HORTICULTURE. 637 



The weed problem, L. H. Pammel {Transt. Iowa Hort. Soc, ^7 (1912), pp. 

 1S8-19S). — The author discusses the recognition of weeds and their dissemina- 

 tion, and offers suggestions for controlling them. 



HOETICULTTIEE. 



Report of the horticulturist, C. F. Kinman (Porto Rico 8ta. Rpt. 1912. pp. 

 2.3-27, pi. 1). — This is the usual progress report on the station's work with 

 fruits, vegetables, and miscellaneous plants (E. S. R., 27, p. 841). 



During the year an experiment was conducted to determine the practicability 

 of packtog for direct shipment the uncultivated oranges on the coffee planta- 

 tions where they are grown instead of selling the ungraded fruit at small piices 

 to shippers at seaports. The results indicate that this excellent uncultivaied 

 fruit can be cheaply harvested and marketed by the laborers on the plantations 

 with but little loss of fruit by decay and that the profit will be much in excess 

 of that received by following the old method. In a demonstration to show the 

 results of skin injuries, 3 boxes of sound and 3 of skin-punctured fruits were 

 packed and stored 11 days. When opened 3 per cent from the sound boxes had 

 decayed as compared with 34 per cent of the punctured fruits. 



The cooperative fertilizer experiments have been practically ;'losed and the 

 data are being arranged for publication. They show in general that ihe plats 

 receiving a complete fertilizer yielded much better, in some '^ases 100 per cent 

 more, than those receiving an incomplete fertilizer. All fertilizeil plats pro- 

 duced much more than the check plats. The plats receiving potash and nitrogen 

 gave the lowest yield for any of the fertilizer plats. Only small differences 

 have thus far been observed between the use of muriate aur* sulphate of potash. 



Work with various types of citrus stocks has been continued and wide differ- 

 ences in thriftiness of seedling types have been noted. The test is on a slightly 

 sloping site in a heavy clay which does not drain well. Plence the growth per- 

 formance is generally unsatisfactory. Plantings of various types have l)e<^n 

 made in a more favorable soil for testing under orchard conditions. The citrus 

 variety orchard (E. S. R., 25, p. 740) has proved so unsatisfactory that it was 

 removed during the year. Hart late oranges and Dmican and Marsh seedless 

 grapefruit withstood the adverse conditions best. 



The variety test of native and foreign mangoes was continued, '34 foreign 

 types are now being cultivated at the station, the larger part of these being 

 East Indian varieties. A number of these imported varieties fruited during the 

 year, all of which possess the favored qualities of the eastern mango and are 

 far superior to the native types. Several varieties promise to be of value for 

 ornamental use where a tree of symmetrical head and heavy foliage is desired. 



During the year a coconut fertilizer and general cultural experiment was 

 started in a grove situated near the coast in cooperation with Guanica Centrale. 

 Cultural, fertilizer, and variety tests with sweet potatoes, yautias, dasheens. and 

 yams were continued. The influence of distance and size of tubers planted, 

 wbich was tested with the yam variety Potato, has been very marke<l on the 

 yield. Where hills were planted 2 by 2 ft. on level land, the calculated ircduc- 

 tion per acre was over 13 tons of tubers, as compared with a little over half as 

 much where planted 4 by 4 ft. In the ridge plantings the yams which were 

 separated 20 in. gave 5.07 lbs. of tubers per hill, while when planted 10 in. 

 apart the yield was 3.93 lbs. per hill. Where medium-sized tubers were planted 

 the average yield per hill was 5 lbs., and where small tubers were planted, 4 

 lbs. per hill. This variety is considered promising since the yield is heavy and 

 the starch content of the tubers 23i per cent. 



