318 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



maintenance of soil fertility, (2) the prevention of the spread of noxious 

 weeds, (3) the improvement and adaptation to the climatic conditions 

 of the Northwest of varieties of grains and grasses and forest trees, 

 and (4) the prevention of the spread of tuberculosis in cattle. 



W. J. Spillinan, of Washington, called attention to the importance, 

 in the far Northwest, of studying the grasses and forage plants adapted 

 to the local soil and climatic conditions, in order that the live stock 

 industry of that region may be properly developed. 



The value of chemical analysis of soils was discussed by H. Snyder, 

 W. L. Hutchinson, and others. 



A report on uniformity of nomenclature relating to fertilizer am 

 feeding-stuff terms was submitted by H. P. Armsby, chairman of the 

 committee on this subject. After some discussion, this matter was 

 referred to the Association in general session (see p. 307). 



SECTION OX HORTICULTURE AND ROTANY. 



In the section on horticulture and botany the first paper was pre- 

 sented by S. A. Beach, of New York, on "Methods of keeping records of 

 horticultural work." This paper explained the system of note taking 

 followed in the very extended tests of varieties of fruits at New Yorl 

 State Station. The method provides for a correct record of methods 

 of propagation and the source of each plant, continuity of record, am 

 a card-note system which epitomizes the notes of the daybook and jour- 

 nal and supplements these by drawings, photographs, trade- catalogue 

 and newspaper cuts, comments, and descriptions. Specimen pages of 

 the notebooks and samples of the cards were shown. 



A paper on the " Importance of mycophagy in the course of botanical 

 instruction" was read by H. N. Starnes, of Georgia, and elicited much 

 discussion in regard to the best methods of teaching the student and 

 reader to distinguish between edible and poisonous fungi. Attention 

 was called to the great food value of these plants and the importance 

 of a knowledge of them from an economic standpoint. The consensus 

 of opinion seemed to be that the use of only such common forms as can 

 be easily determined should be advised. 



L. C. Corbett, of West Virginia, presented a report from the com- 

 mittee on plant registration which showed the progress which had been 

 made by the committee in interesting botanists and horticulturists in 

 this subject, and included the specific recommendation of a subcom- 

 mittee, noted on page 314. 



E. H. Price, of Texas, submitted a paper on "Classification of varie- 

 ties of peaches," in which attention was called to the variation in 

 peaches with climatic conditions and the difficulty of devising a definite 

 system of classification. The Onderdonk system is considered the 

 most satisfactory. The author divides peaches now cultivated in the 

 United States into 5 races: (1) Peen-To, (2) South China, (3) Spanish 

 or Indian, (4) North China, and (5) Persian, and discusses the seed 



