1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT— No. 33. 121 



1. Outline of the Year's Work. 



During the past year attention has been given to the fol- 

 lowing lines of work : correspondence ; observations on and 

 investigations of various diseases ; seed separation ; seed ger- 

 mination and seed purity testing ; mechanical analyses of soils ; 

 the study of mosaic troubles of tobacco and other crops ; the 

 testing of banding substances for trees ; investigations of tomato 

 rot ; experiments with the spraying of potatoes ; the study of 

 the effects of temperatures, moisture, light, etc., on greenhouse 

 crops ; and a study of the meteorological conditions affecting 

 plant diseases and the development of crops. 



Mr. N. F. Monahan, who has been connected with the de- 

 partment since his graduation in 1903, resigned to take up 

 practical greenhouse and market-garden work, and his place 

 has since been tilled by Mr. G. H. Chapman of the class of 1907. 



From the pathologist's standpoint every season possesses 

 distinct individuality, and the past season has been no excep- 

 tion in this respect. Since the meteorological conditions are 

 never identical in any two seasons, plant diseases show con- 

 siderable variation ; and, while an exceptionally dry summer 

 like the past may be conducive to the favorable development 

 of some crops, it is also the means of checking that of others 

 by favoring certain plant diseases. The long period of drought 

 was especially severe for lawns, trees and shrubs, the effect 

 being much more pronounced in the eastern than in the western 

 part of the State. 



During the year the department has changed its headquarters 

 from the east experiment station to Clark Hall, a new building 

 located on the college grounds, and its equipment has been en- 

 larged to meet the increased demand of certain lines of work. 



