HORTICULTURE. 549 



ing- wiis very slight. A considerable number of the l)lossonis of the 

 ])Uini were killed by the whitewash. The whitewash appeared to have 

 but little efi'ect in retarding the swelling of the apple buds. A record 

 of the relative dates of blossoming of the different varieties of apples 

 at the Central Station is given. 



Roses at the Maritime Experiment Farm have been successfully 

 protected during the winter by placing barrels with the heads knocked 

 out over the base of the bushes and packing with various materials, 

 one of the most satisfactory of which was clean straw. Notes on the 

 culture and dates of blooming of 58 varieties of hardy flowers are 

 recorded, as is also data for an experiment on the effect of removing 

 the suckers from the base of sweet corn in the production of ears. No 

 conclusive results were obtained. Soaking sweet-corn seed 24 hours 

 in warm Avater before planting proved of no value. 



On the use of commercial fertilizers for forcing-house crops, 

 E. H. Jenkins and W. E. Britton {Connecticut State Sta. Rpt. 1899^ 

 pt. S^iJjj. 219-235, plan 1). — The work here reported was begun in 1894, 

 and the results secured up to 1897 have been published (E. S. K., 10, 

 p. 246). 



Tomatoes (pp. 219-224).^ — Previous experiments with this crop have 

 shown that larger crops of tomatoes, normal in size, color, taste, and 

 chemical composition, could be grown in a soil of coal ashes and peat 

 moss by the aid of commercial fertilizers than in a rich compost with 

 or without commercial fertilizers. Experiments in 1898 showed that 

 28 oz. of nitrogen, 6 of phosphoric acid, and 21 of potash applied to 

 each 100 sq. ft. of liench space of coal ashes and peat moss was exces- 

 sive and injured the plant. Lorillard proved superior to either Acme 

 or Essex Hj^brid for forcing. 



In 1899 soils of compost and of coal ashes and peat were placed in 

 alternate plats throughout the forcing house and 2 crops of Lorillard 

 tomatoes grown. Three plats were filled with compost which had 

 been "sterilized" by heating 1 hour with steam. Nitrogen was fur- 

 nished to the different plats in the form of nitrate of soda, cotton-seed 

 meal, and fine bone, respectively. 



"There was practically no difference in the average yields from plats dressed with 

 nitrogen in nitrate of soda, cotton-seed meal, or ground bone. The yield from plats 

 dressed with bone was slightly below the others. The soil of coal ashes and peat on 

 the average yielded more tomatoes than the compost. 



"Sterilizing the compost by heating for 1 hour witli steam caused it to produce a 

 heavier growth of plant ani a smaller yield of fruit. A poor subsoil which was used 

 in the benches, whether fertilized with chemicals or not, produced only about J as 

 much weight of tomatoes as the compost. Sutton Best of All gave a slightly larger 

 yield than Lorillard as well as fewer and heavier fruits per plant. It was somewhat 

 later in blossoming and maturing fruit. It does not appear to be greatly superior to 

 Lorillard as a forcing variety." 



The pollination of tomatoes in this experiment was secured b}' hold- 



