Eeport of the President. 9 



III. In Horticulture the Federal_^Experiment Station work has 

 comprised investigations into (a) the propagation of the sour cherry, 



(b) the influence of shade on plants (continued from last year), 



(c) whether acetylene light is to be a factor in the forcing of plants, (d) 

 the oriental pears and their hybrids in relation to adaptation and 

 commercial value, and (e) among minor investigations, tests of the 

 newer vegetables, the forcing of strawberries, and greenhouse crops. 

 Under the head of extension work in horticulture there are for report 

 (a) the orchard survey, which was continued in Niagara county 

 during the summer of 1905, (b) the investigation of horticultural 

 industries, particularly the grape industry which has suffered in 

 recent years from root-killmg and epidemics of fungous diseases. 

 The department has collected some valuable information on these 

 subjects, which will soon be presented in bulletin form, (c) Extension 

 teaching throughout the State and at the University, including 

 addresses before granges, farmers' clubs, and institutes by special 

 request of these organizations and lectures to the winter-course 

 students in agriculture. To meet an increasing demand for special 

 winter-course instruction in horticulture, courses in fruit growing, 

 vegetable gardening, and floriculture have been arranged for the 

 winter of 1906. 



IV. The most important features of the Experiment Station 

 work in entomology were the completion of the study of the grape- 

 berry moth and the investigation of two comparatively new shade- 

 tree pests and of the bronze birch borer, insects which have wrought 

 great destruction in parks and on private grounds throughout the 

 State. Their life histories have been studied and practical methods 

 of combating the pests have been found and tested. Co-operative 

 experiments (State extension work) have also been conducted at 

 different points throughout the State looking to the control of insect 

 pests, such as the gTape root-worm, the plum and quince curculios, 

 and the rose-chafer, and some valuable results have been attained. 

 The entomologist further reports the appearance in many sections 

 of the State of the dreaded San Jos€ scale and with a view to aiding 

 the fruit growers of the State in combating this evil, he has recently 

 started a series of experiments with the new soluble petroleums against 

 this scale insect. 



V. In the department of agricultural chemistry work under the 

 Federal fund has been devoted to the examination of samples of 

 sweet corn for sugar content, with the resulting discovery that sugar 

 content may be increased by proper selection of seed, and to analyses 

 of samples of cabbage and root crops in cooperation with the depart- 



