NOTES. 781 



of an electric light is considerably cheaper than the incandescent light. The lettuce 

 grown did not develop normally, but was "drawn" and partook more of the nature 

 of twining plants. Chlorophyll was formed normally in all the plants. With the 

 radishes also chlorophyll was normally developed, hut the growth of the plants was 

 exceedingly slow and spindling, and there was not the slightest development of 

 Meshy root on any of the plants used in the test. From the standpoint of the com- 

 mercial grower the experiment was not a success, hut it is believed that under more 

 favorable conditions better results might be secured. 



In a paper on Sulphur Washes for Orchard Treatment, P. J. Parrott presented 

 some experimental data to show that sulphur washes have a fungicidal as well as 

 insecticidal value. With apples there was 22 per cent less scabby fruit when a sul- 

 phur wash was used <>n the trees than when all spraying was omitted. One applica- 

 tion of sulphur wash with two later applications of Bordeaux-arsenical mixture 

 proved practically as valuable in preventing apple seal) and wormy fruit as three 

 applications of Bordeaux-arsenical mixture. The conclusion is drawn from the 

 experiments that "the plan of spraying best adapted for the treatment of apple 

 trees for scale, scab, and codling moth is one application of a sulphur wash during 

 the dormant season, with the usual second and third applications of the Bordeaux- 

 arsenical mixture." 



The Horse Bean ( Viciafaba) as a Cover Crop in Rows, with Notes on Some Other 

 Plants, was the title of a paper by W. T. Macoun. The advantage of horse beans for 

 a cover crop is that they withstand a few degrees of frost, grow late in fall, and stand 

 up during the winter and thus catch and hold the snow. The stalks in spring are 

 readily cut up with a disk harrow, and can easily be incorporated with the soil. The 

 yield was at the rate of 9.75 tons per acre, containing 78 lbs. of nitrogen. This 

 is less nitrogen than that furnished by hairy vetch, but is perhaps sufficient for 

 the trees. It lacked in one important point, viz, a mat of foliage to protect the roots 

 of the trees if there should happen to be no snow to hold. Horse beans and rape 

 were found to make a better combination from this standpoint than horse beans alone. 



As bearing upon the question of cover crops, U. P. Hedrick discussed the Relation- 

 ships of Plants in the Orchard, knowledge of which he showed to be quite deficient. 

 He gave the results of pot experiments with various cover crops grown with seedling 

 peaches, the legumes causing the trees to make a luxuriant growth until frost and 

 thus fail to ripen their wood. The roots of crimson clover and the peach were so 

 intermingled that they were matted together and could not be easily separated. 

 < >ats or rye was thought to make a more suitable cover crop for this fruit, since they 

 cause the wood to mature early in the season. A study of the interrelationships of 

 plants was urged. 



A Report on the Progress of Horticultural Science in the United Kingdom, 1904, 

 was made by S. Fraser. It covered the work at the Woburn fruit farm with refer- 

 ence to the effect of grass on fruit trees, the varieties of apples most grown in the 

 United Kingdom, the work at the Hadlow Experiment Station on the use of differ- 

 ent quantities and combinations of manures and commercial fertilizers for vegetables, 

 potato varieties, etc., nearly all of which have been noted in this journal. 



J. B. Norton described some results obtained in the breeding of carnations. The 

 seedlings obtained in his work followed very closely the law of Mendel in regard to 

 hybrids. The seedling flowers were classified into three groups, as single, semidouble, 

 and double. The following data were obtained in one experiment: Doubles, 6; semi- 

 doubles, 15; singles, 7; total, 28. In another experiment the figures were as follows: 

 Doubles, 74; semidoubles, 147; singles, 52; total, 273; figures which closely follow 

 Mendel's proportion of 1:2:1. Mr. Norton suggested the advisability of florists cross- 

 ing the single and extreme double types, rather than always selecting both parents 

 from the standard type. It is believed that by this method there should be a greater 

 proportion of true florists' type of flowers produced. 



20085— No. 7—05 8 



