818 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



A table of productiveness showing also the season of ripening is given 

 for 27 varieties, of which Allen No. 5 and Hayne No. 31 lead, with yields 

 of 312 oz. and 283 oz., respectively, from 33 sq. ft. of ground. See No. 

 2 ranks third, with a yield of 196 oz. Of varieties ripening before June 

 21 and termed early, See No. 1 was the most productive. Of 10 late 

 varieties. Station No. 198 gave the greatest yield after July 3. One 

 hundred and sixty-four varieties of strawberries were grown at the sta- 

 tion during the year, exclusive of several hundred varieties of station 

 seedlings. The work at the station iu breeding strawberries for the 

 purpose of originating new varieties is mentioned. 



Experiments -with fertilizers on stravrberries {yew Jersey Stas. 

 Bpt. 1893^ pp. 143-145). — Notes on fertilizing 2 x)lats of strawberries 

 with nitrate of soda, ground bone, and kainit. In addition 1 jdat 

 received nitrate of soda each sj^ring. The latter plat gave an increase 

 in yield of about 20 per cent. 



The ash of grapes, F. T. Bioletti {CaUfornia Sta. Rpt. 1893 and 

 1894, pp. 322-326). — Notes and tabulated data on the analyses of the 

 ash of 5 samples of grapes and raisins and 1 of wine, to gain informa- 

 tion as to the amount of soil ingredients taken from the ground and 

 the fertilizers needed by the crop. The results are compared with those 

 obtained from analyses in Europe and found to be much the same, the 

 California analyses, however, showing a higher percentage of soda and 

 a lower j)ercentage of lime than was found by the European analyses. 

 This is accounted for by the difierence of soil, the California grapes 

 being grown in rich interior valleys where the soil contained much pot- 

 ash and soda. As the phosphoric acid taken from the soil is propor- 

 tionately large in amount, phosphatic manures are recommended, and 

 the popular belief that the application of such manures to vineyards 

 will communicate bad odors to wine is declared to be erroneous. 



The following table shows the results of the analyses compared with 

 those of wheat as regards the fertilizing ingredients taken up: 



Ingredients abstracted from the soil. 



5 tons of grapes per acre, average of 5 California 

 analyses 



5 tons of grapes per acre, average of 3 German 

 analyses , 



Wheat hay (Johnson), 4,H001bs per acre 



Wheat (Jolinson), 20 bii. per acre 



Wine (;\rataro, from Santa Clara Coimtj'), 800 gal. 

 per acre 



Total ash. 



Poun ds. 

 50.00 



50.00 



24«. 00 



24.00 



15.37 



Potash. 



Founds. 



25.48 



25.07 



43.92 



. 7.85 



6.C7 



Phosphoric 

 acid, 



1 ounds 

 10.02 



10.50 

 19.80 

 11.00 



2.30 



Kitrogen. 



Pounds. 

 12.60 



17.00 

 42. 00 

 24.00 



.64 



Cassava, J. H. Hart {Boy. Bot. Gard. Trinidad, Misc. Bui., 2 {1S95), No. 1, ;>/?. 

 25-27). — Remarks on anal3'ses of bitter and sweet cassava, showing that the nou- 

 poisouous variety apparently does not exist in Trinidad. It is believed that the 

 amount of lirusslc acid in sweet cassava is nearly equal to that in the bitter, and 

 that too much confidence has been used in attributing non-poisonous properties to 

 the sweet cassava. Careful boiling of sweet cassava in two or three waters is 

 advised to expel all of the volatile prussic acid. 



