ic April. 191--] General Notes. 229 



GENERAL NOTES. 



By J. \V. P. 



AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA— 



According to the report of the Secretary of Agriculture of the United 

 States for 19 10, there are now 62 agricultural experiment stations in active 

 work in that country. Fifty-five of these stations receive appropriations 

 provided for by Acts of Congress, which amounted to ^269,000 in the 

 fiscal year 1909-10 ; in addition ^^200, 000 was contributed by the State 

 Legislatures, and ;^ 150,000 was received by the stations as fees for 

 analyses of fertilisers, sales of farm products and from other local sources. 

 The total annual revenue is over _;^6oo,ooo as compared with half that 

 sum in 1905. Generally speaking, the State funds are mainly used for 

 the more practical work, including maintenance of sub-stations, demon- 

 stration fields, agricultural surveys and a great variety of local experi- 

 ments, while the funds provided by Acts of Congress are chiefly devoted to 

 original research in difficult problems of agriculture generally. 



C50L STORAGE OF FRUIT— 



Annually for some years past the New Zealand Department of Agri- 

 culture has placed in the cool chambers of the Auckland Farmers' Co- 

 operative Freezing Company considerable quantities of fruit, comprising a 

 large number of varieties of apples and pears. The object of the tests 

 was to regulate the markets during periods of glut and thus avoid losses 

 to the growers. In the December issue of the Journal of the Defartment 

 the following important points are noted in connexion with the cool storage 

 •of apples and pears : — 



(i) " Cool storage retards the normal rapid or fairly rapid 

 ripening of the fruit. Consequently, most varieties should be well 

 matured and well coloured, but gathered a little on the green side, 

 to achieve the best results." 



(2) " Bruised or blemished fruit, or fruit attacked by pest or 

 disease, should not be placed in cool storage." 



(3) " Ripe or over-ripe pears will not keep sound." 



(4) " Immature fruits shrivel." 



(5) '■' Apples of soft texture when ripe should be gathered for 

 cool storage before becoming fullv ripe." 



It is believed that the development of cool storage in the Dominion will 

 do much to improve the prospects of fruit-growers there. 



GERMINATION OF WEED SEEDS— 



Wonder is often expressed at the sudden appearance of weeds upon 

 land under cultivation where no signs of the same plants were visible 

 while the land lay in pasture. In the Journal of the Board of Agricid- 

 iure (London) an account is given of some interesting investigations. The 



