972 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



HORTICULTURE. 



The culture substations, A. B. Stubenrauch {California Sta. Rpt. 1904, PP- 134- 

 196). — An account in continuation of that previously given (E. S. R., 15, p. 773) of 

 the fruit yields at the Foothill, San Joaquin Valley, and Southern California substa- 

 tions. Some data on forage and hay crops included within these pages are noted else- 

 where (p. 963). Owing to lack of funds and to the completion of the work outlined, 

 the Southern Coast Range and Foothill substations have been discontinued. The 

 report given consists essentially of tabulated data showing the yields and other char- 

 acteristics of a large number of varieties of apples, pears, quinces, almonds, apricots, 

 peaches, nectarines, plums and prunes, cherries, figs, walnuts, olives, persimmons, 

 grapes, oranges, and lemons grown at one or more of the different substations. 



In the case of the Foothill Substation, the data are tabulated for the crops grown 

 on red soil and on granite soil. The yield of grapes at the San Joaquin Valley Sub- 

 station continues to be very satisfactory, averaging about 6.5 tons per acre in 1903 as 

 compared with 7 tons per acre in 1902. At the Southern California Substation, a 

 series of fertilizer experiments with citrus fruits has been planned. The work will 

 include about 100 acres of citrus orchards in the Riverside and Pomona valleys. 

 Different fertilizers and combinations of fertilizer elements, both with and without 

 the use of green manure crops, will be used in connection with irrigation. Packing 

 and shipping experiments will also be carried out in cooperation with the Division 

 of Pomology of this Department. 



[Horticultural work at] Hope Experiment Station, Jamaica [Ann. Rpt. Pub. 

 Gard. and Plantations Jamaica, 1904, pp. 9-17). — A report is given outlining the work 

 at the station with bananas, citrus fruits, date palms, citronella grass, lemon grass, 

 grapes, pineapples, rubber, vanilla, cacao, naseberries, avocado pears, and nutmegs. 

 From one-fifth of an acre of citronella grass (Andropogon nardus), planted in May, 

 1903, a total of 1 ton 4 cwt. of grass was cut the following December. A portion of 

 this grass was distilled, but the quantity of oil obtained was so small that it was not 

 considered advisable to continue the experiment. It is estimated that the cost of 

 cutting and cultivating the plat and distilling the grass was a little over *6. The oil 

 was submitted to European commercial chemists, who stated that it had an excep- 

 tionally fine odor and closely resembled the fine Java citronella oil, being somewhat 

 intermediate between that oil and the normal Ceylon distillates. Some experiments 

 were also made in distilling the flowers of Cananga odorata. Very successful results 

 are reported in budding mangoes, cacao, naseberries, avocado pears, and nutmegs. 

 It is believed that the new methods devised for budding these various plants will 

 greatly aid in the development of agriculture in the Colony. 



Report of the Nova Scotia School of Horticulture, F. C. Sears (Ann. Rpt. Sec. 

 Agr., Nova Scotia, 1904, PP- 51-67, pis. 5). — An outline is given of the experimental 

 work during the year with a list of the varieties of fruits in the experimental orchards. 

 Experiments with Bug Death in comparison with a number of standard insecticides 

 led to the conclusion that this is not a satisfactory material for spraying apple trees 

 either to destroy insects or to prevent attacks of fungus pests. Experiments to deter- 

 mine whether an excess of lime in Bordeaux mixture would cause rusty spots on 

 apples led to negative results, no more rusty spots appearing on the fruit sprayed 

 with an excess of lime in the Bordeaux mixture than where the lime was just suffi- 

 cient to neutralize the sulphate of copper in the mixture. Black knot has been 

 practically eradicated from the plum orchard by systematic cutting out of the knots 

 in summer as soon as they appear and thorough spraying with Bordeaux mixture. 



Experiments and observations during the past 7 years with reference to cover crops 

 indicate that crimson clover is one of the most satisfactory at the station for this 

 purpose. Very promising results were secured during the season with winter vetch. 



