206 EXPERIMPJNT STATION RECORD. 



art was traced fi'oin vorv early times, while the other gave an account 

 of the pi-ogress dui'itig" the nineteenth centurv. It was shown that at 

 the present time tloral decorators in the vicinity of Paris reijuire about 

 $2,000,000 of horticultural products animally. 



A report was given on the practical prevention of some diseases of 

 truck crops. One of the largest growers of Roman lettuce near Paris 

 stated that b}- the use of eau celeste he had entirely overcome the verj^ 

 common loss accompanying the forcing of that crop. Prof. Maxim 

 Cornu recommended the prevention of all similar diseases l)y spraying 

 the ground at the time of seeding with copper solutions and mulching 

 about the plants with material which had been previously soaked in 

 copper sulphate. Hot-water heating for forcing vegetables was the 

 subject of a ])aper in which the writer gave results with this sj'steni of 

 heating in forcing melons, beans, strawberries, and tomatoes, all of 

 which were proiitabh- grown for the spring market. Carrots, salads, 

 radishes, and cauliflowers did not prove profitable. Considerable 

 difference of opinion was expressed regarding the method of ai)pli- 

 cation and composition of fertilizers for truck crops. The advo- 

 cates of chemical ftu'tilizers and of manures were insistent upon their 

 views. The sul)ject was referred to a subsequent meeting. The role 

 of artificial fecundation in horticulture, as shown by some experiments 

 with Pelargonium zon<ih\ was the sul)ject of a paper that occasioned 

 considerable discussion. A brief paper was presented on the role of 

 electricity in plant growth, in which the author expressed the belief 

 that electricity increased the general vigor of plants. The application 

 of seed selection to the production and lixation of new horticultural 

 varieties was exemplified by two specimens of palms grown from seed 

 from different parts of the parent cluster. Others taking part in the 

 discussion asserted that in improvement of varieties the individual 

 should be the unit of selection, and that repeated experiments tended 

 to throw doubt upon the constancy of differences sometimes noted for 

 seed from different parts of a plant. 



Other papers were on the progranmie but were carried over to the 

 next meeting of the National Horticultural Societv of France. 



After the adiournment of the congress the delegates and others 

 visited the School of Horticulture and the nurseries and houses of a 

 numl)er of commercial horticulturists at Versailles, the trial farm of 

 Vilmorin. Andrieux & Co., and nuishrooni caves ncnir Paris. 



CONGRESS OF VITICUI.TI RE. 



The International Congress of Viticulture was held June 12-1 «> under 

 the presidency of M. Tisserand, honorary director of agriculture of 

 France. The first session was taken up with reports and discussion on 

 the subject of phylloxera. As means for combating this pest, submer- 

 sion, the use of carbon bisulphid and 'potassium sulphocar])onate, and 



