HORTICULTURE. 741 



flies when allowed to ripen on the tree. Until a means has been devised for 

 the control of this fly susceptible varieties of mangoes can not be recommended. 



The SaiKlersha, Ameeri, and Cambodiana mangoes were nsed in experiments 

 to test the time for picking, methods of packing, and keeping qnality. Fruit 

 i-epresenting 3 stages of ripeness was gathered and stored in rooms of different 

 temperatures. In a room with a temi^erature ranging from 80 to 83° F.. a 

 fungus disease injured many of the Ameeri and Sandersha fruits, they having 

 probably been infected in the field. This disease did not affect the fruits of 

 Cambodiana or other varieties stored in a room with a temperature ranging 

 from 42 to 48° F. Fruits almost ripe when picked softened within a few days 

 in the warm room, the softening in the cold room being very much slower. 

 Fruits picked while still solid, but mature, ripened in from 10 days to 2 weeks 

 in the warm room, whereas they remained unchanged in the cold room for 60 

 days so far as could be observed. Fruits wrapped in oiled paper ripen more 

 slowly and those infected with disease did not decay so rapidly in the cold room. 



Owing to unfavorable soil conditions, trouble is still being experienced in 

 bringing avocados to maturity in the station orchard, although within a short 

 distance from the station in more open soils avocados flourish and produce 

 excellent fruits. An attempt to domesticate such temperate-climate fruits as 

 pears, peaches, plums, apples, and persimmons is not proving highly successful. 

 Cultural and variety tests with vegetables were continued during the year. 

 Good results were obtained in the experiments with yams and malangas and 

 when a heavy application of stable manure was made a few varieties of melons 

 in the fertilizer experiments did well. 



Imported types of Carica papaya, including a superior type from Hawaii, 

 fruited during the year but the fruit was seriously damaged by flies and other 

 insects. The plantings of eucalypts, which are confined almost entirely to the 

 fiat, poorly drained soils, are showing considerable difl'erence in thriftiness. 

 Eucalyptus piperita and E. rohusta having made the best growth. The latter 

 trees 2 years from planting are 29 ft. tall. All of the varieties make a much 

 slower growth in the absence of good drainage. 



Frames as a factor in truck growing', W. R. Beattie (U. S. Dept. Ayr., 

 Farmers' Bui. .'/CO, pp. 2.9, figs. 12). — This is a ix)pular treatise on the utilization 

 of frames for growing vegetables out of season. The author calls attention to 

 the increased use of frames in the South Atlantic Coast States and discusses 

 types of frames and their construction, soil and fertilizers, watering crops in 

 frames, temperature, ventilation and protection, methods of handling a number 

 of specific crops in frames, prevention and control of diseases and insects, and 

 marketing frame-grown crops. 



Fruit tud formation; progress of investigations in 1908, 1909, and 1910, 

 B. S. Pickett {New Hampshire Sta. Bui. 153, pp. 36, pis. 2, figs. 6). — The 

 investigation here reported deals with the question of fruit bud formation as 

 influeuceil by the factors of cultivation, fertilization, and cover cropping. 



The experiment was conducted in an orchai'd of 302 trees, mostly Baldwins 

 and about 25 years old at the beginning of the experiment. The soil conditions 

 are quite uniform throughout the orchard and the ground almost perfectly 

 level. The orchard was divided into 11 plats, including a sod plat and plats 

 on which the trees were given the following treatment : Cultivation with cover 

 crop the odd year, seeded the even year ; cultivation and cover crop the even 

 year, seeded the odd year; clean culture throughout the whole season; cultiva- 

 tion and cover crop annually ; root pruning ; a normal complete fertilizer ; 

 excess phosphorus ; excess nitrogen ; excess potash ; and liming. The data 

 given for the first two seasons consist of counts of the average number of apples 

 per tree in all the plats. The data for 1910 shows the yield of each tree in the 

 14867°— No. 8—11 4 



