EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 305 



were suffering- from a lack of plant food and not disease. A suggested 

 plan which appears workable, is an organization of raspberry growers 

 with the object of growing certified plants as free from disease as 

 is possible through a very systematic rogneing, destroying the dis- 

 carded plants. This work to be done not alone with the object of grow- 

 ing healthy plants for sale, but also to aid in saving and making the 

 plantation more profitable for a longer time. To carry out such a pro- 

 gram would require a large amount of assistance. 



With the rapid development of the apple industry in practically all 

 parts of the state, and with its success in the future in view, the question 

 of a standard list of commercial varieticvs and its general adoption in 

 planting is most important. With the co-operation of the Executive 

 Board and Horticultural Committee of the Michigan State Horticultural 

 Society and the members of the Horticultural Department at the College 

 a standard list was agreed upon. This list must be sold to the growers 

 of Michigan and adopted, as it is one of the most important factors 

 in successful marketing. An illustration of this point was given in 

 the past season Avhen the writer was called upon and, in attempting to 

 help out, took a buyer to a fruit section with a fruit exchange. The 

 buyer asked what varieties they had. The manager said, ''Oh, we have 

 fifty-seven varieties", and the buyer lost all interest. These conditions 

 are general. 



The writer, with officers of the State Society, attended the annual 

 meeting of the National Nurserjmien's Association, presented and dis- 

 cussed a plan with them regarding, the possibility of certifying stock 

 true to name. This, if worked out, would be of unmeasureable value 

 to both growers and nurserj'men and should be made National in its 

 scope. 



It would seem a wise and economic line of work to advocate the top- 

 grafting of the thousands of Duchess apple trees, including several unde- 

 sirable kinds that are grown in many of the northern counties, into 

 some one or two of the standard commercial winter varieties best adapted 

 to those sections. The past season's experience with thousands upon thou- 

 sands of bushels of Duchess apples produced for which there was no mar- 

 ket was disastrous. There have been other years with the same experience 

 in the past, and no doubt there will be more in the future, because this 

 variety comes on the market at a season of the year when there is 

 competition from all other kinds of fruits and also with later varieties 

 of apples of higher quality produced in more southern sections. 



Interest is increasing rapidly in methods of common storage and also 

 in some type of artificial storage adaptable to the larger orchards as. well 

 as to use in towns and smaller cities. Some method of handling the fruit 

 is necessary to avoid forcing the apples on to the markets all within 

 a' small period of time. 



Interest is increasing in the irrigation of small fruits of all kinds. 

 There is practically no information as to profits per acre from the in- 

 stallation of such systems and the problems arising with the rapid 

 development and expansion of the fruit industry in the state are in- 

 numerable. 



The following is a brief outline of the more definite projects worked 



