EDITORIAL. 803 



luetliods of control. The entomological work proposed is, as a whole, 

 of high order, indicating for the most part a clear conception of the 

 features of research and an appreciation of its importance as applied 

 to that branch of science. The list of projects is also relatively large 

 and varied. Several investigations have to do with the toxicity of 

 various insecticides, the manner in which they act, and similar points, 

 :is well as their physiological ett'ects on the trees and plants receiving 

 the treatment. 



The number of investigations proposed in hoiiiciilture, aside from 

 (hose in breeding, is not large, a fact which is somewliat disappoint- 

 ing in view of the opi^ort unities which this division of agriculture 

 presents for thorough investigation and the undeveloped state of 

 horticultural science. There are several physiological studies, how- 

 ever, which are of special interest and importance, such as the causes 

 and means of control of fruit-bud formation on the apple, the physi- 

 ology and philosophy of pruning and of grafting, both of which as 

 planned involve extensive systematic studies, the elimination of the 

 color of peach tAvigs by breeding to make them less susceptible to 

 early frost, the factors affecting the setting of fruit on the tomato, 

 to determine the cause of failure to set in dry localities where the 

 ])lants bloom freely, and other studies of the effect of environmental 

 conditions. 



The subject of dry farming, in which there is such active interest 

 of late, naturally suggested a considerable number of projects, and 

 here the necessity for the differentiation for scientific study is well 

 illustrated. Dry farming, like farm management, is evidently not 

 a division of agricultural science, but rather a branch of agricultural 

 Ijractice conducted under certain climatic conditions. The furnish- 

 ing of a more scientific basis for it in place of the results of simple 

 tests and demonstrations must depend upon investigations in chemis- 

 try, ph3'sics, agronomy, physiological botan}^, plant breeding, and var- 

 ious other lines, as related to definite phases of the general subject. 

 Hence a number of special investigations have been undertaken, such 

 as the absolute water requirements of plants, the periodicity of this 

 requirement, the Avater-holding capacity of the soil and factors 

 which affect it, the conservation of the soil moisture, the breeding of 

 drought-resistant croj^s, and the like. ]Many of the problems in dry 

 farming are mechanical and purely local, and the more general trials 

 and demonstrations have been left to other funds. 



Soil fertility is another to])ic which has attracted much investiga- 

 t ion on account of the renewed interest in the subject ; but here, as in 

 dry farming, the necessity for differentiation of the broad subject 

 has been apparent. The large number of soil investigations is a 

 noteworthj' feature of the list of projects. Aside from studies of 

 the fertilizer requirements of soils by field and laboratory methods, and 



