EXPERIMENT STATION NOTES. 



California Station. — The interest in ramie and other textile plants still con- 

 tinues in California, and the station is doing what it can to supply the demand for 

 plants. The State Agricultural Society has recently been furnished with stock for 

 experimental plats in the State capitol ^^rouuds at Sacramento. The garden of Cali- 

 foruia wild plants established at Berkeley in February, under tbe supervision of 

 Professor E. L. Greene, is tilling up with rare species. In the garden of economic 

 plants a new plantation has been devoted to various species of vitis. 



At the newly established station for Southern California, near Pomona, about 12 

 acres have been planted in trees and vines, nursery plants, cotton, clovers, grasses, 

 sorghum, sugar-beets, etc. The orchard includes 200 orange, lemon, lime, and citron- 

 trees, besides olives, figs, pomegranates, gnavas, and other semi-tropical fruits. At 

 the San Joaquiu Valley station near Tulare a special feature of the work has been 

 an attempt to drain and "leach out" a piece of alkali land in very bad condition. 

 This is being done in a simple and efficient way, within the reach of every farmer in 

 the alkali districts of California. A pit like a well was first dug and "boxed" with 

 rougli lumber. This pit reaches down to the gravel underdrainage, a cheap wooden 

 drain placed 2 feet under the surface leading into it. The surface has been plowed 

 to break the crust, and after the application of land plaster, water is being used on 

 the plat to wash out the alkali. The details of this experiment will be published at 

 some future time. 



Massachusetts Hatch Station. —Soil tests with fertilizers carried on in 1890 in 

 10 counties of the Stale have given interesting results, which will be published in 

 Bulletin No. 14 of the station. 



The station barn was destroyed by fire April 4. 



Mississippi Station. — B. D. Halsted, D. Sc, of the New Jersey College Station, 

 has undertaken special work for the Mississippi Station on the tomato blight, whicli 

 has been quite prevalent in the Southern States during the past three years. 



Nkvada Station. — E. H. McDowell, B. S., assistant agriculturist of the Colorado 

 Station, has been appointed agriculturist of the Nevada Station. 



North Carolina Station. — This statiou is collecting data with a view to estab- 

 lishing a laboratory standard of quality for the more important field and garden 

 seeds. The co-operation of other stations in this work is desired. Samples of seed 

 will be distributed to the stations for this purpose. It is also desired that the sprout- 

 ing pan used at this station shall be tested at other stations. 



Ohio Station. — R. H. Warder of North Bend, has been appointed a member of the 

 board of control, vice J. L. Mcllvaine. Freda Detmers, B. S., has been appointed 

 acting botanist, and John A. Alwood, foreman of the farm, has resigned. F. M. 

 Webster, special agent of the Division of Entomology of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, has severed his connection with the Indiana Station, and will 

 act as consulting entomologist to the Ohio Station. 



The legislature of Ohio lias passed an act opening the way for the removal of the 

 station to a now looatiou in tbat oonu/y of tU© ►?tate 'whioU shall wttko th<3 most 

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