1918] HORTICULTURE. 443 



gardening and home storage of vegetables, prepared under the direction of the 

 National War Garden Commission. 



The forcing' of plants by means of warm water immersions, W. G. Bodine 

 (Vermant Sta. Bui. 203 (1917), pp. 9, 10). — A brief summary of the results se- 

 cured in a test of the warm water method of forcing plants (E. S. R., 32, 

 p. 437). 



Twigs of wild grape, elm, apple, basswood, cottonwood, and a species of 

 Rubus were gathered on February 10, thawed, and placed for from 4 to 8 

 hours in water, some at 36° C. (9G.S° F.) and some at 7°, and then placed in the 

 greenhouse. The first leaves were observed on the twigs immersed in warm 

 water from 5 to 15 days sooner than they were observed on the twigs im- 

 mersed in cold water, with all the species other than the apple. For some un- 

 discovered reason the growth of the apple twigs seemed retarded. 



Stringless green pod bean seed was soaked for lengths of time ranging from 

 15 to 120 minutes in water which varied in temperature from 10 to 22° for 

 the cooler water and 87 to 45° for the warmer water. The trials were made in 

 the late fall and early spring. No gains were secured in the earliness qr 

 profuseness of growth as a result of soaking either in cold or warm water as 

 compared with untreated seed. Similar trials made with peas gave the same 

 results. Radishes grew a smaller top but a better root when the seed was 

 immersed in water at from 38 to 41° for 45 minutes than they did when the 

 seed was either soake<l in cold water or left iintreated. Corn and oats treated 

 in the winter months grew better and somewhat larger crops wei*e secured 

 when the seed was soaked at from 36 to 41° for from 4 to 5 hours than when 

 left untreated or when soaked in cold water. No material response followed 

 the warm water treatment of corn and oats in the spring or summer. 



The author concludes that temperatures from 30 to 36° are best adapted 

 to experimental needs in most cases, and that a soaking of from 7 to 12 hours 

 for twigs and shrubby plants and of from 2 to 5 hours for seeds seems 

 optimum. Longer exposures are deemed inadvisable. Late spring immersions 

 proved relatively ineffective. The growth stimulus appears to be due to 

 warmth rather tlian to absorption of water. Seeds soaked in warm water 

 absorb more water than those soaked in cold water, thus softening the seed 

 coats and inducing favorable results. 



Colors in vegetable fmits, B. D. Halsted (Jour. Heredity, 9 (1918), No. 1, 

 pp. 18-23). — A discussion of color inheritance in fruits of the tomato, pepper, 

 and eggplant, based upon the author's long-continued breeding investigations 

 at the New Jersey Exjieriment Stations (E. S. R., 36, p. 838). 



[Horticultural investigations at the Umatilla experiment farm, Oreg., in 

 1915 and 1916], R. W. Allen (U. S. Dcpt. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus., Work Uma- 

 tilla Expt. Farm, 1915-16, pp. 12-14, 27-32).— A brief progress report is given 

 on an apple-orchard cover-crop experiment in which winter crops of vetch and 

 rye, used as green manures, are being compared with alfalfa grown between 

 the tree rows. Thus far no conclusive data have been secured in the experiment. 



An experiment was started to determine the comparative success of fruit 

 trees planted on raw land and on alfalfa sod. The results for two seasons, al- 

 though not conclusive, indicate that better success can be had by starting the 

 trees on alfalfa sod than on raw land, but the growth of the trees does not 

 indicate that two years' growth of alfalfa, followed by plowing a crop of it in, 

 improves the land sufficiently to produce trees of desirable vigor. 



Notes are given on the condition of a number of varieties of tree fruits, 

 grapes, and cane fruits under trial at the farm. 



