BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 409 



It is planned to amplify this work along lines already developed as a 

 testing ground conveniently accessible to the laboratories. 



It is planned to continue the Arlington work in its present main 

 features during the next year. The variety of plants under study will 

 be steadily augmented and the necessary increase in running expenses 

 incident to a broader range of investigations will be slight when com- 

 pared with the greater results obtained. 



Work in South Carolina. — The work in South Carolina, carried 

 on by Mr. T. B. Young, has been confined, as heretofore, to a small 

 number of trial crops, among which are promising types of peppers. 

 The drought of last season had a depressing efi'ect on pepper growing 

 as well as on other farm activities, but conditions are more promising 

 for the current season. Larger areas are being planted and pepper 

 growing as a side interest seems to be viewed with increased favor. 

 The red-pepper work is sufficiently advanced to show that results com- 

 paring favorably with standard crops can be expected. It remains to 

 study the effect of the seasonal variations of diflferent fertilizer for- 

 mulse and other cultural details on yield and quality of product. The 

 financial results so far obtained promise to equal those obtained pre- 

 viously with paprika. 



During the coming year it is planned to continue the development 

 of red-pepper growing and to bring forward other new and promising 

 special crops. 



Work in Florida. — The work in Florida, carried on by Mr. S. C. 

 Hood, is chiefly concerned with the camphor investigations. The 

 work on the various plants yielding volatile oils has been pushed for- 

 ward with the object of getting areas sufficient to demonstrate com- 

 mercial possibilities. It is hoped that several of the sorts under study 

 will prove to be profitable when grown on the crop basis. The native 

 horsemint and bergamot mint, as well as certain of the Indian oil 

 grasses, may be mentioned. 



The work of the coming year will continue to deal largely with 

 plants producing volatile oils. As preliminary tests seem to justify, 

 the work will be extended to small commercial tests. 



Work in Wisconsin. — Experimental work in Wisconsin on a large 

 variety of drug plants, carried on by Mr. G. A. Kussell, seems to have 

 shown that for many important kinds the rigorous conditions of the 

 North are too extreme for the most favorable results. The work on 

 the utilization of fireweed has been continued. The product has been 

 tested with reference to its use in the plant industry, and has called 

 forth most favorable comments. The extension of the test to put it 

 on a commercial basis is desirable. The installation of shaded beds 

 during the year has widened the scope of the work by making it pos- 

 sible to test plants of woodland origin. The development of the most 

 promising products on a larger scale is necessary to the future utili- 

 zation of the results obtained on a test basis. 



SPECIAL problems. 



Camphor investioations. — The camphor work of the past year 

 has been directed chiefly toward increasing the plantings. The un- 

 usually rigorous winter seems to have wrou^^ht no considerable dam- 

 age. As soon as the experimental area reaches the desired size, work 



