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Show Utah Biennial Agr. Report Released Here Logan Widespread help through research given to f armers arm-ers and others dependent upon agriculture for a livelihood is shown in the biennial report of Utah Agricultural Experiment Station for 1948-50, just published publish-ed and released by Dr. R. H. Walker, director. The Experiment Station is one of the three divisions of Utah State Agricultural College and is supported by both state and federal fed-eral appropriations as well as by gifts from private concerns, Dr. Walker said. Scientists of the station are now conducting research on 127 problems of concern to western agriculture, according to the report. re-port. These investigations are made in every part of the state. The solution of the problems involved in-volved will mean increased agricultural agri-cultural income and a better standard of living for the farmers farm-ers and others. While some of the questions being investigated are of long standing, other projects are new, having been initiated to solve problems that have arisen with the development of new agricultural agricul-tural industries or the expansion of old ones with the changing times. For example, the growth in importance im-portance of turkey production has created many problems, some of which are now being investigated in-vestigated by the Experiment Station. Research is new being conducted on the development of a breed of turkeys better suited to Intermountain conditions. The cause and control of certain serious ser-ious turkey diseases are also being be-ing studied. The Station is continuing con-tinuing earlier research into economical eco-nomical turkey feeds and on the use of oxygen to increase the hatchability of turkey eggs. Utah's agriculture is rapidly becoming more intensive and more highly specialized. The intensive in-tensive use of the soil creates more soil management problems, more insect pests, more plant and animal diseases. Continued irrigation creates difficulties of i drainage. Changes of population popula-tion create marketing problems. I New research projects have been initiated by the Experiment Station Sta-tion to help solve many of these problems. Among these are ' studies of insect pollination; soil moisture studies; study of factors involved in the deterioration of irrigated soils; studies of new insecticides, in-secticides, weedicides, and hormone hor-mone sprays; studies of virus diseases di-seases of plants andSanimals, research re-search into the improvement of domestic animals through breeding; breed-ing; use of radioisotopes in the tudyof reproduction; nutritional studies of the development of the non-game fisheries resources of Utah as a source of cheap protein pro-tein supplements for poultry and other domestic animals. Other investigations have been concluded and the results made available to the public in the publications of the Experiment Station. Studies of the cost and efficiency of producing celery and peaches have been published aong with a study of consumer preference for peaches of varying degrees of maturity. A study of the vitamin content of peas was also published and one on nutrient nu-trient deficiencies found in Utah archards. In irrigation and drainage, studies were completed and published pub-lished on the drainage districts in the state and on reclamation of saline-alkali soils in the Delta Area by leaching. Other publications were issued on weeds, poisonous plants, pollen pol-len and nectar plants, on growing grow-ing alfalfa for seed, and one on selecting and using fertilizers. A study of what the development develop-ment of the waters of the Colorado Colo-rado River will mean to Utah agriculture wa6 completed and published during the biennium. The research of Utah Agricultural Agricul-tural Experiment Station is under un-der the direction of Dr. R. H. Walker and is conducted by 125 staff members. However, many of these scientists are also on the college teaching staff and spend only part of their time in researih. Thirty-three are employed em-ployed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture but work under the direction of the Station. The report relates briefly accomplishments ac-complishments of some of the research; a list of research projects; proj-ects; organization of the station; the location of the research work; the cooperative agreements with other agencies, the publications publica-tions issued, a list of the staff, and a financial report. Copies may be obtained free by writing to the Station at Logan. |