HORTICULTURE. 143 



Progress in determining the local condiiiuns wliicli indicate frost is reported, 

 ttie season's records indicating tliat the early evening dew point can be relied 

 upon to a considerable extent in forecasting minimum temperatures on the bogs. 

 The use of oil heaters was found to be effective as protection against frost, but 

 was too expensive to be practicable. 



In the work with fungus diseases being conducted in cooperation with the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture five plats each 4 rods square received two 

 sprayings of Bordeaux mixture and one of neutral copper acetate. Two lbs. 

 of resin fish-oil soap were used with the Bordeaux in all cases and with the; 

 acetate. As compared with the check plats increased yields of from 45 to 144 

 per cent were secured on the sprayed plats. During the previous year the 

 sprayed plats showed no increase in quantity of fruit over their checks, hence 

 it is suggested that the effects of annual spraying may be cumulative. When 

 the fruit was gathered no distinct difference in color between the berries from 

 the sprayed plats and their checks was observed, but differences in the size of 

 the berries appeared to be influenced by the time of picking. In early picked 

 fruit the berries on the check plats were larger, whereas in the last pickings 

 the berries on the sprayed plats were larger. It is suggested that this was due 

 to a retardation in the development of the fruit on the sprayed vines due to the 

 heavier crop which they were producing. The keeping quality was improved 

 by spraying, although this was more marked with the Howe variety. This and 

 the distinctly greater increase in quantity of fruit on the Howe plats indicate 

 the presence of a special diseased condition affecting tliat variety more seriously 

 than the others. This disease, hitherto undetermined, has been tentatively 

 called "blosson end rot." Its characteristic effect on the fruit is to cause it to 

 rot, beginning at the blossom end and working gradually toward the stem end, 

 the berry becoming soft, but remaining plump and watery, as the decay pro- 

 gresses. The tests appeared to give no evidence that the stage of ripeness at 

 which the berries were picked had any effect on their keeping quality. Observa- 

 tions made during the past two years seem to indicate that resanding favors 

 fungus diseases and that spring sanding favors fungus development more than 

 does fall sanding. 



The pollination experiments as continued on another part of the bog 

 (E. S. R., 26, p. 841) appeared to contradict partially the results previously 

 secured, inasmuch as the area over which the bees were excluded bore at least 

 half a crop of berries. The experiment is to be repeated. 



Observations made during the year indicate that the berries of a heavy cran- 

 berry crop will, other conditions being equal, keep better than those of a light 

 crop, and that the surface roughening of the fruit in certain varieties may be 

 relied upon to some extent as an indicator of their keeping quality. 



The results of storage tests which were carried out with berries from all the 

 fertilizer plats gave no evidence that any of the fertilizers, except perhaps the 

 acid phosphate, had affected the keeping quality. Nitrate of soda had a marketl 

 effect in increasing the quantity of fruit, although the variation in size between 

 the berries from the different plats was not very great. Potash caused no 

 increase in fruit and the phosphate but very little. If lime had any effect, it 

 was detrimental. The vines on the plats to which nitrate was applied made a 

 more luxuriant but desirable growth than those on the rest of the bog. 



New varieties of fruits, A. Xomblot {IV. Conf. Internat. G^n^tique Paris, 

 Compt. Rend, et Raps., 1911, pp. 464-468). — With the view of procuring new 

 varieties of tree fruits sowings of seed from different varieties were made a 

 number of years ago. Consideration is here given to those forms which have 

 arisen from naturally fertilized fruits. 



