HORTICULTURE. 849 



evidenced ]}y the followinij statement: " From the analysis of the stones, bark, leaves, 

 and wood, it is evident that common salt is one of the most essential manures to 

 apply to the soil in which the plum is cultivated." In the revision of plums, the 

 valuable work of Waugh and other station investigators with this fruit seems not to 

 have Ijeen taken into account. 



Gardening for beginners, a handbook to the garden, E. T. Cook (London: 

 George Xcirms Lt<L, luoi, pp. VI [ -■- 406, ph. S!>,Jiijx. 80).— More than half this ele- 

 mentary garilen hook is devoted to the descrii)tion and culture of llowers and shrubs. 

 Different chapters deal with the flowers most suited for different purposes, as the 

 mixed border, animals, climbing plants, bullmus plants, roses, ferns, rock gardens, 

 etc. The care and management of the small greenhouse and conservatory, and of 

 the flowers and plants that grow in them are considered; methods of fruit growing, 

 including orchard fruits, grapes, and small fruits, are described at some length, and 

 directions given for the culture of all the more conuuon vegetables. Chapters on 

 manures and soils, insects and fungus i)ests, town gardening, monthly work, etc., are 

 also given. A comitact gardening chart (jf useful information completes the work. 

 The book is jn-ofusely illustrated. It is particularly adapted to English gardening, 

 and in America to the use of flower growers. 



Report of the horticulturist, L. R. Takt {Michigan ISta. Rpf. 1901, pp. 110-115). — 

 This is an outline of the work of the central station and South Haven Substation for 

 the year. The best early crops of tomatoes were secured by pruning to single stems 

 and training to stakes. Oats seeded alone as an orchard-cover crop grew 15 to 18 in. 

 high. They held snow and leaves well during the winter, lessened the freezing and 

 thawing of the soil, and also prevented the soil from freezing to as great a depth as 

 on uncovered soils. The lessening of the injury from frost is considered one of the 

 most vitally important results to be secured with orchard-cover crops. Where oats 

 were used as a c-over crop the ground in the spring was practically free from weeds 

 and remained moist considei-ably longer than where other crops were used. The 

 oats were easily worked in with a disk harrow, and it is estimated that the cost of 

 cultivating the orchard when oats were used was fully one-third less than when 

 crimson clover Avas sown. Rape and turnips used as cover crops, while fairly satis- 

 factory, were unsightly during the winter and gave off an offensive odor. Crimson 

 clover seeded with oats was less satisfactory than either sown alone. Cankerworms 

 and the tent caterpillar were controlled in the orchard ])y spraying with Paris green 

 and white arsenic boile<l with lime. 



Use of comniercial fertilizers in vegetable growing, J. Aeby ( Cong. Nat. Agr. 

 Naiimr, 1901, tSer. 2, pp. 15, p/-^. 4)- — The results are here given of some cooperative 

 experiments at 10 different horticultural schools and institutions in Belgium in the 

 use of nitrate of soda, superphosphate, and sulphate of potash, for growing KJ (tf the 

 more connnon garden vegetables. In each experiment 1 plat was used as a control, 

 1 received all 3 fertilizers combined, and on 8 plats 1 of the elements of a complete 

 fertilizer was omitted. The plats were duplicated in another series, except that like 

 amounts of barnyard manure were used on each plat in connection witli the com- 

 mercial fertilizers. Each plat oi-cupied an area of 10 meters stpiare. The results 

 secured with the different vegetables are tabulated and the good effects of supple- 

 menting barnyard manure with commercial fertilizers shown in a series of illustra- 

 tions. The best yields were ol)tained when a complete commercial fertilizer was used 

 with barnyard manure. Where the barnyard manure was used alone, not nearly so 

 good results were obtained, but they were about equal to the yields secured when 

 commercial fertilizers were used alone. Both exceed considerably the yield on the 

 control plat. It is concluded that in order to obtain the largest yield of vegetables 

 chemical fertilizers should be employed simultaneously with l)arnyard manure. 



The service of soils, F. A. IIuntlkv (Idaho Sin. Bid. :10, pp. .>9-:')/, jd. l,fig><. •>). — 

 Sugar beets, jiarsnips, and onions were grown on fertilized and unfertilized soil and 



