716 



Experiment station eecoed. 



tVol. 38 



described the preparation of different products from apples and pears according 

 to old recipes without the use of sugar. 



Fruit and vegetable drying. — Types and models of driers, F. L. Ovebly 

 (lotva State Col., Agr. Ext. Dept., Emeryency Leaflet 23 (1917), pp. 7, figs. 8). — 

 This leaflet discusses the advantages of drying and gives simple rules for drying. 

 It also discusses various types of driers that are adapted to home use. 



A successful community drying plant, C. W. Pugsley (f7. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Farmers' Bui. 916 (1917), pp. 12, figs. 9). — A successful community drying plant 

 located at Lincoln, Nebr., is described. The principle employed is an adapta- 

 tion of the electric-fan process of drying. A stream of dry air is drawn con- 

 tinuously across the products being dried. A detailed description of the drier 

 is given with diagrams and a bill of materials for its construction. A con- 

 venient method of heating is described. The publication also contains sug- 

 gestions for the preparation of fruits and vegetables for the drier and for the 

 storing and cooking of the dried articles. The importance of community driers 

 is emphasized, and a working scheme for their operation outlined. 



METEOROLOGY. 



Climatology, A. J. Connor (Statis. Year Book Prov. Quebec, 1917, pp. SS-^S, 

 figs. 6). — Tables are given which summarize data regarding temperature, 

 precipitation, and sunshine at a number of stations in Quebec during 1916, as 

 compared with preceding years. A method of combining temperature with rain- 

 fall to yield an index number for each month of the growing season is described, 

 and the application of the method to the months of April to September, 1916, is 

 illustrated. The limits of optimum temperature for plant growth as selected 

 for this purpose were as follows : 



Limits of optimum temperatures for plant growth in Quebec, Api'il to September. 



Period. 



Sept. 



Day, lower limit.. 

 Night, lower limit. 



" For each station the number of days with a temperature equal to or exceed- 

 ing the limit in the respective months was counted and tabulated and also the 

 number of nights in which the temperature did not fall below the assigned 

 limit. In effect this procedure measures the number of days wlilch received a 

 sufficient quantity of heat and gives no weight to heat in excess." 



Regarding rainfall, it is stated that for the crops usually grown in Quebec 

 " the efficiency of the moisture ... in promoting growth increases rapidly and 

 directly with the rainfall at first, but after the rainfall has reached the neigh- 

 borhood of 4 in. for the month it is evident that normally a much smaller addi- 

 tional quantity will suffice to maintain the soil in a condition sufficiently moist 

 for agriculture. Some method of weighting the rainfall figures is, therefore, 

 required which will give the greatest weight to increase in rainfall below some 

 assigned limit and little or no weight to increase above the same limit. . . . 

 The rainfall totals (for each month) may be considered as ranging upward from 

 zero without limit, and it is therefore always possible to find an arc of which 

 the rainfall total is the natural tangent. Thus, for example, if the rainfall be 0.3 

 in., we have 0.3 as the tangent of 16° .42' ; or if the rainfall be 4.5 in., we have 

 that the tangent of 77° .28' is 4.5. Further, after the corresponding arc is 



