538 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



for the pistache nut; AmygdaJus communis, A. orioitnlis, Pninus microcarpa, P. 

 nrsina, and P. cerasia as stocks principally for almonds and apricots; Cratcegus 

 azarolus, C. orientalis, and C. sinaica as stocks for pears and iwssibly apples, 

 and Pyrufi syriaca as a pear stock. The possibility of securing valuable results 

 from these plants by hybridization and selection is also suggested. Among 

 these plants are included stocks adapted for moist, arid, and alkaline soils, 

 as well as for both high and low altitudes. 



In addition to the wild types suggested for stocks, notes are given of a number 

 of cultivated fruits considered worth trying in the United States, including 

 apricots, quinces, pomegranates, olives, figs, dates, grapes, and oranges. 



Orchard management, IT. P. Hedrick (Neio York State 8ta. Circ. 11, pp. 

 13). — This circular contains a popular discussion of the principles underlying 

 orchard management. Consideration is given to the selection of location, land, 

 and varieties, climatic conditions, pruning, cultivation, intercrops and cover 

 crops, diseases, and insect pests. The chief results secured during the first 5 

 years of the soil management experiment in the Auchter orchard (E. S. R., 21, 

 p. 238) are also given and discussed. 



Homemade orchard heater, J. Mendenhall {West. Fruit Groicer, 21 (1910), 

 Xo. 8, p. 13). — The author briefly describes an improvised orchard heater made 

 of cobblestones which has been successfully employed. The stones were placed 

 in a circle, the small ones in the center and the large ones on the outside; coal 

 was used for fuel. A common bucket full of coal lasted about 2J hours, and the 

 stones retained heat for a number of hours after the fires were burned out. 



Fruit production of the British Empire, J. McCall (Jour. Roy. Hart. Soc. 

 [London^, 36 (1910), No. 1, pp. 98-106).— A statistical discussion of the fruit 

 production in the various portions of the British Empire. 



Apple orchard survey of Niagara County, M. B. Cummings (New York 

 Cornell Sta. Bui. 262, pp. 279-320, figs. 15).— The third of a series of orchard 

 surveys being made of the apple growing counties of New York (B. S. R., 17. 

 p. 367) is here reported. The work in Niagara County was carried on by a 

 number of inspectors in 1905 and 1906 and completed by the author in 1907. 



About 24,190 acres or 7.2 per cent of the area of the county is planted to apple 

 orchards. Of these over 716 orchards, containing 6,000 acres in representative 

 districts, were examined relative to the age of the trees, soils, drainage, fertili- 

 zation, tillage, enemies of the apple, spraying, pruning, distance between trees, 

 ownership, yields, prices, income per acre, varieties, etc. Most of the data col- 

 lected covers a period of 5 years. 



The survey as a whole shows that the apple acreage in Niagara County has 

 been on the decline since 18S0, a majority of the orchards having been planted 

 30 to 45 years ago. The San Jose scale deterred many from planting during 

 the past 7 years. About 30 kinds of apples are grown in the county of which 

 the chief varieties are Rhode Island Greening, Baldwin, and Northern Spy. 

 The crop is normally marketed in barrels. Since the spread of the San Jose 

 scale, however, resulting in the production of much inferior fruit the cider mill 

 and the evaporator have come to the fore. In 1905, 34.1 per cent of the crop 

 was evaporated. The average annual yield per acre for the 5-year period, 1902- 

 1906, was 192.4 bu. and the average gross income per acre for the same period 

 was $109.20. The average price per barrel was $1.97. 



The yields were influenced by the soil types and much loss was sustained 

 because of lack of drainage. About 52.2 per cent of the orchards had good 

 drainage. Sixty-one per cent of the orchards receive barnyard manure, and 

 only 4 per cent are given commercial fertilizers. Cover crops are used in nearly 

 10 per cent of the orchards. The 3-year average income per acre where no fer- 



