1903.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 5 



particularly in the north-eastern part of the State. Exten- 

 sive experiments on the best methods of treatment of the 

 San Jose scale under New England conditions have been 

 carried on. Six hundred trees have been under observa- 

 tion, and the results of different treatment have been veri- 

 fied by repeated investigations. A bibliographical catalogue 

 of all the scale insects of the. world is about completed and 

 will soon be in press. 



It has been found that to prevent the mildew on cucmii- 

 bers grown under glass they should be started as late as 

 possible in the season, and that a dry atmosphere in the 

 house would largely prevent the spread of mildew. Apple- 

 leaf spots were found not to be due to a fungus, as at first 

 supposed, but to exposure to a freezing temperature and to 

 subsequent cold, wet weather. The effect of spraying for 

 leaf spot on linden and elm has been very marked, the 

 foliage being more abundant and remaining green longer. 

 So far as production of fruit is concerned, the experiment 

 of planting cucumbers, watermelons and tomatoes on the 

 edge of fields under tent cloth has proved a failure, because 

 no provision was made for fertilizing the flowers. For ster- 

 ilizing soil, two-inch pipe with three-sixteenths or one-fom'th 

 perforations gives better results than one-inch pipe. Steril- 

 ization of soil has marked beneficial results on g-ermination 

 of seeds and subsequent growth of plants ; but tomato seeds 

 seem to l)e an exception to this rule. 



In addition to the regular work of the dauy division, with 

 its 3,240 substances analyzed, 2,344 pieces of glass were 

 tested for accuracy. Investigations have been on the follow- 

 ing lines : («) examination of butter fat in connection with 

 feeding experiments, to note the effect of various feed con- 

 stituents upon its character ; (b) the improvement of methods 

 for determination of the pentosans and starch in feed stuffs ; 

 (c) determination of the availability of organic nitrogen in 

 fertilizing materials ; (fZ) to ascertain the effect of two dif- 

 ferent milk-condensing processes on the nitrogenous bodies 

 of milk. The pentosans were found to be fully as digestible 

 as the other fodder groups in case of upland hays and most 

 by-products, but rather less digestible in swale hay, salt 



