1902.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. U. 7 



by selecting early varieties or by transplanting, and spraying 

 with Bordeaux mixture. The last mentioned is open to 

 objection, from the difficulty of spraying both sides of the 

 leaf. 



Various stem rots, affecting the chrysanthemum, carnation 

 and aster, have been the subject of careful investigation. 

 These rots are produced by fungous growths clogging up 

 the pores of the stem, and resulting in decay. In the aster 

 the disease can be entirely averted by starting plants in the 

 open ground, or otherwise avoiding " damping-off " condi- 

 tions. In the chrysanthemum and carnation reliance is 

 placed upon the use of hardy propagating stock and ster- 

 ilized soil. 



In the agricultural division the problems have been chiefly 

 those connected with the nutrition of plants and the selec- 

 tion and use of fertilizers and manures. The results of the 

 year's work seem to show (a) that sulfate of potash is 

 superior to the muriate for clovers, while for cabbages the 

 muriate is slightly superior ; (b) that, used in connection 

 with manures for garden crops, the sulfate of potash is 

 better for early crops, while for late crops the muriate is 

 of equal value ; (c) that, in determining the relative value 

 of phosphates applied on the basis of equal quantities of 

 actual phosphoric acid, their relative standing was in the 

 following order : raw bone, phosphatic slag, South Carolina 

 rock, apatite, dissolved bone meal, dissolved bone-black, 

 Tennessee phosphate, acid phosphate, steamed bone meal, 

 Florida phosphate ; (d) that, in a comparison of different 

 varieties of ensilage corn, in the total yield they stood in the 

 following order: Eureka, Boston Market, Rural Thorough- 

 bred, Learning Field, but in actual food value the Learning 

 Field, when ensiled, was superior ; (e) that, in soil tests 

 with grass, grass showed a marked dependence upon a 

 liberal supply of fertilizer nitrogen and clover a still closer 

 dependence upon a liberal supply of fertilizer potash ; (f) 

 that, in soil tests with onions, that crop showed a close 

 dependence upon a liberal supply of potash, an abundant 

 supply of lime for promoting the healthy growth of the 

 crop and a liberal supply of readily available phosphate for 



