234 EXPEEIMEISTT STATION EECOED. 



wheat into this country, and tlie characteristics, areas, and uses to which it is 

 adapted, and discuss the culture and improvement of this crop. As the best 

 varieties are mentioned Kubanka and Arnautka, which are especially described. 

 It is noted that in North and South Dakota, areas In which this wheat is best 

 adapted, it has yielded from 15 to 50 per cent better than the standard Fife 

 and Bluestem varieties. The available data indicate that durum wheat, despite 

 its hardness, has a commercial value at least equal to the best grades of 

 common wheat. 



HORTICTJLTUaE. 



Report of the horticulturist, J. E. Higgins (Hawaii Sta. Rpt. 1912, pp. 55-4-^, 

 pis. 5).— The work of the horticultural department was largely along hues indi- 

 cated in the last report (E. S. R., 27, p. 142), especial attention being given to 

 the avocado, mango, pineapple, and papaya. The results of pineapple studies 

 have been included in a recent press bulletin on The Pineapple in Hawaii (E. S. 

 R., 28, p. 48). 



Considerable attention was given during the year to the propagation and 

 grafting of young avocado and mango seedlings and the method of procedure is 

 here described. A new injury resulting from the fungus Glceosporium was ob- 

 served in a number of the avocado seedling inarches which were found dying 

 back from the wound made in cutting off the scion or the top of the stock. 

 The use of some antiseptic covering on the wounds is advised. The wood-boring 

 beetle (Xyleborus iminaUiriis) made its appearance in the avocado orchard 

 during the year, but was successfully combated by pruning and by the use of a 

 wash composed of 1 gal. of soft soap, 3 gal. of water, and i pint crude carbolic 

 acid, applied to the trunks and branches with a whitewash brush. 



Observations of the time required for the bearing of budded mangoes indicate 

 that the trees will come into bearing at from 2i years to about 3 years from 

 budding, depending on the varieties. The mango is being very seriously at- 

 tacked by the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata). None of the varie- 

 ties appear to be immune from attack, but certain varieties, such as the Smith 

 and several of the Cambodiana type, locally known as " Chutney " varieties 

 appear to be attacked only slightly and chiefly when the fruit is very ripe. 

 When such varieties are picked before the fruit has begun to soften, the fly can 

 be avoided to a considerable degree. To protect the more susceptible varieties 

 it has been necessary to cover the fruits with cotton bags. 



Breeding Avork with papayas is being continued. Observation of a series of 

 graduations between the monoecious and dioecious types inclines the author to the 

 opinion that the dioecious type was the more primitive and gave rise to the 

 monoecious. Staminate trees bearing fruit in large numbers have been raised 

 from seed procured from solitary fruits found growing on staminate trees. 



In connection with the California quarantine against the Mediterranean fruit 

 fly, Hawaiian shippers were compelled to abandon banana leaves as a wrapper 

 for the bunches. Rice straw was used as a substitute for the banana leaves 

 but was found to discolor the rind of the fruit. This trouble has been over- 

 come to a considerable extent by the u.se of either a paper or a cheese-cloth 

 wrapping inside of the rice straw. Experiments conducted by the station indi- 

 cate that scale insects and mealy bugs which infest the banana bunches may be 

 readily killed by fimiigating with hydrocyanic acid gas and without injury to 

 the fruit. It is believed that the injuries reported from the treatment of 

 bananas with this gas in San Francisco mny be due to the moist condition 

 which the bananas are in after a 6 days' voyage on the ship, since hydrocy.-mic 



