40 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECOED, 



Pure strains differed in a very marlied way in most important characters. 

 High yield in the field was associated with high yield in the nursery plats, and 

 strong straw had a slight relation to size of plant but no relation to size of 

 berry, and varied inversely with the percentage of nitrogen. 



Block plats and row plats at the usual rates of seeding probably correlate 

 more closely with results in field plats than in plats where the plants are 

 spaced, as in centgeners. Where error is corrected by the system of rei>etition 

 of plats, check plats should be used for the purpose of determining the experi- 

 mental error. When the variation in checks equals the variation in strains, no 

 possible selection can be made. 



Seed tests made at the station during 1912, M. T. Munn (Ifew York State 

 Sta. Bui. 362, pp. 131-163). — "In part 1 of this bulletin will be found, (1) a 

 reprint of the law governing the inspection and sale of seeds, (2) a brief state- 

 ment of the method employed in finding the percentages of impurity of the sam- 

 ples analyzed, (3) a table showing the percentage composition of about 125 sam- 

 ples collected under the law, after July 1, lf»12, (4) results of some studies on 

 the relationship between 'weight' and 'count' standards of purity, and (5) 

 comments on the results of the inspection and the bearing of the law on agricul- 

 tural interests. . . . 



" Part 2 contains a brief report upon the seed trade conditions in this State, 

 as revealed by the examination of 1,140 samples of seed received from corre- 

 spondents during the calendar year 1912, consisting of 621 samples of alfalfa. 

 170 of red clover, 150 of timothy, 96 of alsike clover, and 47 miscellaneous 

 samples. 



"Thirteen samples of alfalfa seed had been adulterated, sand, crushed rock, 

 broken seed, inert matter, and yellow trefoil seed being the adulterants used. 

 Eighty-six per cent of the samples of hairy vetch had been adulterated with 

 the seed of other vetches, notably spring vetch. Thirteen per cent of the alfalfa 

 samples and 19 per cent of the red clover samples contained dodder seed, and 

 the experience of farmers with this pest during the past season calls for a note 

 of warning to prospective buyers. . . . 



"The long list of foul and foreign seeds appears to be steadily increasing, 

 mainly by the additional occurrence of new weeds. The most common impuri- 

 ties were plantain, mustard, green foxtail, chicory, and curled dock, with Rus- 

 sian thistle and roquette as new arrivals which attract much attention, but have 

 so far proved to be of little importance in New York alfalfa fields. Examina- 

 tion of samples of alsike and timothy mixtures and of lawn grass mixtures re- 

 vealed a very serious condition as regards purity. Such mixtures should be 

 avoided." 



Does the farmer get pure seeds? F. H. Haix {'New York State Sta. Bui. 362, 

 popular ed., pp. 10, fig. 1). — This is a popular edition of the above. 



HOUTICULTTJEE. 



Proceedings of the Society for Horticultural Science, 1912 (Proc. Soc. 

 Hort. ScL, 1912, pp. 160, pis. 5). — The following papers presented at the ninth 

 annual meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, December 31, 1912, are here reported: The 

 Injurious Effects of Lime on Some Small Fruits, by W. J. Wright; Forms of 

 Sugar Found in Common Fruits, by F. Thompson and A. C. Whittier ; A Uni- 

 form Fruit Score Card, by W. H. Alderman ; An Analysis of Quality in Apples, 

 by J. K. Shaw ; Spme Effects of Certain Commercial Fertilizers upon the Set of 

 Fruit In the Peach, by C. A. McCue ; Notes on Storing Apples, by J. H. Gour- 

 ley; Field Studies of a Leaf Roll Disease of Potatoes, by C. L. Fitch; The 

 Relation of Climate to Horticulture, by W. T. Macoun; The Demonstration 



