226 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



July 22, 1911. 



ual trees under observation, for a period of five years, 

 as this time is necessary for the investigations in view 

 of the fiict that variation in the yield of trees is caused 

 by influences in addition to those resulting from the 

 special characteristics of the plants. It is expected 

 that even the first years of the investiajation will afford 

 interesting and valuable results, and it is intended to 

 issue reports from time to time which will present 

 information concerning the progress of the work. The 

 co-operation of citrus growers is invited, and has indeed 

 been obtained already. For those who desire to make 

 observations for themselves, the following equipment is 

 .suggested: a fairly accurate, easily portable scale for 

 measurement; a set of rings for obtaining data for the 

 classification of the fruits in the different sizes; and 

 a note-book with a suitable tabular arrangement for 

 recording the data. In work of the kind, it is impor- 

 tant that all the fruit of any one tree should be picked 

 at one time, and the observations made as soon as this 

 has been done, by a responsible person who is likely to 

 be able to do the work continuously for several years. 



The data obtained during the past season show 

 that the i|nantity, quality and value of the fniityielded 

 by different, trees of the same variety, under uniform 

 conditions, vary greatly from plant to plant. The impor- 

 tant object of future work will be to determine if the 

 special characteristics of each tree are transmissible; 

 that is if the plants raised from material taken from 

 these trees show similar behaviour. An extension of the 

 work will be to propagate vegetatively plants from trees 

 showing superiority, and to make observations to find 

 out if this superiority is maintained in the progeny. 

 A subject (.f further investigation will be the determina- 

 tion of the influence of stocks on the development of 

 scions. This will all lead to the study of the selection 

 of seedlings for stocks, as well as of material for budding. 



In the expernueiits, the trees are marked conspicu- 

 ously, in a suitable manner, and a map of the plantation 

 is drawn which will make it easy for the selected plants to 

 be found when they are required for observation. At the 

 time of these, the tree is photographed, and all the fruit 

 is picked by an expert picker, under the supervision of 

 the experimenter: the tree is then again photographed 

 with the boxes of selected and graded fruit at the foot, 

 in a continuous row, slightly inclined so as to exhibit the 

 fruit. The first photograph gives an idea of the distri- 

 bution of fruit on the tree, while the second aftbrds useful 

 information concerning the quantity of good fruit which 

 it has yielded. 



In determining the quality of the fruit, that of 

 each tree is sorted into three grades by the experi- 

 menter; these are as follows: (1) orchard grade, 

 including all fruits of good size and shape, and without 

 injury or blemish; (2) standard grade, conipri--ing fruits 

 irregular in shape, or with blemish or discolouration, 

 but still suitable to be shipped as an inferior grade; 

 and (.5) fruits of such inferior shape or with blemishes 

 so marked that they are not fit for export. Of these 

 the first two are sized and placed in the boxes men- 

 tioned above. In this way, accurate information is 

 obtained as to the quality of the fruit from the tree, 

 and the inclusion of the two first grades, onn^, in the 

 photograph of the tree gives at a glance some idea of 

 the amount of saleable produce that it mav be expect- 

 ed to provide. The details of the information which is 

 finally obtained give the weight and numbers of the 

 fruits that have been selected into all the different 

 grades. 



Most of the work shortly described above has 

 been done with Washington Navel oranges. Investi- 

 gations of the same kind coidd well be carried out in 

 the West Indies in plantations of oranges and grape- 

 fruit, and even, to some extent, in those of limes; 

 although the citrus fruit trade of these islands is 

 small in comparison with that in California, while the 

 produce is not raised in such a systematic manner. 

 The need for these investigations ctn be readily under- 

 stood when it is considered that the yield from an orchard 

 ma}- be maintained on account of the superiority of 

 a few trees, while the others do not reach the averao-e 

 jDroduction and are thus being sunply maintained at 

 the expense of those having the better characteristics. 

 In addition to this, the matter is important in rela- 

 tion to the selection of bud material for future plant- 

 ing, in order that the citrus grower may be provided 

 with certainty, from the outset, with plants on which he 

 can rely to give profitable yields of a uniformly good 

 product. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



'J'he Imperial CounnissioucT of Agriculture jjro- 

 ceeded to luiglaiid, on duty leave, by the K.M.S. ' Magda- 

 lena', on July 1.5. 



Mr. F. W. South, B.A., Mycologist on the Statl'of 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture, left Bai-bidos 

 on July 14, by the S S. ' Sobo ' for the Northern Islands, 

 for the purpose of making investigations into the 

 fungus diseases of various crops. 



