162 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE BULLETINS. 



The black ash is preferable to the white ash for ornameut. It thrives 

 here on upland. 



For floral display the yellow wood is the finest tree on the list. 



The bald cypress was injured a little a year ago. 



The plane tree is not often enough planted. Its Old World congener^ 

 Platanus orientalis, is not hardy. 



The American mountain ash, Pyrus Americana, is probably as good as the 

 European, but we have not grown it. Trees purchased for the American 

 species prove to be the European one. 



II. HORTICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS AND LISTS OF RECENT ACQUISITIONS 



IN FRUITS. 



Although the Department has no sjoecial means for the conducting of 

 experiments, several lines of investigations have been inaugurated. Sugges- 

 tions and aid from the fruit-growers of the State are solicited. It is 

 especially desired that those who originate new fruits or vegetables, or who 

 have old fruits not on our lists and which are worthy of trial, should send 

 us plants, scions, or seeds of the same. Accurate and minute record will be 

 kept of each variety, and an honest trial will be given. A synopsis of 

 horticultural experiments is appended, the series being arranged about in 

 the order of their importance. In each series we have under way one or 

 more experiments, according to our means for conducting them. 



SYNOPSIS OF HORTICULTUKAL EXPERIMENTS. 



Series A. Acclimation and adaptation of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables 

 of acknowledged merit in one or more directions, both exotic and from foreign por- 

 tions of the United States, will be grown and tested, and their acclimation will be 

 attempted in some cases. 



Series B. Improvement of native wild fruits. 



Series C. Impi'ovement of fruits and vegetables by crossing and hybridizing. 



Series D. Experiments to determine limits of crossing and best methods of manipula- 

 tion. 



Series E. Mutual relations between stock and scion, and limits within which grafting 

 is possible and profitable. 



Series F. Experiments upon methods and possibilities of propagation by all methods 

 of making cuttings, layers, etc. These experiments will have especial reference to 

 the propagation of native wild plants. This subject, and that outlined in Series G, 

 although old, are very imperfectly understood. 



Series O. Germination experiments, concerning behavior of seeds and germination, 

 especially in wild plants. Experiments to determine the effect of cold upon seeds 

 are now In progress. 



Series H. Imjjrovement of native wild plants for ornamental purposes. 



Series I. Effects of soils, selection and culture upon variability of plants. 



Series J. Studies upon Classification, Terminology, and Nomenclature of fruits and 

 vegetables. 



Series K. Synonymy. It is a conspicuous fact that many or most of the seedman's 

 novelties are old varieties or very sUght and unimportant modifications of tliem 

 under new names. It becomes the business of experimenters to test all varieties of 

 every product side by side, and to determine some standard or measure for each 

 variety. It is impossible to undertake experiments in this line upon more than one 

 kind of vegetable at a time with ordinary facilities. All American varieties of to- 

 matoes are being gx-own this year. 



Series L. Special observations upon the behavior of individual plants and varieties. 



Series M. Studies concerning the influence of latitude upon vegetation; also observa- 

 tions for determining minimum and maximum periods of plant activity. 



Series N. Methods and modifications of grafting and budding. 



Series O. Testing commercial varieties of fruits and vegetables. 



Series P. Tools and methods of culture. 



