AGRICULTURAL APPlU>PKIATIOX HILL, 11»24. IMT 



ivTliVi/.i-r . It lia« Ix't-n diHcovcnKl ulik) that jirupiT halunn* l.<t\M< n the miii.tiI^ nf 



iiia^n(>»*iiirii and Hiilphiir iit tlu* fortili/.<>r or Hoil \n u fucti>r of iiii ; 



;iiiil that thi.M Imhiiui' in liki»Iy to iu- ii:r«'atly ulfiTtiMl hy thr ;■: .1 iii«' -■ 



lull. In n'laUvf'ly <lry wnwonM Mymnlorii.H of Hiilplitir i|i nn- »!■ 



wliiN' ill wfi HciwoiiH iiia^MifMium (IfdcH'iicv Ih-coiiu-.m nu>i«- .1 



«)f lln' .Mulphur l)rou>;ht into tin- Hnil liy mill, in ••oiijuiirlion wii 



learhinf^. An a roHiilt of ti(>l<l )>lat u>!*tH rarrtfil out in tmwt of lti«> imiKirtant 



^Towinir HcrtioHH, in whifh rhf-niicnllv ])ur« Halt^ woro iisnl iiiMcad of flu- umi.h < m- 



nuTciiil ItTlili/iT matcrialH, it ha." fx-roino rvidrnt that iindfr (-(Ttain ronditn.nfl 



niaLrnt'.«iiini di'licii'iiry may n-Hiilt in Horioii 11 tn'wl' i 



land, ami the croj) i.Hf<ul)jfft to injury trDiii i <•?<. It 1 1 



donionHtmtp<l that the nfro.-wary (jiiantity oi mairntfuum for corr«'<nntf thin d< 



niav \u> rcatiily «u]t]»li»'d hy ufini: in the fcrlilizf'r potju-li .Malts cnntainini: ap).;- . ...,.<• 



(iuantitit'.s of inairni'sium or by the application of majr'K'^iiini linu'.xtonr' Ui the noil. 



It i.H iihviou.M, thcrt'iiiri', that the idnm-nt mairm-xiiim mii.-^t !><• Iak«'n into ' 



hoth in the jfeneral proldom of liinini; and in tin- pro|>vr chou*«' of commercial !• r 



materialH, particularly in the u»*e of hiphly concentrated fertilizer formulas. 



HVOAR-rANE MO8AIC. 



Moraic di.sease of cane has heen foun<l in each of our cane States and every field has 



heen insjM'cted and the deuToe of infertion. if any, has been <lct«TmiiH'd and recorded. 

 Some of the States are coojH^ratinp with us in the control of the mosaic disea-xe in the 

 cane areas. The disease has been reduced ])ractically to the point of elimination in 

 parts of Torto Rico and in the eastern and jieninsula part of Florida, where ro^iiint; 

 advomted by the Bureau i)t IMant Indu-^try has been jmicticed accordint; to directions. 



THE QU,\LITY OF IKKI<i.\TI()N W.\TKIl IN UELATION TO IMrEKMKAIlLK 80II..S. 



luvestitnitions liave been continued on the sijrniticanre of tlie salts diwolved in 

 irrijration water in renderin<,' heavily irrif,'ated .sioilp imiHT\ious. The ai>i)licati(in of 

 calcium sulphate or jry])sum in small (juantities serves to ]>revent the injurious effects 

 on the soil of tlie irrigation water that is deficient in calcium an<l majaiesium salts. 

 The same treatment is often l)eneficial slowly and to a limited extent in correctiuR 

 conditions of impermeability that already exist. When the condition of imperme- 

 ability is serious the action of the trypsum is often very slow becau.«e ot the fact that 

 it is not verj' soluble. For such conditions it has beeji found that aluminum sulphate 

 is more effective than calcium suli)hate in flocculating the soil colloids and making the 

 soil more permeable to irrigation water. 



CONDITIONING OF CITRUS FRUITS. 



It is becoming an accepted fact that some citrus fruits reach their highest edible 

 <iuality before their color changes from a chlorophyl green to tlie orange or yellow 

 sha<les of color which the consumer and the public generally have come to associate 

 witli a citrus fruit in good ediltle condition. If such friiit is allowed to remain on the 

 tree until it develo]is the desired color, it may lose in edible quality and, besides, it 

 may l)e possible to market it to much better advantage at an earlier i)eriod. This is 

 truH particularly of Satsuraa oranges and one or more early-ripening varieties of orange 

 grown in Florida, (^nsiderable attention has therefore been given to the working out 

 of j)ractical methods of hastening the development of a ripe color of such citrus fruits. 

 While this work has been in progress for several years, its commercial application has 

 been given particular attention during the j)ast vear. The method of procedure is to 

 conline the fruit in a compartment which can l)e made practically air-tight and to 

 subject it to the j)roduct8 of incomplete combustion of kerosene or gasoline. 



NURERY STOCK INVE8TIOATION8. 



In view of the fact that this country has been so dependent upon foreign sources 

 for many of its fruit stocks, the attempt has l)een made to find out whether American 

 sources of seed and American-grown stocks may not be produced which will have 

 all of the merits of the imported stocks. F'or apples, at least, it appears that satisfac- 

 tory seed sup|>lies can be found, and by a new methtid of propagation from nx'tcd 

 cuttings it apiwars that very satisfactory tyi)e of stock proiluction fe)r nursery i)ur{>ose8 

 can be very rapidly developed for wrtaiii purposes, being probal>ly about as eco- 

 nomical as the oroduction of the seedlings, similar methods aj)i>ear to be applicable 

 also for rose ami pear stocks. 



