Vol. X. No. 239. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



207 



with any vigour, lie considered it different from the areca 

 fungu.s, and worthy of being regarded as a new species. The 

 areca fungus could not attack cacao pods vigorously, but both 

 caused the death of many of the host plants of Phi/tophthora 

 onmivora, especially when in the seedling stage. This last 

 point is interesting, as it may well be that the cacao fungus, 

 P. Faberi, common in the West Indies, is responsible for the 

 damping off of various seedlings — an occurrence frequently 

 noted in some of these islands in the wet weather. In 

 addition, the extension of the list of host plants of the cacao 

 fungus is always a matter of importance, for it has recently 

 been shown that the same fungus also causes canker of Hevea 

 and inimortel, in Ceylon, and attacks the fruits of the former 

 and the bread fruit. (See Agricultural News, Vol. X, p. 78.) 



PLANT INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED 



STATES. 



The following extracts contain a few of the many 

 matters of interest to which reference is made in the Report 

 of the Acting Chief of the Bureau, of Plant Industry, United 

 States Department of Agriculture, for 1910: — 



WORK WITH NODULEKORMiNi; BACTERIA Purs Cultures 

 of nodule-forming bacteria for inoculating legumes have l>een 

 distributed during the year, and additional data have been 

 gathered concerning the limitations of successful inoculation. 

 Especially with alfalfa in the eastern States, it has been 

 found that successful inoculation is correlated very clo.sely 

 with the reaction of the soil to neutral litmus paper The 

 inoculation of crimson clover seems to show no correlation 

 with the litmus reaction, while the inoculation of vetch is 

 about half-way between these extremes. More detailed field 

 work in connexion with the experimental distribution of pure 

 cultures for inoculating legumes will be undertaken during 

 the coming year. 



REL.\TI0X OF ACIDITY OF SOILS TO l.RAZIXC PLANTS. In 



the progress of the cooperative experiments between the 

 Forest Service and the Bureau of Plant Industry on the 

 artificial re-seeding of denuded grazing lands in the National 

 Forest, it had been found in 1908 and 1909 that 

 the failure of certain forage plants on certain experimental 

 areas could not well be attributed to improper conditions of 

 moisture and temperature. On the suspicion that the con- 

 spicuous differences of success or failure might have been 

 caused by dift'erences in the acidity of the soil, a study of the 

 acidity of these areas was made in 1910, with wholly con- 

 clusive results. It was found that the areas on which 

 Kentucky bluegrass and timothy failed were acid, and that on 

 these same areas redlop grew with great success. It was 

 found, on the other hand, that the areas on which redtop 

 made a poor growth and timothy and Kentucky bluegrass 

 .succeeded were neutral or slightly alkaline in their chemical 

 reaction. It is clear from the season's study that acidity of 

 the soil is a factor of the greatest importance, hitherto 

 unconsidered, in the seeding of the.se mountain grazing lands. 

 Hereafter, experimental sowings will be made with reference 

 to conditions of acidity as well as those <jf temperature and 

 moisture. 



Fortunately, nature herself has furnished a guide to the 

 acidity of these areas. There are certain wild plants which 

 grow only on acid lands, others which grow only on neutral 

 or alkaline lands, and the presence or absence of these indica- 

 tive plants is an excellent practical guide for field work. 



TESTING METHODS OP CORN BREEliING. The varioUS 



methods of corn breeding that have been put to practical 



tests during the past ten years are showing their comparative 

 merits. The yields of this fall will show the relative produc- 

 tion of corn that has been undergoing improvement by differ- 

 ent methods of close breeding and crossing. It is well estab- 

 lished that the retention of half the seed of ears tested as to 

 production is important. It allows further testing under 

 different sea.sonal conditions and isolation or cro.ssing of indi- 

 viduals of improved merit. Indications have been found that 

 power to yield well is, with corn, a Mendelian character and 

 that when two homozygous individuals, related or unrelated, 

 are mated the progeny produces heavily. 



FLi>RiDA CITRUS FRUITS. Field investigations were made 

 a feature of the season's work. In several districts the 

 Bureau workers made careful inspections of the work of pick- 

 ing gangs and packing houses, pointing out the amount of 

 injury due to careless work and the effect of such injuries. 

 As a result of these demonstrations and instructions, the work 

 done by picking gangs showed material improvement duriag 

 the season. 



The results of the washing experiments show consider- 

 able variation, depending upon the character of the work. In 

 some sections only slight decay resulted from the washing of 

 fruit, while in others where the work was carelessly done, 

 a material loss from decay followed. Where the machinery 

 was operated at high s|iiBed, or where the .^yash water was not 

 changed often enough to ensure cleanliness, decay was alway.s 

 materially increased. An appreciable percentage of long 

 stems in the fruit to be washed always resulted in increased 

 decay. A summary of all the data obtained shows that washing 

 increases the chance for decay, and should only be resorted to 

 when absolutely necessary to place the fruit in marketable 

 condition. When fruit must be washed, the work should be 

 done with the greatest care, both in the handling and the 

 operation of the machinery, and in using clean water. 



The shipping experiments consisted of the forwarding of 

 a series of boxes to Washington, each series containing care- 

 fully handled and selected fruits, packed very carefully under 

 the supervision of the Bureau workers, and the same fruit 

 picked, handled and packed under ordinary commercial 

 packing-house conditions. The eft'ect of delay in packing 

 and shipping was investigated. Inspections were made on 

 the day of arrival at Washington, and one, two and three 

 weeks thereafter, the fruit being held under ordinary market 

 conditions. While the data obtained this season are rather 

 meagre, they are consistent and clean-cut, and show (1) that 

 the least decay follows immediate packing and shipping; 

 (2) that there is least decay in carefully handled and packed 

 fruit, and most in injured fruit; and (3) that less decay follows 

 delay in packing carefully picked and handled fruit than in 

 packing commercially handled or injured fruit. 



The following list of goats for sale in Barbados and 

 Dominica is published for general information: — 



In Barbados, to be obtained from Mr. Tom Planning: 

 ewe, 153 lb., by Black Rock, the imported Anglo-Nubian, 

 guaranteed to give 8 pints, now in kid to Rajah, the 

 imported Indian goat; ewe, 178 lb., by Rajah, guaranteed to 

 give 6 pints; ewe 138 Bb. by Rajah, has given six pints for 

 over seven months, due to kid shortly from Jensen, a pure- 

 bred Toggenburg imported in 1910; ewe, 135 H)., by Bruce, 

 the imported pure-bred Toggenburg, with 2 kids from Jensen; 

 ewe, 99 B)., by Rajah, now in kid to Rajah. 



In Dominica, to be obtained from the Curator of the 

 Botanic Station: ram, born August 14, 1908, by Wallace, the 

 pure-bred Toggenburg. 



