476 



able for little else, since the growing of alfalfa can not be carried beyond a limited 

 point with proiit to the producer on account of its relatively low valae and heavy 

 weight in transportation. The main reason why ramie will grow in alkali ground is 

 the same as in the case of alfalfa— because it shades the ground, and hence the evap- 

 oration, going on through the leaves of the plants instead of at the surface of the 

 soil, will not accumulate the noxious salts around the root crowns so as to corrode 

 them. But it must not be forgotten that until the i^lauts fully shade the ground 

 the rise of alkali in the "middles" must be prevented by thorough tillage, otherwise 

 damage may result in that the outermost shoots suffer and the spread of the plants 

 is retarded. As against alfalfa, ramie also possesses the advantage that as it is not 

 propagated from seed (in the field at least), but by the division and setting out of 

 plants or their roots, the difficulty of obtaining a stand on account of the rotting of 

 the seed by the alkali does not exist. 



So far, then, as the successful and profitable growth of the plant in the valleys 

 of the central and southern parts of the State is concerned, there need be little 

 doubt, so soon as the processes for marketing the fiber shall be an assured success. 



[For farther statements regarding the production and manufacture 

 of ramie, see A Keport on Flax, Hemp, Eamie, and Jute, 1890, Division 

 of Statistics, United States Department of Agriculture, referred to iu 

 Experiment Station Kecord, Vol. I, p. 299.] 



Flax for seed and fiber, E. J. Wickson, M. A. (pp. 3, 4). — A 

 brief account of experiments with varieties of fiber flax introduced from 

 Europe by the station, as compared with a variety grown from California 

 seed. The European varieties are Russian, Hoyal, Yellow-Seeded, and 

 White-Flowered. These produced less seed but more and better fiber 

 than the California variety. The Russian and Royal seemed to be the 

 best of the European varieties for both seed and fiber. 



The natural color of the straw [of the flax grown at the station] was very light; 

 that of the fiber, almost jierfectly white in each sample. The total yield of the 

 fiber, 23 per cent of the weight of the straw, was rather a light yield of fiber, but 

 very fine. The yield of fiber is greater when the straw is not overripe. The samples 

 ti'eated had been allowed to get riper than required for either seed or fiber. 



The results of this trial are of interest, as showing clearly the superiority, from a 

 textile point of view, of the flax varieties which this station has introduced to this 

 coast over the common variety which is grown for seed. Whether it is possible to 

 realize more by the attempt to produce both seed and fiber here, and \o substitute one 

 of these varieties for the one commonly grown, is an industrial question depending 

 upon manufacturers and capitalists for solution. The farmer can not afford to pro- 

 duce a crop of any kind until a market is assured. 



Connecticut State Station, Annual Report, 1889 (pp. 280). 



Report of director, S. W. Johnson, M. A. (pp. 7, S). — A brief 

 outline of the work of the station in 1889. 



The effect of the rate or distance of planting on the 

 quantity and quality of the maize crop. 



Exiyeriment of 1888 (pp. 9-48). — This is an experiment made under the 

 supervision of the station on the laud of a farmer of the State. An acre 

 and a half of meadow laud, which had been iu grass forSyears, wasdivided 

 into three strips, each about 408 feet long by 68 feet wide, with a 4-foot 

 space between. On two adjacent strips an ammoniated superphosphate, 



