REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST. 



To the Director of the Cornell University Agriadticral Experiment 

 Statio7i : 

 Sir: 



The past year has been a prosperous one for the Horticultural 

 Division. The area set aside for orchards and gardens has 

 been placed under culture, and permanent hnprovements have 

 been made upon the greater part of it. Plantations have been 

 made of all fruits suited to the climate, in considerable variety. 

 The primary object in the setting of the fruit is the determination 

 of certain points in culture and treatment, rather than the mere 

 testing of varieties. An orchard of pears and plums has been set 

 upon land which has never received stable manure, and it is de- 

 signed to maintain it solely upon commercial fertilizers and meth- 

 ods of cropping. 



The origination of varieties of fruits and vegetables is designed 

 as the leading perennial experiment of the department. Already 

 great quantities of seeds of fruits have been sown. The Ignotum 

 tomato, a superior variety, which originated with the writer 

 in 1887, has been further selected and tested, and this year it has 

 been put upon the market. Endeavors towards the origination of 

 varieties demand the study of all features of the variation of 

 plants under culture. Extensive labors have been inaugurated 

 in hybridization and crossing, particularly in the CuairbitacecB , 

 the pumpkin and melon family. Hybridization is little understood 

 in plants of this family, although much discussed. So extensive 

 have been the studies among these plants during the past year, 

 that several acres will be required the coming season upon which 

 to grow the crosses and selections. 



Large and satisfactory tests have been made upon tomatoes and 

 egg-plants ; and the leading results of the studies of tomatoes have 

 been published in a bulletin. Extensive tests have also been made 

 upon the influence of many fertilizers in hastening maturity of 

 plants. These, and several other experiments which we have in 

 hand, must run through several years before definite reports can 

 be made. 

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