14 



from grass seed, was well fertilized with equal parts of ni- 

 trate of soda, acid phosphate and kaiuit. This was placed 

 in boxes to tfie depth of six inches, the seed were carefiillv 

 planted in rows a few inches apart, labeled and the soil 

 kept moist by sprinkling late in the evenings when necessa- 

 ry. Very few plants came up from this process. Those 

 that did reach the surface soon died. There are two ration- 

 al causes for accounting for the failure of these seeds to 

 germinate and grow. The first is, owing to the extreme 

 heat in the Phytopathological, or plant laboratory, which 

 was covered with glass and not protected with awning at 

 that time, thereby destroying the vitality of the seeds. The 

 second cause is, that the boxes containing the mixture of 

 soil and fertilizer were so small that the proportion of fer- 

 tilizer ma}' have been too large for the quantity of soil used,^ 

 and hence in this concentrated or caustic form the germina- 

 ting power of the small seeds was destroyed. 



There were two other sowings of the seed in this labora- 

 tory, viz : Februar}^ 28th, and March 29th, with the same 

 results as with the first sowing. 



[ b ] The ivood.s heel. This bed was prepared on January 

 27th, after the plan practiced in the old tobacco States, 

 by burning the ground and then getting the bed in a fine 

 pulverized condition with hoes and rakes. The bed was 

 fertilized after the same method as before mentioned, and 

 the seeds were sown and covered with a light covering of 

 pine straw. These did well, and by the first warm days of 

 March there was an abundance of young plants in sight ; 

 yet notwithstanding the covering of pine straw, some were 

 killed by freezing weather, but enough left for use. 



About the twentieth of March it was discovered that the 

 flea beetle, Avhich seems as abundant in Alabama as in the 

 old tobacco States, had commenced to attack the young 

 plants, and then by liberal manuring the plants began to 

 grow rapidly, and soon became suSiciently strong to resist 

 the ravages of this pernicious insect, and although they 

 were later than those raised under canvass, yet many good 



