
system" is superior to the conventional
barn system.,
Developed by the USDA Regional
Animal Disease Research Laboratory,
Auburn, portable pens, 5 x 10 x 3 feet,
with half of pens covered with sheet
metal, have been used several years.
Individual calves, housed in these pens,
which are moved to clean ground each
7 days, can be raised nearer free of in-
ternal parasites than in any of several
systems tried by that laboratory.
In 1950, a series of calf management
tests was begun jointly by the Dairy
Husbandry Department and the Lab-
oratory. In each of the tests, 16 calves
were divided into two groups. One
was housed in individual portable pens
placed on an area not contaminated by
older animals. The other was assigned
to a calf barn with individual pens and
a common exercise lot of 15 x 40 feet.
The calves were chiefly of Jersey breed-
ing. All were fed a limited amount of
milk with alfalfa hay as chief roughage.
In the first 2 years, the portable-pen
calves (birth to 4 months old) made
an average gain of 102 lb. per calf,
or about 30% (24 lb.) more than that
of the barn-raised calves.
In the 3rd-year test, barn-raised cal-
ves (birth to 6 months old) averaged
161 lb., or 8 % heavier than the aver-
age of the portable-pen calves.
The most important difference be-
tween the two groups was that prac-
tically all barn-raised calves suffered
from colds and diarrhea one or more
times; several had pneumonia, and one
calf died. Only one portable-pen calf
contracted a cold in the three tests, and
it required no treatment.
More 
important 
than the 
small 
dif-
ference in growth rate between the two
groups the third year was the reduced
amount of coccidiosis and other inter-
nal disorders among the barn - raised
calves. This improvement is believed
the result of keeping the exercise lot
scraped and free of all grass and weeds
throughout the test. This was not done
the first 2 years. Undoubtedly, con-
(1) It is easier to raise calves free and run together at a young age (un-
of colds, pneumonia, and scours in der 5 to 6 months), sanitary precau-
outside pens than inside a barn. tions are very important, and care must
(2) Calves can be safely housed in be taken to prevent sucking habit.
MORE EGGS FOR MARKET IN THE FALL
D. F. KING, Head, Poultry Husbandry Department
Strict culling, correct feeding, and
proper use of artificial lights mean
more eggs in the basket in the fall when
hens naturally are inclined to stop lay-
ing.
For the most profitable rate-of-lay,
small, unthrifty, late-maturing pullets
should be removed from the pullet flock
by the time laying starts. Only the
large, vigorous pullets that begin lay-
ing first should be kept in the laying
flock.
Well-bred hens fed corn alone will
lay only about 90 eggs each a year, ac-
cording to results of tests conducted by
the API Agricultural Experiment Sta-
tion. These tests show, however, that
if the ration is properly supplemented
with proteins, vitamins, and minerals,
similar hens will lay 200 or more eggs
per year.
Poultry farmers can usually obtain
the needed proteins, vitamins, and min-
erals for their birds by one of two sys-
tems. First, a regular commercial lay-
ing mash of about 20% protein may be
fed daily in unlimited quantities and
grain may be fed by hand during morn-
ings and evenings at the rate of 10 to
12 pounds per 100 hens per day. These
mashes contain the protein and vitamins
necessary to balance a grain ration for
laying hens. The second system in-
volves use of protein supplements,
either 26 or 32%. If cheap grain is
available, poultrymen can use these
supplements and feed their hens satis-
factorily for high egg production. The
usual method for feeding these supple-
ments is to allow hens to eat free choice
from three different hoppers -one of
whole corn, one of whole oats, and one
of commercial supplement.
Oyster shell or ground limestone and
grit must also be supplied. Surveys of
Alabama poultry farmers show that
many fail to supply minerals for egg-
shell formation, which results in low-
ered egg production and soft-shelled,
unmarketable eggs. There seems to be
no major difference between oyster
shells and limestone particles for lay-
ing hens. Insoluble grit, such as coarse
sand or granite grit, also should be
available to aid in grinding whole
grains in the gizzard of the hen.
Green feed cut daily and fed to hens
is a good source of many vitamins and
proteins. It will also reduce the amount
of bought feed required by the hens by
at least 5 %. Fall crops, such as turnips,
collards, rape, oats, and crimson clover,
have been found to be good if fed daily
at rate of 3 to 5 pounds per 100 hens.
Mature hens are also stimulated to
lay during short fall and winter days
by use of artificial lights. Tests at
Auburn show that hens lay best when
the length of day is increased period-
ically throughout the fall and winter.
This can be done by using electric
lights each morning, starting in Aug-
ust and gradually increasing the amount
of light used until the pullets are re-
ceiving 14 to 16 hours of light each
day by January. Hens in their second
year of laying require more stimulant
than pullets. If the flock consists mainly
of old hens, the lights may be increased
until all-night lights are being used by
mid-winter. In either case, light equal
to 1 watt per hen should be supplied
to obtain enough intensity to stimulate
the hens.
Other management practices, such as
supplying warm water during cold pe-
riods and feeding pelleted mash or
moist mash at noon each day, will aid
greatly in increasing egg production
during the fall and winter when eggs
are usually scarce and high in price.
?actdr Aectieg aPm Pices aj
LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS
BEN T. LANHAM, JR., Agricultural Economist
THE PRICES you get for your livestock
and livestock products depend upon
the supply of those products in the
market, marketing costs and charges,
and the amount of take-home pay of
consumers.
For the most part, livestock enter
marketing channels for processing
and/or storage. Later they are sold at
retail in varied forms of products and
by-products. The prices you receive,
therefore, are based on the prices of
all of these products minus the many
marketing costs and charges that occur
between your front gate and the con-
sumer.
Retail prices of livestock and live-
stock products and per capita dispos-
able income (income less taxes) follow
much the same up-and-down pattern.
The amount that consumers spend for
meats, for example (see chart) is closely
related to their take-home pay. Thus,
when production is high and farm
prices are low, the consumer spends
the same proportion of his income for
meat but gets more for his money. If
production is low and prices are high,
the consumer eats less meat.
From year to year, consumers spend
about the same percentage of their in-
come for food. However, high-wage
MEAT and
INCOME _ Retail value
Eftah i Value of 
of meat l 
,
onsumption and 
consumed
D , .s- DAM ..... M I
earners buy more livestock and live-
stock products and spend more for
these products than do low-income con-
sumers.
Marketing Costs Remain Constant
While consumers spend a constant
proportion of their incomes for livestock
and livestock products regardless of
market supply, farm and retail prices
do not always change in the same di-
rection or at the same rate in response
to changes in production. Marketing
costs per unit of livestock products sold,
such as pounds of meat and dozens of
eggs, tend to remain the same regard-
less of the quantity sold. Consumers
spend slightly less per unit for these
products when supplies are large than
when they are small. The deduction
of large per-unit marketing costs, there-
fore, results in sharp reductions in per-
unit farm prices. Thus, you often re-
ceive a smaller total return when pro-
duction is large than when it is small.
Factors Affecting Prices
Factors that affect prices of individ-
ual livestock and livestock products
vary widely, depending upon the par-
ticular product. Among these are
amounts and distribution of income
%/o OF 1935-39
y fe r300
200
100
* DISPOSABLE INCOME PER PERSON
among consumers; conditions under
which the product is produced and
marketed; restrictions on production,
marketing, storage, etc.; and the na-
ture of the product itself.
Hog prices, for instance, differ be-
tween markets and areas because of
differences in supplies, weights, buyer
competition, method of sale, and mar-
keting and transportation costs. In
most areas, there is a direct relationship
between production and prices of hogs
and corn. For example, hog produc-
tion increases during periods of high
hog prices and cheap corn.
As with hogs, beef cattle prices are
based on value of products obtained
from them. And, because of the way
consumers spend their food dollar,
prices of higher grade beef will rise
more than prices for lower grades dur-
ing a period of rising consumer income.
But when incomes decline, consumers of
top grade beef are more likely to buy
other meats, such as lamb, pork, and
chicken, rather than use lower grade
beef. Therefore, during lower consumer
income periods, demand for lower grade
beef may be proportionately higher
than for the higher grades.
Poultry meat requires less processing
than most meats. Hence, there is less
spread between farm and retail prices
than in the case of most other meats.
Egg prices were once highly sea-
sonal. In recent years, however, ex-
treme fluctuations have been leveled
off. For the most part, this has come
about by commercial producers apply-
ing research results, substituting year-
round egg production for the old high
springtime production. Contributing
also to some extent have been develop-
ments in storage and processing, and
agency buying. Thus, more constant
supplies of eggs are on the market for
consumers.
Whether changes in practices based
on research mean savings in dollars and
labor must always be determined be-
fore being recommended. Therefore,
putting the economic yardstick to tech-
nical research will continue to be high-
ly important in solutions to changing
problems faced by farmers, marketing
channels, and consumers.
1920 1930 1940 1950
. ~
LIILL r~l ~aylLa U131
:ome less taxes) fol
H I G H L IG H T S Beef Breeders Aided By
of 
STATION'S 
SIRE-TESTING 
PROGRAM
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Published Quarterly by
Agricultural Experiment Station
of the Alabama Polytechnic 
Institute
Auburn, Alabama
E. V. SMITH ...........
CHAS. F. SIMMONS_
COYT WILSON .........
KENNETH B. Roy----.
J. OLAN COOPER ......
.............-D irector
-Assoc. 
Director
.- Asst. Director
................-E d ito r
-- Assoc. Editor
feecw aNe ~7em e4e#
PUBLICATIONS
Listed here are timely and new pub-
lications reporting research by the Agri-
cultural Experiment Station:
BUL. 288. Production and Sale of
Milk in Alabama's Piedmont is mainly
an analysis of farm organization as it
relates to production and sale of milk
for manufacture.
BUL. 289. Factors Affecting Germi-
nation of Runner Peanuts is an analy-
sis of data on factors affecting the
germination of runner peanuts obtained
from farms in Alabama's Peanut Belt.
BUL. 290. Cost and Returns 'to
Commercial Egg Producers explains
factors affecting cost of production and
lists recommended practices for reduc-
ing production costs of eggs.
CIR. 115. Factors Affecting Pecan
Yields cites conditions found to limit
production and lists recommendations
that will help offset such conditions.
LEAFLET 35. Suggestions for Prun-
ing Southern Pines (illustrated) tells
about what pines to prune, when and
how to prune, and cost of pruning.
Free copies may be obtained from
your county agent or by writing the
API Agricultural Experiment Station,
Auburn, Alabama.
K. E. GREGORY, Associate Animal Breeder
High quality calves that make rapid
gains mean more profits for every cat-
tleman in Alabama. To produce calves
with these characteristics, the breeder
must use bulls that have the ability to
transmit these qualities to their off-
spring.
Although most purebred breeders
can do a good job of selecting for con-
formation, they are often unable to se-
lect bull calves that grow into sires
that will get the fastest gaining calves.
To help these breeders overcome a
part of this problem, the API Agri-
cultural Experiment Station began a
performance testing program of young
bulls in November 1951. In the three
years that the program has been under-
way, 49 cooperators have entered 133
bulls in the performance testing pro-
gram at Auburn.
The objectives of the program are to
identify individuals and strains of beef
cattle that have ability to gain rapidly
when full-fed under uniform c6nditions
and that are superior in conformation
items that contribute to carcass desira-
bility.
Ability to make rapid gains has been
shown to be highly hereditary, in that
bulls have a tendency to transmit their
own performance to their offspring to
a rather high degree.
Although performance testing does
not fully evaluate total performance,
it supplements information that a
breeder can obtain rather easily and
aids in the evaluation of individuals to
be kept for breeding.
The performance testing program is
open to all purebred breeders of the
recognized beef breeds in Alabama.
Young bulls eligible for entry must be
between 7 and 13 months of age and
must be eligible for registry in one of
the recognized breed associations. They
are brought to the Experiment Station
and fed for a 2-week preliminary pe-
riod before the 154-day test period.
The bulls are self-fed a growing ration
for the entire period. Feed and veteri-
nary costs of the test are paid by the
cooperating breeders and other costs
are paid by the Department of Animal
Husbandry and Nutrition.
The bulls are weighed at the begin-
ing and end of the trial and at 28-day
intervals throughout the trial. All bulls
are evaluated for conformation at the
end of the trial.
In 1951-52, 19 bulls on rate-of-gain
tests made an average daily gain of 1.94
pounds, ranging from 1.54 to 2.50
pounds per day. In 1952-58, 46 bulls
on test gained an average of 2.34
pounds daily, ranging from 1.48 to 3.18
pounds per day; and 68 bulls in the
1953-54 test gained daily an average
of 2.47 pounds with a range of 1.33 to
3.40 pounds per day.
At the close of each test, a field day is
held and a complete summary of the re-
sults is made public. In 1958 and 1954,
sales were held in connection with the
field day; the sale order of each animal
within a breed was determined on the
basis of weight per day of age and
conformation score.
In 1953, 34 bulls sold for an average
of $375, and in 1954 the average price
of 57 bulls sold was $331. Bulls with
the highest total score in the test
brought the top prices, indicating that
buyers paid close attention to individual
performance.
NOTICE to PUREBRED BREEDERS
Any purebred breeder of the major
beef breeds desiring to participate in
the 1954-55 sire-testing program should
contact the president or secretary of his
respective breed association. Entries (7
to 13 months old) must be listed by
October 1. The listed bull calves must
be delivered to the API Agricultural
Experiment Station, Auburn, by No-
vember 1. The official 154-day test
will start after a 2-week preliminary
feeding period.
FREE Bulletin or Report of Progress
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
of the ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
E. V. Smith, Director
Auburn, Alabama
Permit No. 1132-8/54-8M
PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID
PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300
UU113 llaY\7 ~C L~IIUL/II~V LV Lla1131111L LI~