and capable, and one of the best all around men connected with the University.

The entomological work of the Station during the past year, has mainly been along the lines heretofore pursued in the investigation of problems relating to the insect enemies of forests and forest products, and a study of practical methods to prevent losses from their ravages, and on a general technical study of that family of beetles which comprizes the most destructive enemies of forests, red clover, and orchard trees. Within the past year nearly three thousand specimens of these insects have been submitted to our entomologist for identification. These specimens have come from various institutions and individuals in this and other countries. In addition to the above, problems relating to farm, garden and fruit insects, which present themselves from time to time for attention, have not been neglected, and an effort has been made to keep the work of this character abreast of that done by other experiment stations. In another part of this report, attention has been called to the preparation and distribution of bulletins relating to the Periodical Cicada, the Hessian Fly and the Joint Worm.

By far the most important work of the entomologist of the Station is on the insect enemies of forests. Specimens of these insects and their work, which have been collected during the past ten years, make our collection the largest of the kind in the country; especially is this true of the collection of the Scolytid family of beetles, upon which Dr. Hopkins has become an authority. The knowledge gained of these insects, together with the above collection, will enable the entomologist to render great service to the forest interests of the State, especially in preventing the great losses which annually occur on account of the ravages of these insect enemies. Our magnificent primitive forest resources, though rich and renowned, are rapidly disappearing, and it will be a matter of great necessity very soon to devise means to protect from the ravages of insects, fire and other causes, what is saved from the ax. Some of the ablest and most thoughtful citizens of the State are giving consideration to the problem of forest preservation, and we may soon expect to see the statesman and the scientist working hand in hand in promoting the growth of new forests and the pres

ervation of some part of that which yet remains.

There are many problems yet unsolved in connection with this subject to which the entomologist may well afford to give his best consideration.

During the past winter considerable time and attention was devoted by the entomologist to the preparation of a monograph on the Scolytidæ, which includes that insect which has caused so much injury to the pine and spruce forests of the State.

Two exhibits of entomological collections have been prepared and installed at the Pan American Exposition. One of these collections consists of about a thousand specimens of insect enemies of forests. The greater part of this material was gathered in West Virginia, and the exhibition is unique in the presentation of the work of this class of enemies of the wood, bark and foliage. At the request of the Department of Agriculture, material gathered while conducting special investigations for that department during a portion of 1900-1901, in some of the Northeastern and Northwestern States, was also prepared for exhibition. The preparation and installation of these exhibits is duly accredited to the entomologist of the West Virginia Station.

Whenever money is available for the purpose a suitable insectary should be constructed, in order to continue experiments with girdled and felled timber, designed to learn methods of preventing losses from certain destructive insects, and for other purposes.

Very recently a new office, called the Bureau of Plant Industry, has been established as a part of the United States Department of Agriculture at Washington. One of the features of this Bureau is that of Horticulture, and our Prof. L. C. Corbett was offered that position at a salary considerably in advance of what he had. received as Horticulturist of our Experiment Station, a position which he had held since 1895. This was a very flattering offer and could not be refused, and so Prof. Corbett offered his resignation, which the Board of Regents accepted in March, to take effect May 1st, and the Director of the Station was authorized to secure some one as his successor.

The horticultural work of this Station, in addition to subjects

mentioned in other parts of this report, consists mainly of field experiments and investigations carried on under glass. The experiments in the green house have been a study of the effect of different fertilizers upon varieties of lettuce; a comparison between the flowering capacity of roses grown from flowering and blind wood cuttings, and experiments which have been conducted here for several years, to discover a practical method of destroying carnation rust. This is one of the most injurious fungus enemies of this important green house plant, and has been a serious obstacle to the profitable cultivation of it. The results of these experiments will be prepared for publication, as a bulletin of the Station by Prof. Corbett, sometime during this year.

Experiments have also been conducted in the Ohio Valley, in the Northern Panhandle counties, having in view the discovery of a remedy for bitter rot, which has seriously impaired the value of the apple crop in that portion of the State for several years. Thus far it has not yielded to any of the treatments administered, but the experiments are being continued, and new treatments are constantly being devised.

Three years ago fertilizer experiments were discontinued in the orchards on the experiment farm, and were carried into the sections of the State where commercial orcharding was being conducted. The owners of these orchards have generously afforded us every facility for carrying on experiments in their orchards, in which the Station is very fortunate, since much more elaborate, and at the same time, less expensive experiments can be planned and conducted than would be possible on our limited grounds. The fertilizer experiments, which are designed to determine the effect of different kinds of fertilizers in the case of young trees, upon the growth of wood and fruit, and in the case of old orchards to extend their years of usefulness, are being carried on by the Station,

Comprehensive and carefully planned experiments are being made upon several thousand trees to determine the best method for destroying the San Jose scale. The principal material used is petroleum or some of its products. About 800 trees in one orchard, all of which were more or less infested with this insect,

have beeen laid off in blocks and treated with a number of the crude distillates produced in the process of refining petroleum, which were used in pure and dilute form. Having in view the discovery of a staple, commercial material that would destroy this insect under all normal conditions, and which, when applied, would work no harm to the tree; a number of other experiments have been made in the use of combinations of refined high grade kerosene and the cheaper crude distillate oils, with different amounts of those less volatile products of petroleum, such as vaseline and paraffin.

In 1897 the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents, at my suggestion, empowered me to lease several acres of land in the glades of Preston county, for the purpose of extending experiments in cranberry culture, and also to make experimenes upon these lands in the production of such crops as cabbage, celery, squashes, onions, tobacco, etc. About five acres of land was rented from John W. Guseman for five years, at $50.00 per year. That portion of the land not devoted to cranberries was thoroughly tiledrained and these experiments have been going on. A complete report of this work will be very soon ready for publication. The cranberry work has been so encouraging that one of the large orchard companies, after making careful inquiry about the results, has planned to enter upon the culture of cranberries on a large scale. Along the Allegheny slopes, extending through a number of counties, is a very considerable area of this glade land, which has been shown by these experiments to be very valuable indeed for the production of the above mentioned crop, and we may reasonably expect to see them brought into profitable use in the near future.

On the first day of May, two years ago, an order of the Board of Regents confirming a sale of the old experiment farm to T. J. Gilmore, and the purchase of the farm now owned by the University from T. J. Meeks was made, after which much of the energies of the Agriculturist of the Station and his assistants was devoted to equipping this farm for future work, and in organizing field experiments, etc. Much of the work done in this way has been reported to the Board of Regents heretofore. Probably more money and labor was expended than would be approved by the

casual observer, but when we contemplate that these lands and equipments are to be used for this purpose for many years, I feel sure that the wisdom of the course pursued will be manifest.

Quite satisfactory progress has been made in poultry experiments, substantial equipments for which have already been provided. Whenever it can be done, an incubator and brooder house, suitable for the work, should be constructed. Plans and specifications for this structure have been prepared. The experiments in poultry have been largely along the line of studying the economic value of different foods for the production of meat and eggs, and much attention has been given to investigations of some of the important scientific problems that relate to incubation.

Some of

this work has already been reported in Bulletins heretofore referred to.

Valuable experiments have been made in feeding sheep, and in a study of some of the internal parasites prevalent in this part of the state among sheep, and experiments have been made to determine the value of certain treatments. This state is finely adapted to sheep culture, and any experiments that may lead to greater interest in it, and more substantial profit, are worthy of consideration. One great trouble with sheep husbandry is the fact that a large per cent of the sheep are put upon the market in a condition absolutely unfit for the block, and much of our work along this line ought to be devoted to discovering economical food rations and methods for improving the character of the stock.

Experiments have been planned and are underway at the Station that are designed to study thoroughly the use of several leguminous plants. such as clover, sand vetch and cow peas, particularly the latter, as economic means for improving the soil. This experiment evolves the study of a number of varieties of these plants. In relation to this study elaborate experiments are under way on this farm to study the comparative value of green manures alone and in combination with commercial fertilizers.

Another important set of experiments is being carried on to study the needs of the soils of the Experiment Station Farm, which represents, as disclosed by our soil analysis, a very large portion of the land under cultivation in the State, and in the same connection to observe the ultimate effects of continuous cropping,