more than one year. Owing to an extremely wet season, the lower levels of 

 the pits were under water and decomposition was neither very rapid nor 

 complete. The yields from such crops as radish, Swiss chard, and barley, 

 grown in these materials, indicated that hen manure, ground limestone, and 

 chopped vegetation are important aids to composting. 



Mixtures of sawdust with macerated green vegetation, manure, lime, 

 and fertilizer composted indoors in jars gave best yields for the first two 

 ingredients. 



One crop grown in sawdust plus sewage sludge, with or without soil, 

 gave better yields than controls in soil only. All were fertilized uniformly. 



Outdoor bins of sawdust composts were started with various mixtures 

 of sawdust and hen manure, green vegetation, sewage sludge, and super- 

 phosphate. These are still in the composting process. 



S. Dunn 



Native Blackberries of New Hampshire. 



To supplement the research now being carried out in the Horticulture 

 Department on Rubus, a floristic and taxonomic study of the blackberries 

 of New Hampshire is now under way. During the season of 1951, collections 

 were made in nearly all counties of the state. These have been studied care- 

 fully in the University Herbarium with the result that, while numerous hy- 

 brids were recognized, most of the speciments could be placed within wide- 

 ranging and clearly established species. It is evident that minor character- 

 istics have been employed in the past much too frequently in setting up or 

 maintaining new species of Rubus. As a result of this past summer's work, it 

 becomes apparent that if extensive collection and field observation proceed 

 hand in hand with herbarium study, it will be possible before long to work 

 out a practical and useful guide to the New Hampshire species. 



A. R. HODGDON 



New Plant Diseases in New Hampshire. 



Several diseases which have not previously been reported in New Hamp- 

 shire were identified during the past year. A disease of celery was found to 

 be associated with a nematode ( Paratylenchus hamatus). An asparagus-tip 

 blight was caused by Botrylis in the fall of 1951. Cabbage yellows was col- 

 lected in the summer of 1952. Needle blight of red pine was observed in the 

 fall of 1951. 



Other diseases which are gaining in importance include V erticillium 

 wilt and pink-eye of potato, and Dutch Elm Disease. 



A. E. Rich 



OTHER ACTIVE PROJECTS 



Control of New Hampshire Weeds Using Herbicidal Methods. 



A. R. HODGDON 



Crops 



(See Agronomy) 

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