216 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



trace of this disease is the first necessity, and that the 

 expense involved in a frequent inspection of the orchard 

 during the fruiting season, and the thorough removal of all 

 diseased twigs and fruits at the close of the season, would 

 be manyfold repaid in the increased returns. The caution 

 cannot be too often repeated, that all plants or parts of 

 plants attacked by fungi should be burned at once, in order 

 to completely destroy all spores contained in or upon them, 

 and so prevent their becoming a source of infection. Of 

 course, where several orchards lie in the same neighbor- 

 hood, the owners of all must co-operate, to secure the best 

 results ; but if this were done, and all orchards put into a 

 thoroughly healthy condition every fall, the losses from this 

 and some other diseases would hardly be worthy of men- 

 tion. The pathologist can do no more ; and, if the culti- 

 vator will persist in the old uncleanly and wasteful way, 

 let him take the consequences, and blame no one else. 



Potato Scab. 



Field experiments in continuation of those of 1889, and 

 on lines suggested by the experience of that year, were 

 carried out during the past season under fairly favorable 

 conditions ; and the results, though almost wholly nega- 

 tive, are not without practical value. 



After the harvesting of the crop in 1889, the plot devoted 

 to potato experiments was ploughed, and its southern half, 

 including sections 1 to 14, was sown with winter rye, in 

 order that it might have, as far as possible, the character 

 of sod land when ploughed in the spring. The rye came 

 up and made good growth before the close of the season. 

 In the spring it was in vigorous growth, and eight inches 

 high when the plot was again ploughed, May 7. The 

 whole plot was dressed with bone and potash, in the same 

 amounts as in the previous years, and this dressing and 

 the green rye were harrowed in. 



Seven varieties of potatoes had been obtained in quantity 

 from Mr. G. D. Howe of North Hadley, together with 

 small sample lots of six other varieties. The chief varie- 

 ties were the Monroe County Prize, Quinnipiac, Triumph, 



