BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 141 



year, not so much because of I he new facts that have been developed 

 as because of the extent to which the results of the work thus far 

 accomplished have been accepted by the citrus industry and used in 

 the management of the groves. While the year's work has resulted in 

 the accumulation of much additional corroborative information, the 

 feature which stands out most prominently is the evidence that has 

 developed during the past year that the progeny of the trees selected 

 as parent trees from which to propagate arc showing a remarkably 

 high degree of consistency in their fruit-producing characteristics. 

 Quite a number of the earlier trees propagated from selected parent 

 trees have nowf come into bearing. With practically no excep- 

 tions, these trees are showing great precocity in bearing and a high 

 degree of uniformity in the character, quality, and quantity of the 

 fruit. In further confirmation of the work, there is evidence also 

 from trees that were propagated from nonproductive trees. The 

 progeny from such jDarent trees, so far as they have come into bear- 

 ing, are showing the nonbearing habits of the parent trees from 

 which they were propagated. 



The most striking example of the way in which the citrus indus- 

 try is taking advantage of the results secured in this work, and the 

 confidence that is placed in it, has developed during the year. The 

 California Fruit Growers' Exchange, a cooperative organization 

 of 8,000 members and representing a large proportion of the citrus 

 industry in California, has established an office of bud selection, 

 placing a man in charge of this work. 



The aim of the exchange in this work is to aid the growers in 

 securing bud wood from carefully selected trees for use in working 

 over their nonproductive and otherwise undesirable trees. So great 

 is the importance placed by the exchange upon this work that it 

 is serving not only its own members but the independent growers 

 in the securing of suitably selected buds ; moreover, the demand for 

 nursery trees propagated from carefully selected buds has become 

 so great that the nurserymen who have propagated their stock accord- 

 ing to the old practice of selecting buds are having very material 

 difficulty in selling their trees. In this way practically all of the 

 citrus nurseries are being forced into the propagation of their 

 nursery stock from suitably selected parent trees. 



While relatively little progress has been made in the bud-selection 

 work with deciduous fruits, such evidence as has been accumulated 

 during the year tends to confirm the belief that the principles which 

 appear to underlie the improvement of citrus fruits through bud 

 selection are also applicable to deciduous fruits. 



POTATO BREEDING. 



The work with Irish potatoes has produced about 27,000 seedlings, 

 many of which are yet under tesfc. Studies of seed selection, cul- 

 tural methods, and varieties to determine their regional adaptability, 

 relative value, and merit for different uses, and certain cooking tests 

 from the variety standpoint are also included in the potato investi- 

 gations. 



HEMP IMPROVEMENT. 



Growers of hemp and flax state that the most efficient aid this 

 Department can give to these industries is in securing adequate sup- 



