FOURTH ANNUAL 
REPORT
013' TpiIlE
Auburin, Alabamna,
JANUARY 26, 18924
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA:
BROWN PJRINTJNq C('? P-RNTERS) JJINPE VS AND STATIONI$RSO
1892,

AGRICULTURAL.AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE,
AUBURN, ALA., January 26, 1892.
To Governor THos. G. JONES,
Executive Department,
Montgomery, Ala.
Sir-I have the honor herewith to transmit to you the
Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station of
the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, for
the year 1891.
This report is made in accordance with the provisions of
.the act of Congress establishing the Experiment Stations in
the different States and contains the report of the Treasurer,
the Chemist, the Botanist, the Biologist, and the Agricultur-
ist.
Very Respectfully,
Wm. LEROY BROUN,
President.

OFFIGERS
OF THE
Agricultural Experiment Station,
? Board of Visitors "
COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES ON EXPERIMENT 
STATION.
J. G. GILCURIST, R. F. LIGON, H. 
CLAY ARMSTRONG.
OFFICERS OF THE STATION.
W. L. BROUN........ ..... President.
J. S. NEWMAN ..........................................Agriculturist.
N. T. LuPTON ............................................Chem ist.
P. H. MELL ...... ...... ........................ Botanist.
G. F. ATKINSON................. ............ Biologist.
ASSISTANTS.
JAS. CLAYTON................................. Assistant Agriculturist.
J. T. ANDERSON.............................First Assistant Chemist.
L. W. WILKINSON ....................... Second Assistant Chemist.
J. F. WILKINSON........................... Third Assistant Chemist.
R. E. NOBLE ...... Fourth Assistant Chemist.
G. S. CLARK ............................Clerk and Assistant Botanist.
*Prof. Mell has charge of Meteorological Observations.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
His Excellency THOMAS G. JONES, President ......... .... Ex-officio
J. G. HARRIS, Superintendent of Education .............. Ex-officio
J. G. GILCHRIST............. ..... . .... .... ..... Montgomery
M. L. STANSEL ......................................... Carrollton
C. C. HARRIS ......... .................................... Decatur
JONATHAN HARALSON ................................... Selma
R . F. LIGON ............. ............................... Tuskegee
JOHN W . BISHOP .................... .... .............. Talladega
R. F. KOLB .............................................. Eufaula
C. H. LINDSAY ........................................... Mobile
H. CLAY ARMSTRONGo ............................. Auburn
E. T. GLENN, Treasurer. - F. M. REESE, Secretary.
TREASURER'S REPORT.
For the fiscal year ending July 1st, 1891.
THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION OF THE
A. & MVI. COLLEGE OF ALABAMA,
In account with U. S. Treasurer.
RECEIPTS.
To Amount from U. S. Treasurer ..
DISBURSEMENTS.
By amount paid Contingent...................
Dairy...............
B otany .......... ............
Library........ .... ...... .
Salaries.... ...................
Printing ..................
Building .... 
... ............
Chemical Department......
.stationery...............
Postage ..................
Biology ......... ...........
Soil Test .. . .. . .
$15,000 00
221 64
1,414 69
148 39
639 36
9,712 50
947 34
750 00
255 90
71 67
93 61
713 10
31 801$15,000 00
E T. GLENN, Treasurer.
A. & M. COLLEGE.
THE STATE OF ALABAMA,
LEE COUNTY.
Personally appeared before me, F. M. Reese, a Notary Public in
and for said county and Stat , E T. Glenn, known to me as Treasurer
of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, who being duly
sworn, deposes and saith that the above and(l foregoing account is true
and coriect.
Witness my hand this 22d day of January, 1892.
F. M. REESE, Notary Public.
This is to certify that I have compared the above Account with the
Ledger Account of the Treasurer, and this is a correct transcript of
same.
Wv. LEROY BROUN, President.
A. & M. COLLEGE.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY.
1N. T. LUJPTON.
The analysis of fertilizers has occupied a large portion of
the time of the Chemist and his assistants during the past
year. An act passed by the last Legislature and which went
into operation on the 1st of September, requires the Com-
missioner of Agriculture to secure samples of each and
every brand of fertilizers offered for sale in the State, and
have the same analyzed by the State Chemist. Publication
of the results must be made annually on or before the first
of September. In addition to these analyses, farmers and
others are authorized, as heretofore, to draw samples of fer-
tilizers purchased from manufacturers and dealers and
have the same analyzed free of cost. The effect of the act
mentioned, is likely to add materially to the work of the
Chemical Department, as these analyses will not prevent
farmers from having the same brands re-analyzed as often
as purchases are made.
The character and exhibit of the work done can be seen
from the following tabulated statement of the number and
variety of analyses made during the year:
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES MADE IN THE STATE LABORATORY
DURING THE YEAR 1891.
No. of Analyses.
Acid Phosphates with Nitrogen and Potash................. 182
Acid Phosphates with Potash ................................... 11
Acid Phosphates ............................................... 82
Natural Guanos............................................ 10
Natural Phosphates.........................................36
M arls..................................................... . . 3
Soils. .. 00............... ...................... 8
Tankage...................................................... 16
10
Cotton Seed Meal ..................... .......... 14
Feed Stuffs ................................... 15
Milk ........................................................ 28
Butter ............ .. ...... .. ........ .............. 13
Miscellaneous Substances ..... .............................. 28
Total ............. . ........ ..... 446
The miscellaneous substances include Bone Meal, Bone
and Blood fertilizers, Sodium Nitrate, Muriate, Kainit, Dried
Blood, Ashes, Cave Earth, Clay, Sulphate of Potash, Min-
eral Waters, etc.
In addition to the quantitative work, a large number of
mineralogical specimens, the character of which could be
ascertained by mere inspection, or simple quantitative tests,
were examined and their value determined.
The above tabular statement embraces work done for both
the Experiment Station and for the State Department of
Agriculture. The station work includes sixty-seven analyses,
embracing milk, butter, feed stuffs, soils, etc. The results
have been published in bulletins issued from the station and
by the State Commissioner of Agriculture.
An investigation of the effect produced on milk and but-
ter by the feeding of cotton seed and cotton seed meal, was
commenced in November, 1890, and completed in the early
part of the year just closed. The results are contained in
Bulletin No. 25, which was published in April.
The fact was established by these 
experiments that cotton
seed and cotton seed meal increase, in a marked degree, the
melting point of butter and diminish to a corresponding ex-
tent, the volatile acid, while the specific gravity remains
virtually unaltered. The belief generally prevails that the
character of the butter produced is not materially altered
by the feed stuff used. Since the publication of the bulle-
tin referred to, other investigators have confirmed the re-
sults obtained at this station.
There are other questions in reference to milk and butter
which it is proposed to investigate during the present year.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE, BOTANIST..
Dr. Win. LeRoy Broun,
President A. & iM. College;
SIR-'The work of the year in the Department of Botany,
has been conducted along the following lines.:
1. Experiments on thirty "varieties" of cotton to deter-
mine (a) whether thtoy are really varieties or simply
the common forms in an. improved condition; the. results
of caref ul cultivation; (b) To determine what steps
are necessary for securing the best quality of fibre
as well as- the best condition of seed. Leading to these
desired results, I began the past year a series of cross
cultivations with all- the so-called varieties grown on the col-
lege farm, and succeeded in securing something over one
hundred well matuired bolls from fertilizations made at differ-
ent dates and under different conditions of the weather.
The seed from these bolls have been carefully examined and
selected, and they will be planteod the coming season under
special care.
2. A Botanical Survey of the State has been commenced
and will be prosecuted as rapidly as possible until the entire
State is'"surveyed. Specimens of plants from Lee and several
other adjoining counties have been collected, named and
classified. A catalogue of the State is under way.
3. Experiments on woods-specially relating to economic
questions-have been conducted during the year and much
data collected for a future bulletin.
4. The. weeds of Alabama have been studied, and a cat-
alogue partially prepared. A bulletin on this subject is
nearly ready for publication.
12
5. Meteorological observations have been regularly 
made
each day throughout the entire year and a bulletin was issued
each month, besides the weather and crop reports made each
week during the crop season from April to November.
Very respectfully submitted,
P. H. MELL,
Botanist.
REPORT OF THE BIOLOGIST
-OF THE-
EXPERIMENT STATION FOR THE YEAR 1891,
Dr. Wm. LeRoy Broun,
President Board of Direction:
SIR-I present herewith the following report for this de-
partment for 1891
One bulletin 
has been 
published, 
entitled "Black 
IRust of
Cotton," No. 27, May, 1891, in.which were described soue
fungus organisms accompanying that widespread disease.
Experiments have been carried on this year to determine
more fully the nature of the disease and if possible a rem.
edy. Several have been conducted at Auburn, and also at
Hope Hull, Ala., 
with the co.operation 
of Mr. A. H. Clark,
and at Mathews Station with the co-operation of Mr. S. B.
Mathews. These experiments have been very instructive,
have given a much clearer insight as to the true nature of
the disease as well as to indicate the course of procedure in
preventing it. The report on this work is now nearly ready
for publication and will be presented as one of the regular
bulletins of the Station.
A popular exposition of the following subjects of econcm-
ic importance have been published in the Agricultural Jour-
nal, Montgomery :
1. Cotton rust. January, Vol. II No. 3; February, No. 4;
May, No. 7.
2. A new root rot disease of cotton. March, No. 5.
3. Fig rust. April, No. 6.
4. Notes on some insect and fungus diseases. June,
No. 8.
14
5. The root gall nematode in the lime lands. August,
No. 10.
6. Frenching. August, No. 10.
7. Additional notes on Frenching. September, No. 11.
8. A cotton cut worm. September, No. 11.
9. A season's observations on Frenching. October,
No. 12.
10. The organisms which collect nitrogen for legumin-
ous plants. December, No. 14.
A paper on "Some diseases of the cotton plant" was read
before the Botanical Section of the American Association of
Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, at. Washing-
ton in August.
Papers were read before the Association of official Ento-
mologists as follows:
1. A cotton cut worm.
2. A nematode leaf disease.
One paper on the "Structure and Dimorphism of Hypo-
crea tuberiformis B. and Rav." was read before Section F. of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
at Washington.
Two papers were read before the Botanical Club of the
American Association for the advancement of Science, as
follows:
1. The perfect stage of Cercospora gossypina Cke.
2. Root galls of Ceanothus.
Articles of economic and scientific importance have been
published in the Botanical Gazette, as follows:
1. Black rust of cotton.
2. The Station Botanists at Washington. September,
1891.
3. The structure and dimorphism of Hypocrea tuberi-
formis. October, 1891.
4. A new Ravenelia from Alabama. November, 189I.
In the Bulletin of the Torry Botanical Club, a paper was
published on the perfect stage of "Cercospora gossypina
Cke." October. 1891.
An article was published in the Journal of the Elisha
Mitchell Scientific Society, Vol. VII, No. 2, 1891, on a
group of parasitic fungi, some of which are of considerable
economic importance, entitled "Some Erysiphem from Car-
olina and Alabama."
An article is now in press for the same Journal entitled
"Some Cercosporma from Alabama." This is a large genus
of parasitic fungi, some of which are of great economic im-
portance. In this article 79 species are enumerated which
have been collected in Alabama within the past two years.
28 of these are new to science, one is an European species
and one a South American species noted in this country for
the first time.
Besides, a large amount of material consisting of parasitic
fungi, representing many diseases of grasses, woody plants,
and herbs, has been collected and added to the biological
cabinet.
A plant house is in course of erection, where it is hoped,
by careful cultures of cotton and other plants, much valuable
information may be gained regarding the mysterious disea-
ses which greatly reduce the product of the planters.
The rooms of the department are becoming crowded with
material, and a small room adjacent is much needed where
specimens of diseased plants mounted for class, and other ex-
hibitions, can be kept on hand. It is also very desirable that
some exsiccate of economic fungi which are very valuable
for reference in working out properly the forms found in our
own State, should be purchased and placed at the disposal
of the department.
Respectfully submitted,
GEO. F. ATKINSON,
Professor of Biology, and Biologist of the Experiment Station.
JANUARY 16th, 1892.
AUBURN, ALA., January 26th, 1892.
Dr. Wm. LeRoy Broun,
President Board of Direction:
SIR-Prof. J. S. Newman, Agriculturist of the Experi-
ment Station, having resigned his position January 1st,
1892, I have the honor to submit a summary of the farm
experimental work of the Station during the year 1891.
Very respectfully,
JAMES CLAYTON,
Assistant Agriculturist,
REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST,
Since the last annual report, nine bulletins have been
printed and issued to the farmers of the State, showing the
experimental work in Agriculture done at the Station.
These bulletins are numbered 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,
and 34.
[Bulletin No. 23.]
CO-OPERATIVE SOIL-TESTS.
This bulletin contains the results of the experiments
made by twenty-nine (29) farmers residing in different sec-
tions of the State, with the special fertilizers provided by
the Station. They were all made under direction of the
lExperiment Station, and were designed to determine the
adaptation of fertilizers to the different sections of the
State. Their publication has excited interest, and been of
value.
[Bulletin No. 28.]
WATERMELONS AND CANTALOUPES.
This bulletin contains results of experiments in nineteen
(19) varieties of Watermelons, and twenty-five (25) of
Cantaloupes. Also a comparison of yield from Seed taken
from the different parts of the melon, with interesting re-
sults. The best results were from seed taken from the cen-
tre of the melon. As to the varieties tested, for home and
market use, the Jones melon ranks first-not quite as goocl
for shipping as the Kolb Gem, but superior in quality.
The Sugar Loaf and Cuba, give great satisfaction for home
consumption.
18
[Bulletin No. 29.]
GRAPES, RASPBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES.
This bulletin gives valuable information in Grape, Rasp-
berry, and Strawberry culture, with data taken from obser-
vations made during the past six years.
[Bulletin No. 30. ]
APPLES, PEARS, PEACHES 
AND PLUMS,
This bulletin presents conclusions drawn from six years
observations of forty-five varieties 
of Apples, forty of Pears,
and thirty-seven of Peaches, and a comparison of the lon-
gevity of the Wild Goose plum grafted upon different stocks.
[Bulletin No. 31.]
IRISH AND SWEET POTATOES.
In this bulletih results are given of the experiments made
in different methods of applying fertilizers to Irish potatoes;
a comparison of the yield in whole and cut seed, and differ-
ent modes of cultivation. The yield of sweet potatoes from
plants obtained from large and small seed, is compared, with
results in favor of large potatoes for seed.
[Bulletin No. 32.]
CORN, WHEAT AND OATS.
This bulletin contains a comparison of eighteen varieties
of Corn, fourteen of Wheat, and two of Oats. Also some
experiments in top-dressing wheat and oats, with different
fertilizers, which will be of value to the farmers of the State.
19
[Bulletin No. 33.]
COTTON.
A comparison of twenty-eight varieties of cotton, with a
tabulated statement showing yield of seed-cotton per acre,
per cent. of lint, and length of staple: also a comparison of
the yield of cluster and long limbed varieties at different
distances, will be found in this bulletin.
A test of the Gullett and Pratt Gins, is also reported.
[Bulletin No. 34.]
CO-OPERATIVE SOIL-TESTS OF FERTILIZERS.
This bulletin gives a report of soil tests of fertilizers, con-
ducted by farmers in the following thirty-nine counties, viz:
Two in Autauga, one in Barbour, Bibb, 
Blount, Bullock,
Butler, Calhoun, Chilton, Choctaw, 
Clarke, Clay, Covington,
Cullman, Dale, Elmore, Etowah, 
Fayette, Franklin, Geneva,
Greene, Hale, Henry, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone;
two in Lowndes, one in Madison, Marengo, 
Marion, Monroe,
Morgan, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair,
Tallapoosa, and Washington. In the spring of 1891, a col-
lection of grape, raspberry and strawberry plants was sent,
free of cost, to each experimenter, and in the fall, a peck of
wheat for trial, was also sent for future report. These ex-
periments have proved of great interest and benefit to the
farmers of the sections in which they are made.