Report on the Agricultural Experiment Stations, 1951 Page: 48
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48 REPORT ON EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 1951
discoloration. A second method is to soak tubers in a weak solution
of bisulfite, preferably sodium bisulfite, or to dip them in a stronger
solution of the same chemical.
Considerable time was spent by the Rhode Island station in constructing
a constant temperature bath and other apparatus for
respiration studies in order to gain a better understanding of the
physiological functions of the apple. Limited data indicate that
respiration of apples is greatly reduced by dipping them in a mineraloil
emulsion. Bruising increased respiration slightly, but dipping
the fruit in wax did not affect the rate of respiration to any great
degree.
In 1949, 70 samples of farmers' stock peanuts were collected at
random by the Alabama station in the Peanut Belt. These were
evaluated with respect to moisture content, grade, and viability at
time of collection and after 3 and 6 months in uniform storage. A
wide variation in quality was revealed. The most important factor
affecting this variation appeared to be moisture content at time of
collection.
Additional feeding trials were conducted by the Oklahoma station
in an attempt to discover the weed or weeds causing "skunkweed" odor
in butter. It was found that cows kept in a dry lot and fed a combination
of wild carrot (Spermolepis echinatus) and mule's tail (Erigeron
canadensis) consistently gave cream with the skunkweed defect, which
is detected by churning the cream into butter and observing the product
for development of a skunky odor. A cow fed on wild carrot
and freshly cut grass gave cream that occasionally showed the defect.
Cows grazed on pasture that had been sprayed with a chemical weed
killer produced cream free from the defect, whereas cows grazed on
unsprayed pasture produced skunkweed-flavored cream.
OTHER ECONOMIC RESEARCH
Agriculture cannot accomplish what is expected of it without seeking
continuously to find new and more efficient ways to use labor
and material resources at hand. The various factors that affect the
income and economic status of rural people, are, therefore, subject
to constant study and reappraisal by the State experiment stations.
Economic research at the stations develops information that guides
farmers in decisions concerning profitable management of the farm
business and the most advantageous use of land and other resources
in the light of changing conditions. Such research includes studies
on ways whereby labor and materials can be most effectively used;
on profitable crops and enterprises and their best combination according
to soil and climatic conditions and location; and on financial
practices most suited to farmers' needs and to minimize the risks
of jeopardizing their financial position. It also furnishes guides
in selecting farms best suited for the type of farming to be followed.
Satisfactory rental agreements as well as forces, policies, and programs
affecting farmers, and ways and means whereby farmers can
use their resources most effectively to meet national needs effectively in
periods of emergency as well as in times of peace, are developed. Several
representative examples of results obtained through this kind of
research follow.
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United States. Office of Experiment Stations. Report on the Agricultural Experiment Stations, 1951, book, January 1952; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5991/m1/50/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.