242 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



the various plats each year, starting in 1889, the year previous to planting : 

 Plat 1, 20,000 lbs. of barnyard manure; plat 2, 2,000 lbs. of wood ashes; plat 3, 

 nothing; plat 4, 600 lbs. of bone meal and 200 lbs. of muriate of potash; and 

 plat 5, 600 lbs. of bone meal and 400 lbs. of low grade sulphate of potash. The 

 fertilizei's have invariably been applied bi'oadcast in early spring and were 

 mixed with the soil until 1895, since when the orchards have been kept in grass 

 and the fertilizers used as a top-dressing. 



As indicated by the circumference of the trees, the order of growth was plats 

 1, 5, 2, 4, and 3, and as indicated by the total yield of all trees to date, includ- 

 ing 1909, the i-ank was as plats 1. 5, 4, 2, and 3. Plat 2 usually ranked first in 

 color and general attractiveness of appearance of the fruit, followed by plats 

 5, 4, 1, and 3. During the early years of the experiment, plat 5 ranked first in 

 size of the fruit, followed by plats 4, 1, 2, and 3, but in recent years, whenever 

 the quantity of fruit was not excessive, the apples on plat 1 were usually larger 

 than those of any of the other plats. 



A number of tests of the keeping quality of the fruit usually gave plat 5 first 

 place, followed by plats 4, 1, 2, and 3. The relative low quality of the fruit 

 from plat 2 is attributed to the fact that it comes to maturity earlier than on 

 the other fertilized plats. The author calls attention to the superiority of plat 5 

 over plat 4, the trees being much larger and producing a much greater amount 

 of fruit. The only impoi'tant difference in the application of fertilizer made 

 to the 2 plats has been the use of low grade sulphate of potash in plat 5 instead 

 of muriate, but no conclusion is reached as to the nature of the beneficial action, 

 if there be any, exerted by the low grade sulphate. 



Experiments upon a larger scale are being conducted to test the questions 

 raised in the present work, but the results already show most decisively that 

 apple trees must be fertilized to grow well and bear well. The stable manure 

 furnished too large a proportion of nitrogen, the growth of the trees being rank, 

 the foliage heavy, and the fruit overgrown, as well as coarse and inferior in 

 color. Taking the work as a whole, the combination of bone meal with low 

 grade sulphate of potash has produced the most satisfactory results. 



Some practical suggestions are given relative to fertilizing orchards, and the 

 question of sod versus tillage is briefiy discussed although the author does not 

 consider it as bearing directly on the experiment reported. 



The box pack for apples, W. H. Wicks {Neio Hampshire Sta. Circ. 8, pp. 6, 

 figs. 7). — Instructions are given for packing apples in boxes, including informa- 

 tion relative to the package and packing material. 



Apples and pears for export, C. P. Van der Merwe (Dept. Agr. Orange River 

 Colony, Hort. Div. Leaflet 6, pp. 12), — Lists are given of varieties of apples and 

 pears which have been found to do well in the Orange River Colony and which 

 are recommended to be grown for export. 



A biometric study of the seeds of a vinifera grape grown both on its own 

 roots and as a graft, P. Seyot {Assoc. FranQ. Avanc. Sci., Compt. Rend., 38 

 (1909), i)p. 556-569; ahs. in Rev. Vit., 34 (1910), No. 878. p. J,14).—The author 

 made a study of the seeds of the Tannat grape grown on its own roots and on a 

 number of different stocks. 



The general conclusions reached are that grafting has exerted a marked in- 

 fluence on seed dimensions of this variety and that the extent of this variation 

 is influenced more or less by the particular stock employed. To a certain degree 

 the variations appeared comparable to those produced by sexual hybridization. 



Coffea robusta as a catch crop for Para rubber, P. J. S. Cbamer (India 

 RuMer Jour., n. scr., 39 (1910), Nos. 12, pp. 791, 792; 13, pp. 861, 862; II,, pp. 

 Ji3, Jilf, 46, figs. 8). — This is essentially an account of robusta coffee (Coffea 

 laurentii) relative to its history, culture, preparation, and commercial value. 



