HOETI0ULT1 BE. 253 



descriptions of the varieties tested. All the- varieties of lettuce suffered from lack of 

 water and insufficient fertility and none of the plain-leaved varieties headed up sat- 

 isfactorily. " The crinkled and loose sorts made the best heads and were slower to 

 run to seed." Rice birds destroyed the carrot crop. Of the 16 varieties of turnips 

 tested the Purple Top White* rlobeand the White Dutch strap Leafare recommended 

 to truckers as of market value. The Purple Top Flat Strap Leaf and Extra Earlv 

 White Milan are also considered satisfactory. 



Rhubarb in Arkansas, E. Walker {Arkansas Sta. Bui. 86, pp. & ■'■■'<■ Rhubarb 

 ha- been grown" at the station for the past 4 years with excellent results. It does not 

 thrive in the warmer parts of the State, but has been grown successfully at elevations 

 of 1,500 ft, It is believed that it can be successfully grown over a large part of north- 

 em Arkansas where suitable soils can be found. Popular directions are given for 

 pro* ing the crop out of doors and for forcing. 



Pruning-; wounds and their treatment; pruning- tools, II. II. Hume /•' 

 A'. C. Bd. Agr., :<; ( 1905), No. 1, pp. SI, figs. SO). — Bight and wrong methods of cut- 

 ting off limbs in pruning arc described and illustrated, and a discussion giveu of w hen 

 to prune and how to treal the wounds made in pruning. Illustrations and descrip- 

 tions are a Ism given of pruning tools, with estimates as to cost and directions for their 

 use. 



Nitrate of soda as a fertilizer for fruit trees, B. Trenkneb (GartenweU, 9 

 (1905), No. 27, pp. 313-316, figs. 4).— An account is given of the increased yield of 

 cherries and apples secured when nitrate of soda was used as a fertilizer. 



Illustrations are given which show graphically the difference in yield when this 

 fertilizer was employed and when it was omitted. The author has applied as much, 

 as 500 lbs. per acre without injurious results. Injury to fruit trees through overfer- 



tilizing with nitrate of soda first shows itself in the youngest si ts, which turn 



brown, wrinkle up, and look as though they were burned. 



A- a result of 10 years' experience in the use of this fertilizer in connection with 

 potash and phosphoric acid fertilizer- tie- author holds that not only is the nitrate 

 beneficial and profitable, but for those who would secure the greatest returns it is 

 indispensable. 



A straw mulch in the orchard, U. T. Cox and W. J. Green (W. Va. Farm /.'< v . 

 IS i 1905), No. 4, p. 18; reprinted from Stockman and Farmer).— An account is given 

 of mulching 250 apples trees with straw. 



Eight tons of straw costing at the rate of $9.50 per ton were used. A.bout 25 trees 

 were left unmulched for comparison. The fall season was very dry, there being but 

 very little rain from the middle of August until December. The mulched fruit was 

 increased considerably in size and the percentage of first-grade fruit increased about 

 14 per cent by the use of the straw. As a result of the better appearance and higher 

 grade of the mulched fruit, it i- estimated that it would bring 25 cts. more per barrel 

 than the unmulched fruit. 



"The color w as much better where mulched, as the dry weather caused the lea ve- 

 to fall from the unmulched trees before the fruit fully matured in some cases. The 

 gain in number of barrels and increased size of fruit was aboul $135, and if that extra 

 25 cts. per barrel be added would make it $235 gain, and probably half the value of 

 the mulch remains for future crops. . . . 



•'Some of the fruit from the unmulched trees looked dead, felt spongy, and was 

 tough, while that from the mulched trees was bright, crisp, and solid. The mulched 

 trees seem to he in conditio]) to hear next year and the others are not likely to hear 



for 2 years. The .hop- are clean and not bruised where there i- a g 1 mulch, will 



keep, and are worth more than those from rocky hare ground. The variety wa- 

 nearly all Rome Beauty in the tests, and all that were counted were of that variety." 

 Plums in South Dakota, N. E. Hansen (South Dakota Sta. Bui. 93, pp. 88, pis. 16, 

 ri'j. l ). — An account of plums and plum growing in South Dakota. 



