No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 487 



for the entire period was 48 bushels of corn, 52 bushels of oats, 20 

 bushels of wheat and 2.7 tons of hay ; the average of the last seven 

 years since the adoption of the new method, has been 73 bushels of 

 corn, 56 bushels of oats, 37 bushels of wheat and 3.7 tons of hay. 

 Figuring the total value of the increase at the average of prices for 

 the past few years we get a total of |64.00 for the gain. The cost of 

 treatment we have seen is $14.00. The net gain therefore would be 

 150.00 per acre for the four crops of the rotation, or $12.50 per acre 

 for each crop each year. This is a greater net return than has been 

 received from any of the plots under test at the Ohio Station, and 

 demonstrates conclusively that good tilling and thorough fertilization 

 are fully as practicable and applicable to large as to small areas. 



KEPOKT OF THE BOTANIST 



By PROF. W. A. BUCKHOUT 



The activities of your Botanist have been directed entirely to cor- 

 respondence. "This varies little from year to year, and generally 

 runs somewhat parallel to the season. Some lines of inquiry are not 

 at all seasonal, but those most frequent are. In spring and fall 

 specimens of seed for purity and character are quite abundant, and 

 during the height of the growing season weeds or conspicuous native 

 plants for naming come in quite rapidly, generally coupled with the 

 inquiry, how can they be exterminated? 



Of the miscellaneous inquiries, those relating to special crops are 

 the commonest, and of them mushrooms and ginseng take the lead. 



Of the former, the following correspondence expresses my judg- 

 ment so tersely that I venture to quote it entire, although the context 

 shows that it has already been in print: 



To Kaise Mushrooms 



To the Editor of "The Press." 



Sir: — Can you give rae an answer to the following questions re- 

 garding mushrooms? 



1. Are they hard to raise? 



2. Is raising them profitable? 



3. Is there a good market for them? 



4. What price do they bring? 



Will be glad to receive any information you can give me on this 

 subject. 



A. F. H. 



Philadelphia, August 29, 1910. 



This question was submitted to the Pennsylvania State College, and 

 Mr. W. A. Buckhout, of the Department of Botany of that institution, 

 sends the following reply: 



