242 Report oF THE HorTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
EFFECT OF SHADING ON EARLIN®SSS. 
The effect of shading on earliness in the different tests was vari- 
ous but in on case marked. The yield of each variety at Geneva 
at each picking is shown in detail in Table VI. A casual examina- 
tion of this table might lead to the conclusion that shading had 
increased earliness somewhat but such is not the case except with 
one variety. For instance 4 oz. of Marshall (30 quarts per acre) 
were picked June 4, and 5 oz. (3714 quarts per acre) June 6, both 
of which pickings were made before any pickings were made in 
the check. Similarly 1 oz. of Ridgeway shaded (or 714 quarts per 
acre) were picked before any were ripe in the check; but all of 
these amounts are too small to be of practical importance. The 
first picking of Marshall commercially important in the open was 
on, June 13. Taking into consideration the fact that the yield of 
that variety was 128 per ct. greater under the cover than in the 
open, and increasing the actual yield in the open up to June 13 in 
this proportion, the figure 186 (748 quarts per acre) is obtained, 
which is to be set against a total yield of 1338 oz. (731 quarts per 
acre) in the shaded plat up to the same time. The difference is 
too small to consider. By similar calculations it can be shown 
that the ripening of Ridgeway was not hastened. 
That the cover had no material influence in either hastening 
or retarding the ripening season of any variety in the Geneva 
experiment can also be shown by computing the average dates 
of ripening of the several varieties. It is thus shown that the 
average dates of ripening of Marshall, Brandywine and Ridge- 
way were unaffected, while that of Wm. Belt was delayed two 
days and that of Hunn was advanced one day. A slightly earlier 
maturity of all varieties would have been expected in view of 
the fact that the seasons of blossoming had been slightly advanced 
(see p. 238). The expectation was not realized, however. 
At Shortsville the season of Wilson appeared to be advanced five 
days, that of Haverland six days and that of Jessie one day. But 
the unequal injury to the shaded and the check plants by frost 
must be borne in mind in interpreting these data, (see p. 48), 
All of the buds in the open that were the more advanced at the 
time of the frost were killed; but none of Haverland under the 
cover were found killed. Then, other things being equal, the 
shaded plants would be earlier than those in the open by just the 
Oe ea ae 
