632 



Illinois Station, Bulletin No. 15, February, 1891 (pp. 28). 



The fruit bark beetle, S. A. Forbes, Ph. D. (pp. 469-478). — 

 The fruit bark beetle {Scolytus rmjulosus, Ratz.) was lirst observed iu 

 Illinois, June 15, 1888, by Mr. John Marten. Since then it has been 

 found to be quite widely distributed in the State. This article contains 

 notes on the history of the insect in Illinois and elsewhere in the United 

 States and in Europe, its injuries to vegetation, description, life his- 

 tory, and remedies. There is need of further iuformaiion regarding the 

 life history of this insect, on which to base experiments on its repres- 

 sion, and investigations are in progress under direction of the author. 



Experiments with grass seeds, and with grasses and clo- 

 vers, G. E. Morrow, M. A., and T. F. Hunt, B. S. (pp. 478-489).— 

 In this article experiments are reported in the following lines : tests of 

 the vitality of grass seeds, comparison of varieties of grasses and 

 clovers, tests of varieties and mixtures of grasses and clovers, and the 

 effect of fertilizers on Kentucky blue- grass pasture. 



Experiment No. 93. — Grass seeds, test of vitality {pp. 478-482). — In the 

 summer of 1889 samples of Kentucky blue-grass, redtop, and timothy 

 seed, obtained from 17 prominent seedsmen of this country, and one 

 sample of Kentucky blue-grass seed gathered on the station grounds 

 were treated iu a Geneva apparatus. The results, as tabulated, show 

 that "less than 2 per cent of the blue-grass, 25 per cent of the redtop, 

 and a little more than 76 per cent of the timothy sprouted." Tests of 

 other samples of the Kentucky blue-grass seed were made in boxes in 

 the open air and in a greenhouse. The tabulated results show that 

 " 48 per cent of the samples gathered upon the station grounds grew in 

 soil in the open air and 57 per cent in soil in the greenhouse. Of the 

 18 samples of seed obtained from 17 seedsmen less than 21 per cent 

 sprouted in the open air and a little more than 12 per cent in the green- 

 house. The greenhouse proved unsatisfactory as a place to test the 

 seeds. The heat and moisture sprouted the seeds well enough, doubt- 

 less, but caused them also, in greenhouse parlance, 'to damp off.'" 



The seedsmen having stated that it was their practice " to cut or strip 

 Kentucky blue-grass for seed when it was still quite green," experi- 

 ments were made at the station to test the effect of this practice on the 

 vitality of the seed. The results, as tabulated, show that 72 per cent 

 of the seeds germinated in the samples gathered when green, and 80 per 

 cent in the samples gathered when rii)e. 



Experiment No. IQ. — Grasses and clovers, comparison of varieties (pp. 

 482-485). — Brief notes on plat experiments with redtop {Agrostis vulga- 

 ris), orchard grass {Dactylis glomerata), meadow fescue {Festuca praten- 

 fii«),tall iescne [Festuca elatior), sheep's f insane {Festuca ovma), hard fe.^cue 

 {Festuca duriuscula), tall meadow oat grass {Arrhenatlierum avenaceum), 

 Italian rye grass {Lolium italicum), perennial rye grass {Lolium perenne), 

 rough-stalked meadow grass {Poa trivialis), wood mei^dow grass {Poa 



