642 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



materially increased by dormant spraying with solutions of nitrate of soda plus 

 lye. On the other hand, attention is called to the danger of injury from frost 

 that might result from forcing the trees into bloom earlier than normal. 



A brief bibliography dealing with the forcing of woody plants is appended. 



The pneumatic chisel applied to tree surg-ery, cutting out cankers, and 

 pruning, G. H. Coons (Michigan 8ta. Rpt. 1913, vp. 173-175). — The author here 

 describes an adaptation of the pneumatic hammer with chisel attachments 

 which has been found to work very satisfactorily in gouging out cankers, 

 smoothing stubs of branches, and in opening cavities. When used as a substi- 

 tute for the mallet and chisel the pneumatic chisel has done the work of 4 or 5 

 men. It is recommended for trial to tree surgeons, park boards and city for- 

 esters doing tree surgery work, and to fruit growers with large acreages. The 

 necessary equipment is here described. 



Spraying calendar for 1914, P. J. O'Gara (Off. Path. Rogue River Valley 

 [Oreg.] Bui. 12 (1914), pp. 12). — This calendar contains concise directions for 

 the control of various insect, animal, and fungus pests of the orchard, field, 

 garden, poultry house, and home. Directions are also given for the prepara- 

 tion and use of insecticides and fungicides. 



The practical control of apple diseases and pests, A. L. Melander [Port- 

 land, Oreg., [1912], pp. 4-^). — ^A popular spraying manual dealing with the 

 identification and control of apple diseases and pests. 



Apple orchard experiments, W. E. Ballard (Maryland Sta. Bui. 178 (1913), 

 pp. 58, figs. 2Jf). — In the first part of this bulletin the author describes experi- 

 ments which have been conducted in the station orchard. The larger part of 

 the bulletin consists of a revision and extension of a previous station bulletin 

 upon apple culture with special reference to Maryland conditions (E. S. R., 

 23, p. 242). 



In the station orchard, which was planted in the spring of 1889, northern- 

 grown varieties have been compared with those produced in Maryland nurseries. 

 No striking variation has been noted in the growth or in the productiveness or 

 quality of fruit of trees from different sources. 



A test was started in 1901 in which the following treatments were included: 

 Sod mulch, clean culture followed by a cover crop, and clean culture throughout 

 the season followed by rye as a winter crop. This plan was continued until 

 the orchard was removed in the spring of 1913. The effect of these treatments 

 on the trees was not marked, except that the foliage on the sod plats turned 

 light green earlier in the fall. There was little difference in the quality of the 

 fruit, the sod plat being fully equal to the other plats. The author points out 

 that the soil was of such a nature as not to be easily affected in dry seasons. 

 Notes are given on varieties grown in the station orchard with reference to 

 their behavior in this particular section, together with a table showing the 

 blooming records of the varieties arranged in the order of their first bloom. 



In connection with the cost of growing an apple orchard the statement of 

 E. P. Cohill in the previous bulletin on apple culture has been extended to 

 show the cost of starting and maintaining a 30-acre orchard for a period of 11 

 years. Although the orchard shows a deficit for the first 7 years, at the end 

 of the eleventh year a net profit of nearly $30 per acre per year was realized. 



Seedlessness in apples as a result of the climatic conditions of Imperial 

 Valley, California, C. Nichols (Univ. Cal. Jour. Agr., 1 (1913), No. 5, pp. 

 9-11, figs. 2). — The author calls attention to the prevalent seedlessness of apples 

 and of some of the varieties of pears grown in the Imperial Valley. This 

 phenomenon is attributed to the fact that they come into bloom when the 

 weather is extremely hot and dry, consequently the pistils of the flowers dry 

 up before the pollen reaches and has a chance to fertilize them, or it is pos- 



