152 ANNUAL KEPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the subsequent behavior of fruits and vegetables when hekl under 

 different conditions. 



In connection with the storage life history of fruits, work on the 

 internal browning of Yellow Newtown apples in the Pajaro Valley 

 in California has been continued. While no definite conclusions have 

 been reached as to the cause of the browning, it has been shown that 

 apples from trees which habitually produce fruit with a tendency to 

 develop the browning have a lower acid content and also a lower ash 

 content than apples from trees in the same orchard which habitually 

 produce fruit showing little or no tendency to develop the browning. 



, STOCKS FOR FRUIT TREES. 



The fruit-tree stock investigations, which represent what we con- 

 sider one of the most important phases of the fruit-production work, 

 have received much less attention than their importance merits. 



The past spring several hundred stocks each of French Crab, My- 

 robalan, and St. Julian plum, French pear, mahaleb, and mazzard 

 cherry seedling stocks imported from France were lined out in nur- 

 sery rows for use in connection with the fruit-tree stock work. Seeds 

 in varying quantity of some 25 different species of Pyrus, Malus, 

 and Prunus were also planted in nursery rows. 



NUT INVESTIGATIONS. 



The principal nut activities during the year were in connection 

 with the pecan industry. While limited consideration has been given 

 to the adaptability of different kinds and varieties of nuts to different 

 regions of the country, this work has been largely incidental. 



The pecan work has been prosecuted along three main lines, 

 namely, an investigation of the range of adaptability of the species, 

 the adaptability of varieties to different regions and conditions, and 

 cultural problems. The first two features are mainly in continuation 

 of work previously inaugurated. Another season's performance rec- 

 ords of trees of bearing age representing several of the leading varie- 

 ties in southern Georgia have been secured. Some small test or- 

 chards representing a number of different varieties have been estab- 

 lished for the purpose of securing information in regard to the 

 adaptability of certain varieties to particular regions within the rec- 

 ognized pecan territory, these varieties being such as have not been 

 grown previously in the regions represented by the test orchards. 

 Two of these test orchards are located well outside the generally 

 recognized range of the species, at points where seeding trees planted 

 a generation or more ago have given indications which seem favor- 

 able to the development of pecan growing in these regions. 



The irrigation system which was started in an orchard in southern 

 Georgia has been practically completed, so that applications of water 

 can be made in case of drought. 



POTATOES FOR STARCH. 



In our studies on potato decay it has been found that the starch 

 is /lOt destroyed by the common decay-producing fungi or by freez- 

 ing. In laboratory tests it is possible to recover most of the starch 

 from frozen and rotten potatoes, which suggests that an attempt 



