HORTICULTURE. 765 



by which these parasitic plants are disseminated and suggests measures for their pre- 

 vention and destruction. The texl of the French law regarding the destruction of 

 cryptogams and other plants detrimental to agriculture is given in this connection 

 and discussed. 



HORTICULTURE. 



Study of the causes which make the soil of old market gardens unsuit- 

 able for the culture of certain vegetables I Bui. Mens. Off. Rensi ig. Agr. [ Paris], 

 ; i 1905), No. 9, pp. 1079 1082). Chemical analysis of old truck garden soil showed 



it to be more than twice as rich in all the elements of planl f I as fchebesl ma nun-, 



and yel when Buch plant- as corn salad or Bpinach were planted on this soil the latter 

 part of A.ugus1 only very inferior crops were secured. 



Analyses of the matter in the soil soluble in boiling water showed that it contained 

 much less available plant food than the same soil earlier in the spring before crop- 

 ping had begun. This, then, is considered to be the reason for the defective crops 

 at this time— a lack <>t' immediately available plant food due to exhaustion by 2 or 3 

 previous crops grown earlier in the summer. When the "dead" soil was treated 

 with a dilute solution of. carbonate of potash il was found thai practically as much 

 nitrogen and phosphoric acid was made available as was required for the production 

 of good crops earlier in the peason. 



It is held, therefore, thai if these "dead" soils are treated with --Mine other agenl 

 which will liberate the potash of the .soil in the form of carbonate of potash a full 

 crop is assured. 



A rust-resisting- cantaloupe, P. K. Blinn (Colorado Sta. Bui. 104, />/>■ 15, figs. 

 10). — The cantaloupe rusl or blight has for a number of years seriously injured the 

 cantaloupe industry in Colorado in the vicinity of Etockyford. In dry seasons the 

 disease may not excite much notice, while in season- subjeel to rain- and dews 

 its development is very disastrous to the crop. The disease is caused by a parasitic 

 fungus (Macrosporium cucumerinum) . Attempts by the station to control the disease 

 by the use of Bordeaux mixture have failed. 



In L903 it was observed that some of the plants in a number of fields which had 

 been grown from a single .-train of seed were much more resistanl to the rust than 

 others. Seed from these immune plants was obtained and planted in L904 and like- 

 wise in L905. A large proportion of the seed from these rust-resistanl plant- pro- 

 duced a healthy growth of vines and large solid melons with firm flesh and small 

 seed cavities completely idled with seed, while unselected seed produced plants 

 greatly injured by the rust, with small melons which ripened prematurely, thin 

 watery flesh, large open seed cavities, and of practically no market value. 



Upon investigation it was found that the rust-resistanl plants traced back to an 

 accidental selection made some nine years before by .1. P. Pollock. In selecting 

 muskmelons for seed attention should be paid to quality as well as rust-resistance. 

 A schedule is given suggesting points which should he observed in melon seed selec- 

 tion. Mnskmeloiis. which, from their ontside marking appear to be satisfactory, 

 Should he cut open and examined in regard to size of seed cavity, character of flesh, 

 etc. Observational the station ha- shown that a close netted melon does not lose 



weight by evaporation a- rapidly a- one not so closely netted. 



Fertilizer for peas, II. Bun (Prog. Agr. >t 17/. i /■;,/. /' /■;,• \... 86, 



pp. V9jh299). — A general discussion of the fertilizer requirements of pea-, with tables 

 showing the increased yield obtained when potash was used in addition to super- 

 phosphates on peas. 



Manuring gumbo, II. Blin (Agr. Prat. Pays Chauds, 6 [inn.;., No. .;;. pp. 847- 

 962, fig. 1). — An account of fertilizer experiments with u r nml rokra (Hibiscus escu- 



lenius) in which a complete fertilizer was compared with the different essential fer- 

 tilizer elements separately. 



