HOETICULTURE. 989 



;it tlic nliid Kxiu>riment Station, where a bloek of niii-dowii apijle onlianl 

 planted some 4<> years ajio was brou.i;liL into profitable t'ruil production, in order 

 to cover the intei-\nl from the time of planting young trees until they should 

 come into fnll bearing'. 'Che various phases of the treatment are discussed and 

 illustrated by several liixures. 



Based upon the treatment of this orchard, the author is of the opinion that 

 old orchards can be renewed in such a way as to produce fine fruit for home 

 and market while the young trees are growing and that the plan of renewal, 

 which is a process of pruning down the trees, brings about conditicms under 

 which insects and fungi can be so easily and effectually combated and controlled 

 as to reduce to a miniminn the danger of their spread to younger ])lantations. 



During the first season of renewal the topmost branches should be cut out. 

 leaving all healthy side branches. The next season the horizontal brunches 

 nia.\- be pruned so as to promote a iniiform. well-rounded, symmetrical head and 

 toil. Suggestions are given as to the metliod of pruning and dressing large 

 wounds caused by severe pruning. Heading back should be followed up by 

 discriminate thinning of the new shoots and by cutting back those selected for 

 future fruit bearing. 



llenewal of orchards may be profitably accompanied by the addition of stable 

 manure, either worked in the soil or allowed to remain upon the surface mixed 

 with straw as a mulch. Suggestions are also given for the renewal of orchards 

 other than aiijile. 



Prime causes of failure in orcharding, L. II. Bailey {West. N. Y. Horl. Six'. 

 I'rvc, 1907, in). JJ-.?.S'). — The author groiips the causes of failure in orcharding 

 into 2 classes: Crop-practice failures, and administrative failures, which are 

 discussed in detail. 



Fruit and orchard investigations, J. C. Blair {Illinois Sta. ('ire. KiJ. pp. 

 oS). — A list of some 24 problems, which at present seem to demand careful 

 study, is placed before those interested in the development of Illinois h rli- 

 culture, together with a brief statement regarding reasons why increast-d apij;- • 

 Itriations are being asked for experimental work in horticulture. 



The circular also includes a discussion of investigations accomplished .is a 

 result of State appropriations, consisting of fruit-storage experiments (E. S. li., 

 14, i)p. .">.")(; and 1(172) . bitter-rot investigations, botanical investigations of ]i;irti- 

 eultnral interest, investigations on injury to apples by curculio (E. S. 11.. K'.. 

 ji. l(t!»S), comparison of the relative merits of liquid and dust sprays for ajiples 

 ( E. S. K., 17, p. 1(»0:',), spraying for second brood of codling moth, fertilizer and 

 drainage experiments, a study of the yellow le.if and brown spotting of foliage 

 of fruit trees, and demonstration work. Bulletins are to be iirepared during the 

 coming year giving the details of the several lines of investigation not already 

 i'e])orte(l. 



The banana, I'. Hubert {Le B<t»(inicr. Paris: II. Diimxl d- K. I'iinil. I'.un. 

 pp. X -\- 22.1, fitis. J/d). — This is the second of a seri(»s of practical books on Colon. 

 • 'olombia. which the editors propose to jmblish. In this work the banana is 

 treated fi'oni ;in. agricultural, industrial, .-ind cnnnnerci.il standpoint. 



Part 1 deals with the origin, liotany. varieties, and climatic and geograpliical 

 distribution, together with methods of idanting. cultiN-ation, and subseipient 

 care of bananas both for fruit and fiber, A clia|)ter is also d(>votod to estimates 

 ( f cost and returns in the development of a banan.i iiiantatiou. I'ai-t 2 treats 

 <.f the selection of ii.uianas for exportation and home c()nsum])tion, and the 

 manufacture of stai-ch, sugai-. alcolidl. wine, bi-.indy, vinegar, and fiber, together 

 with the use of l)ananas for animal feeding. Part '.', is devoted to a discussion 

 of the economic and commercial importance of the banana in various countries. 



34021—07 4 



