NOTES. 617 



L. ( '. ( Jorbett presented a paper on 1 [orticultural Botany. This sliould give us uni- 

 form detaile<] descriptions of our cultivated varieties of fruits, vegetables, and orna- 

 mental plants, together with a systematic classification and arrangemenl of Buch 

 varieties. In a description of horticultural varieties such matters, in addition to the 

 usual descriptive notes, should be included as the history of the variety, it- parentage 

 and line of « It '.-<•< -nt. and its behavior in breeding experiments whether possessing a 

 dominant or recessive character, etc. 



The Irrigated Orchards of the Western Stages formed the subject of a paper pre- 

 pared by M. B. Waite. This pointed bu1 the increasing importance of orcharding in 

 the Rocky Mountain Plateau and the adjacenl arid regions of the western half of the 

 United states, and called attention to some of the differences between these sections 

 and the humid eastern United States. Large orchard plantings, particularly of apples 

 and peaches, have recently been made in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and New 

 Mexico, more especially on the western Blope of the Rocky .Mountains ami around 

 the Greal Basin at elevations of t,000 to 6,000 feet. The important characteristic of 

 these orchard regions is the absence of rain during the growing season, accompanied 

 by a \ ery low atmospheric humidity. These conditio us exert a marked influence on 

 the texture, quality, and appearance of the fruit. Apples have a beautiful wax-like 

 color. The varieties grown are mostly of the better sorts, such as Jonathan, home, 

 Winesap, etc. 



The irrigated orchards of these regions are among the healthiest and thriftiest in 

 the whole country. The air is so dry that ordinary blights and leaf sp< its are seldom 

 injurious. Pear blight, however, is often more severe than in the East, hoot dis- 

 eases are quite prevalent, and certain insects like the codling moth are unusually 



serious. The orchards are unusually productive, a g 1 crop of fruit being secured 



practically every year. This feature is helping a great deal in the commercial success 

 of the industry. 



Some interesting observations were forwarded to the society by VV. Paddock. From 

 some experiments made at the Colorado Station he questions whether eastern potato 

 scah may not he due to Rhizoctonia rather than to Oospora. He suggests that 

 < >ospora may often he a parasite upon Rhizoctonia and not actually concerned in the 

 scab at all. It is believed that the whole subject of potato scab is very much in need 

 of investigation, [n Colorado the scab, which appears to be due to Rhizoctonia, is 

 much more severe in land which is lacking in decaying vegetable matter. A few 

 ■ ■lop-: of alfalfa turned under largely corrects this tendency. 



N. E. Hansen gave an interesting account of a visit to Luther Burbank. Burbank 

 was said to make constant use of the principle laid down by Darwin that excess "t 

 f 1 causes variation. 



r. 1'. Hedrick presented the results of an experiment designed to test the effects 

 of superheated soil- mi plants. The work was carried out in a greenhouse on 

 Cucumbers. Bottom heat was supplied in bench beds, the soil of one section being 

 kept at an average temperature of 7o. s° during om- experiment, a second section at 

 73. S°, and a third section at 83.3° F. The plants in the soil kept at the highest 

 temperature came up about •"> day.- earlier than those kept in the bed at medium 

 temperature and 6 day- earlier than those in the Led kept at the low temperature. 

 There was about the same difference in time in tin- formation of true leaves. 



The plants bloomed in the hot bed in :;") day-, in the medium hot Led in 39 day.-, 

 and in the cold bed in 44 days. The first mature fruits were picked from the hot 

 bed in 74 days, from the medium hot bed in 77 days, and from the cold bed in 82 

 days from seeding. The average number of fruits was Blightly more in the medium 

 hot sod anil they were a little larger than in either of the other heds. 



Commenting on these results Professor Hedrick stated that they represented hut 



one experiment, only ll' plants were used in each bed. There was much variation in 

 the behavior of individual plants in the same bed, and there was a slight difference 



