MARYLAND. 83 



extent of soil areas in the State which contain an excess of soluble 

 salts, a matter which seems to have a similar bearing to the presence 

 of alkali in western soils. 



The horticulturist, who joined the station staff last year, has under- 

 taken considerable work, both at the station and elsewhere in the 

 State, giving special attention at the station to strawberries, carna- 

 tions, and blight-resistant potatoes, and in western Maryland to 

 apples. During the past year he has visited a considerable number of 

 cities to which Maryland fruit is shipped, and studied methods of 

 packing and marketing, for the purpose of pointing out to shippers 

 ways in which they can improve their practices. A cherry orchard of 

 19 varieties was started last spring, and a nut orchard containing 

 American and Japanese chestnuts, American and English walnuts, 

 butternuts, hickory nuts, pecans, and filberts. In the dairy division 

 the investigations previously started are being continued, and a 

 studv of the initial aciditv of milk has been undertaken to fix a basis 

 for determining when milk is too old for use. In the divisions of bot- 

 any, plant pathologv% and entomology the principal lines of work are 

 connected with the inspection work of the State. At the same time 

 there has been work in the study of plant diseases and investigations 

 relating to the ravages of the root maggot on cabbage. 



A progressive spirit pervades the operations of the Mar3dand Sta- 

 tion, and the evidences of the better appreciation of the value of its 

 work by the farmers of the State are multiplying. There is a con- 

 stantly increasing demand for its publications, and representatives 

 of important agricultural interests are seeking the advice and aid of 

 the station. 



LINES or WORK. 



The principal lines of work conducted at the Maryland Station dur- 

 ing the past year were as follows: Chemistry — analytical work, study 

 of cereals and soils; field experiments — tests of varieties of grasses, 

 forage crops, soil renovators, corn, potatoes, and wheat, cultural, fer- 

 tilizer, and inoculation experiments, breeding and selection of corn 

 and wheat; horticulture — orchard management, variety tests, cover 

 crops, cultural methods, breeding and selection of strawberries and 

 carnations, rotation of vegetables in the forcing house, .systematic 

 .study of fruit areas in Maryland; diseases of plants; feeding experi- 

 ments; dairying; diseases of animals; entomology — inspection of 

 orchards, and study of life history of injurious insects. 



