Communications. 309 



that special fertilization must be considered a factor of more than 

 ordinary importance in fruit calture. Of course, sugar alone 

 does not control the quality, yet the fact that its amount can be 

 altered by fertilization shows the existence of still untried modes 

 of treatment to promote the interests of horticulture ; for what 

 has been noticed to affect the quantity of sugar may, by some 

 modification, prove efficient in regard to other constituents. 



The entire vineyard has been for several years fertilized, with 

 satisfactory results, with fifty pounds of soluble phosphoric acid, 

 one hundred pounds of potassium oxide in form of muriate of 

 potash, twenty-five pounds of nitrogen in form of Chili salt- 

 petre, — sodium nitrate, — and twenty pounds of magnesium oxide 

 in form of crude sulphate of magnesia, or kieserite. 



Experiments WITH Strawberries. — The varieties used for 

 the experiment were the President Wilder and the Charles Down- 

 ing. In the case of the Wilder strawberry the following fertil- 

 izer was used per acre : three hundred pounds of rectified 

 Peruvian guano, two hundred and fifty pounds of dissolved bone- 

 black, and two hundred pounds of muriate of potash. The fol- 

 lowing analyses convey a good idea of the difference in ash 

 constituents between the common wild variety, without special 

 manures, and the cultivated variety. The Wilder was raised with 

 the aid of the above-mentioned fertilizers. I. Ashes of the fruit 

 of the wild strawberry (Richardson). 11. Same of fertilized 

 Wilder strawberry (College grounds): 



I. II. 



Potassium oxide 38.38 per cent. 54 . 07 per cent. 



Calcium oxide 25.8!) " 14.79 " 



Magnesium oxide trace 8.92 " 



Ferric oxide 10. oG " 1.91 " 



Phosphoric acid 20.30 " 20.31 " 



The common wild strawberry contains usually one part acid to 

 two of sugar, whilst it changes in the cultivated varieties from 

 one of acid to four and more of sugar. 



The experiments with the Downing variety were carried out 

 for the purpose of studying the effect of five different kinds of 

 special chemical manures on the ash constituents of this variety 



