' • BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 329 



has developed an interesting correlation betAveen the color of the 

 young foliage of the vines and the color of their fruit. The seedlings 

 while young were separated into two lots, one having yellowish young 

 shoots, the other reddish shoots. Without exception the fruiting 

 vines of the former produce light-colored fruit, while the latter 

 produce dark fruit. 



Field surveys bring out the following facts: Interest in the Ro- 

 tundifolia grapes is increasing; outside of local consumption and 

 limited shipments for immediate consumption and table use the 

 Rotundifolia grapes are used entirely for wine purposes for which 

 white varieties only are in demand ; the dark varieties bear best ; the 

 adaptability of varieties to localities has not been determined ; a great 

 difference in the saccharine and acid content of the several varieties 

 exists, but no great difference in this respect is noted in the varieties 

 themselves grown in different localities; black-rot injury on Rotundi- 

 folia is spreading rapidly. 



FRUIT-DISTRICT INVESTIGATIONS. 



There have been no material changes during the past year in the 

 several lines of work which comprise the fruit-district " group " of 

 projects. Mr. H. P. Gould has continued in charge of these investi- 

 gations, aided by Mr. W. F. Fletcher. 



Adaptability of fruit varieties to environment. — In order to 

 meet a constantly growing demand for information relative to differ- 

 ent fruit-growing regions, the conditions influencing successful fruit 

 culture in them, the varieties best adapted to those conditions, etc., 

 it has been the policy for several years past to make a general study 

 each season of some important fruit-growing region which has not 

 previously been investigated in the present connection. Some of the 

 important sections of the western slope of Colorado were thus in- 

 vestigated during the past year. 



As previously noted, similar investigations have been in progress 

 for several years in the region which comprises that portion of Okla- 

 homa between the Ozarks and the Great Plains, that part of Kansas 

 which lies east of the Great Plains, and the southeastern part of 

 Nebraska, and these investigations were continued during the season 

 of 1910. 



Though adverse climatic conditions in the spring resulted in light 

 crops in most of the orchards, fairly good progress was made in the 

 accumulation of data relating to the adaptability of fruit varieties. 

 It is hoped that one more season's work will complete the field in- 

 vestigations of this region. 



Dry-land ranch fruit gardens. — The garden at Akron, Colo., 

 maintained in cooperation with the Office of Dry-Land Agriculture 

 Investigations, has not been materially increased during the past 

 year. Several varieties each of raspberries, strawberries, currants, 

 and gooseberries were planted. 



The garden at present consists of 162 fruit trees comprising a num- 

 ber of varieties of apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries. 



A large number of small fruits, including in addition to those just 

 mentioned blackberries, dewberries, juneberries, buffalo berries, and 

 various others, have been planted. The growth is fully satisfactory, 



