66 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



and cherries, fresh prunes, and red raspberries in Oregon and Wash- 

 ington. The investigation of different methods of precooling table 

 grapes, red raspberries, cherries, and fresh prunes in advance of 

 shipment is also an important feature of this v^ork. 



The general principles underlying the relation of careful handling 

 to the sound shipping and holding qualities of fruits have been found 

 to apply to all classes of fruits thus far investigated, including even 

 such perishable products as cherries and red raspberries. 



VITICUL.TURAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



The experimental vineyards established in different sections of 

 California continue to yield important results, especially in deter- 

 mining the adaptability of various Vinifera grape varieties to differ- 

 ent soil and climatic conditions. 



FRUIT-DISTRICT INVESTIGATIONS. 



The fruit-district work has been extended to cover the regions of 

 Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, northern Texas, and portions of New 

 Mexico and Colorado. Ten years' phenological data have been ac- 

 cumulated and the results are being tabulated. 



ARLINGTON EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 



The Arlington Farm, which is the department's field laboratory 

 in plant industry, is the largest intensive enterprise of this character 

 in America. The farm is equipped with barns, tool sheds, and mod- 

 ern implements and is manned with men and teams for conducting 

 the field investigations of more than 20 distinct offices and bureaus 

 of the department. Besides this equipment there is upon the farm a 

 bank of greenhouses consisting of 20 separate rooms or units devoted 

 to experimental research work. A modern gravity brine-system cold- 

 storage plant with a capacity of 700 barrels has been installed. Two 

 types of drying apparatus, one for steam and one for direct currents 

 of hot air, have been provided, as well as a plant for sterilizing soil 

 and boiling spray mixtures. 



TRUCK-CROP INVESTIGATIONS. 



The development and maintenance of standard commercial va- 

 rieties of vegetables particularly adapted to specific purposes is well 

 under way with lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, and 

 potatoes. During the last 3^ear standard commercial varieties of 

 potatoes have been grown in each of the important commercial 

 potato-growing regions. This stock has all been grown on the hill- 

 selection tuber-unit basis. The work under way in the development 



