1917] HORTICULTURE. 743 



sented in tabular form show a marked advantage In ufting closed jars as the 

 time of storaije increases. 



Brief notes are given on the condition of fruit trees introduced at the station 

 previous to July 1, 1914, and during 1915 and 1916. Tests of the inarching 

 method of propagating mangoes resulted in a loss of 18 per cent of the plants. 

 The size of fruit in the station lowland pineapple field was materially increased 

 by providing good drainage. The station is to undertake work looking to the 

 Improvement of the coconut crop on the island. 



[Progress report on horticultural investigations] (Missouri Sta. Bui. 1^7 

 {1911), pp. .'lO-JfS, 44-47).— In continuation of previous reports (B. S. R., 35, p. 

 837) concise statements are given of progress made along various lines of horti- 

 cultural work during the year ended June 30, 1916. 



Fruit nutrition studies in charge of J. C. Whitten and C. O. Wiggans were 

 conducted with strawberries, peaches, and apples during the year. The work 

 with strawberries was confined to the use of fertilizers containing phosphorus, 

 since previous results from the use of potassium and nitrogen were negative. 

 Acid phosphate applied directly to the row, either the current year or the pre- 

 vious year, caused a marked increase in yield, while bone meal even at the end 

 of the second year caused no increase. The question has been raised as to 

 whether or not the effect of the acid phosphate may not be wholly or in part 

 due to the acid condition possibly resulting from its application rather than to 

 the phosphorus it contains. Studies are to be conducted along this line. 



In the nutrition experiments with peaches the trees receiving nitrogen over 

 a period of years are markedly larger, more vigorous, and carry a greener 

 foliage than those receiving no nitrogen. Also by far the greater effect in 

 increasing yield has been shown on the nitrogen plants. During the last year 

 the fruits on the trees fertilized with nitrogen were noticeably smaller in size, 

 but not sufficiently so to injure the market quality, the larger number of 

 peaches more than offsetting the reduction in size. The peaches seemed firmer 

 and in better condition for long shipment. 



The work with apples continued to show the superiority of nitrogen fertilizers 

 on young trees, although the trees fertilized with nitrogen were more subject 

 to blight. Blight was also found to be twice as prevalent on trees where cow- 

 peas were grown and turned under the previous year as on plats where the trees 

 were in timothy or alfalfa sod. Hence, it is concluded that where blight is 

 destructive growers should use discretion in applying nitrogen fertilizer or in 

 turning under leguminous crops. The results secured with fertilizers on older 

 apple trees indicate in brief that the addition of fertilizer may or may not be 

 profitable, depending on conditions in the individual orchard. 



Among other investigations with fruits being conducted by J. C. Whitten work 

 in breeding apples for late blooming habit was started. Planting tests of hardy 

 fruit trees, such as the apple and pear, continued to show that fall planting 

 causes uniformly much stronger growth than spring planting. During the last 

 year late fall planting gave better results than early fall planting and late spring 

 planting gave better results than early spring planting. The sour cherry profits 

 more by fall planting, as compared with spring planting, than any other species 

 that has been tested. The past year's results showed that approximately two- 

 thirds of the spring-planted cherry trees died, while there was no loss among 

 those planted in the fall. The surviving spring-planted trees made 25 per cent 

 as much growth as the fall-planted trees. 



Based on the yields secured from four crops, Ben Davis apple trees grown 

 from fruit buds selected from a productive parent have shown no superiority 

 over those selected from an unproductive parent. A similar experiment in straw 



