542 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



The investigation appears to throw serious doubt on the advisability of top- 

 working previously planted orchards of Kieffer, Garber. and other Oriental 

 hybrids with slow-growing varieties of the European strain. Partial or com- 

 plete failure has usually followed such attempts. A limited amount of evi- 

 dence is found in favor of Kieffer as a stock for Bartlett, which, like the former 

 variety, is a vigorous grower. The presumption is strong that the grafting 

 must be done with great care and at a comparatively early period in the life 

 of the stock. 



The evidence shows strongly that the Oriental group of pears is not well 

 adapted for general culture in New York State, although many orchards have 

 been successful and profitable. These pears attain their highest development 

 in the South Atlantic and Gulf States, where they are seldom fatally attacked 

 by blight or San Jose scale. 



The fibro-vascular system of the qtdnce fruit compared with that of the 

 apple and pear, D. McAupine (Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 31 {1912). pt. /,, 

 pp. 689-607, pis. 3). — A detailed study of the structure of the mature quince in 

 which the author compares the fibro-vascular system of the quince with that 

 determined for the apple and i>ear in previous investigations (E. S. R., 27, 

 p. 538). A number of illustrations of various phases of the vascular system are 

 included. 



Sites, soils, and varieties for citrus groves in the Gulf States, P. H. Rolfs 

 (C7. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 538, pp. 15). — This contains brief and concise 

 directions for the choice of the proper sites, soils, and varieties for citrus 

 orchards in the Gulf States, and is a revision of one part of the material 

 formerly published in Farmers' Bulletin 238 (E. S. R., 17, p. 767). 



Propag'ation of citrus trees in the Gulf States, P. H. Rolfs (C7. 8. Dept. 

 Agr., Farmers' Bui. 539, pp. 16, figs. 9). — A revision of that part of Farmers' 

 Bulletin 238 (see above) dealing with the methods of propagating citrus trees 

 and the most important nursery practices. It also discusses the choice of 

 suitable stocks for different regions. 



Culture, fertilization, and frost protection of citrus groves in the Gulf 

 States. P. H. Rolfs {U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 51(2, pp. 20, figs. 3).— A 

 revision of that part of Farmers' Bulletin 23S (see above) dealing with planting 

 and cultural operations in a citrus orchard. 



Pruning frosted citrus trees, J. E. Coit (California Sta. Circ. 100, pp. Jf). — 

 This circular contains practical directions for re-heading both young and 

 mature citrus trees which have been more or less seriously injured by frost. 



The present status of date culture in the Southwestern States, W. T. 

 Swingle (U. 8. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Circ. 129, pp. 3-7). — The author 

 describes the progress thus far made in the development of the date industry 

 in the Southwest and offers numerous suggestions to growers relative to the 

 further conservative development of the industry. 



It is concluded in substance that date growing is an unusually difficult branch 

 of fruit culture which is most promising to the small resident owner, who, by 

 experimenting with seedling dates and a small planting of offshoots, has 

 acquired the necessary experience to enable him to care for j-oung date palms 

 efficiently. Commercial plantings should be made only of tested standard 

 varieties, such as Deglet Noor, Tazizaoot, Birket el Haggi, and possibly one or 

 two other varieties. The use of a wrong variety entails great loss, since the 

 trees can not be budded or grafted over into better varieties. 



Pecan culture in Florida (Fla. Quart. Bui. Agr. Dept., 23 (1913), No. 3, pp. 

 123-153). — A popular treatise on pecan growing, largely adapted from Florida 

 Station Bulletin 85 (E. S. R., 17, p. 1158), but including also information 

 secured from various expert pecan growers. 



