EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 77 



tomatoes and potatoes, besides a variety of other vegetables were 

 shown. Owing to the illness of the regular superintendent, my assistant. 

 Mr. M. L. Dean, was asked to take charge of the horticultural hall, includ- 

 ing all of the exhibits of fruit and flowers, and he spent one week in this 

 capacity. Under his direction a very creditable exhibit was made and his 

 duties were per formed to the satisfaction of the exhibitors and the officials 

 of the fair. 



In addition to arranging and caring for the College exhibit, Mr. Fulton 

 and the writer acted as judges in this department. 



COOPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS. 



In my last report, reference to a line of experiments that were being car- 

 ried on in the orchard of C. E. Hadsell of Troy, was made. The season 

 was quite favorable to the growth of the trees and no difference was per- 

 ceptible between those that were cultivated and those left in sod, nor did 

 the manure and fertilizers have any appreciable effect, except Avhere it was 

 applied to the sod and there the effect was quite marked. Considering 

 the condition of the trees the previous year, the crop of fruit secured was 

 very satisfactory. Many of them bore full crops and most of them had 

 at least a half crop. The fruit was quite free from scab and contained very 

 few insects, while the foliage showed no injury from canker worms or teni- 

 caterpillars. The apples showed excellent keeping qualities, and owing 

 to their freedom from insect and other troubles brought the highest price 

 in the market. 



The experiment is being continued this year along the same lines as lasi 

 with equally good prospects for success. Iu fact, as a result of the 

 treatment given last year, the trees are making a much better growth, and 

 nearly all of them have set a full crop of fruit. While neighboring un- 

 sprayed orchards had the foliage entirely eaten off by canker worms no 

 signs of their work could be detected in the Hadsell orchard, and up to the 

 time of writing no injury from scab or codling moths was apparent. 



In Lenawee county, the work was taken up in a number of orchards, and 

 experiments iu tillage, spraying and the use of fertilizers are being carried 

 on. At South Haven, in addition to the work being done at the sub 

 station, experiments with fertilizers on both apple and peach orchards are 

 under way. 



The results that have been secured from the sending out of trees and 

 plants for trial, have not been generally satisfactory, as very few reports 

 have been received, and in many cases the plants died or the labels were 

 lost so that no report could be made. 



For the future it is proposed to confine this work to a few localities 

 where a general supervision can be kept. With this end in view only a few 

 collections of trees, strawberry plants and potatoes were sent out this 

 spring. 



During the year a report of the work at the South Haven sub-station 

 and bulletins giving the results of the variety tests of strawberries and of 

 garden vegetables were issued. A revised spraying bulletin was also 

 published. 



The correspondence that has come to the department has required a 



