26 Director's Report op the 



the percentages of butter fat which they contain, and that the 

 purchase of milk of varying quality at a uniform price is a most 

 unbusinesslike operation, unjust alike to producer and buyer. 



Use of fertilizers on potatoes. — Experiments conducted on Long 

 Island for the purpose of comparing the relative profits from 

 using 1,000 lbs. and 2,000 lbs. of commercial fertilizer per acre 

 on potatoes showed: (1) that the smaller quantity was the more 

 profitable, and (2) that in a single application of 2,000 lbs. of 

 fertilizer per acre twenty-five per cent more nitrogen, nearly five 

 times as much phosphoric acid and not far from sixty-five per 

 cent more potash were added to the soil than were removed in 

 two crops. This indicates that Long Island potato growers may 

 be incurring serious losses by applying too much of an improp- 

 erly compounded fertilizer. 



Horticultural Investigations. — During 1896 the horticul- 

 tural investigations at this Station have been conducted largely 

 along the following lines: 



Testing fruits. — This necessitates the keeping of permanent 

 records of the very large number of varieties which are now in- 

 cluded in the Station collections. In many cases photographs, 

 drawings and herbarium specimens are preserved. The accom- 

 panying report includes the results of comparative tests of ap- 

 ples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and 

 grapes, together with descriptions of different varieties of these 

 fruits. 



The origination of neiv fruits for the purpose of securing improved 

 sorts. — Station seedlings of apple, pear, cherry, plum, grape, cur- 

 rant, gooseberry, blackberry, dewberry, raspberry and straw- 

 berry, 1,111 varieties in all, are being tested. With but few ex- 

 ceptions these are crosses, hybrids or pure bred seedlings, the 

 parents of which, both male and female, have been selected for a 

 definite purpose; in other words, they are the result of system- 

 atic plant breeding. 



The treatment of plant diseases, (a) Plum leaf spot. — Gratifying 

 results have followed the investigations as to the best time for 

 making the applications and as to the fewest number of treat- 



