248 Report of the Horticulturist of the 



Seed of Lorillard from a- well-known seedsman was sown in 

 flats* August 23, 1895. The flats were filled with soil composed 

 of one measure of sand, one of well-rotted manure and four of 

 potting soil, thoroughly mixed. September 4 the seedlings were 

 transplanted into 2^-inch pots. The soil for the pots consisted 

 of sod from a clay loam piled alternately with layers of coarse 

 stable manure. After this was rotted it was thoroughly mixed 

 and used for potting the plants. 



Benching. — The plants were benched September 2Gth. At this 

 time they varied from 1^ to 4:^ inches in height and were stocky 

 and healthy. The benches had perforated tile bottoms and 

 were given no extra drainage. Over the tile bottom a thin layer 

 of moss (sphagnum) was spread, then an inch of well-rotted stable 

 manure and lastly an inch of soil. The soil was prepared by 

 mixing thoroughly three measures of the potting soil just de- 

 scribed with two and a half measures of sand, two of good leaf 

 mold and two of well-rotted, mixed stable manure. One hundred 

 and three plants were selected for this experiment and were 

 divided into two lots. One lot, consisting of fifty-two plants, 

 was put on the side benches in the east half of the tomato house. 

 These plants were not taken out of the 2|-inch pots which were 

 set immediately on the layer of manure on the bench. The soil 

 was mounded around and over the pot and covered with leaf 

 mold up to the seed leaves (cotyledons) so as to induce the send- 

 ing out of roots from the stem above the pot. These plants will 

 be referred to on the following pages as being " in pots." 



Another lot, consisting of fifty-one plants, was set on the side 

 benches in the west half of the same house. Each plant was 

 taken from the pot, the lower part of the ball of earth. attached 

 to it was broken and it was set on the soil on the bench. A 

 mound of earth was then drawn around each plant and covered 

 with leaf mold up to the seed leaves the same as was done with 

 the plants benched in pots as described above. These plants will 

 be referred to hereafter as plants " not in pots," meaning by that, 

 that they were transplanted from the 2^ inch pots to the soil 

 on the bench. Some of the plants in each of the two lots were 



•Boxes twelve inches square and three Inches deep. 



