46 a EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



4. In some cases young trees of comparatively hardy varieties 

 suffered from root killing. These trees started to leaf out 

 in the normal manner, but soon ceased growth and died. 

 Evidently the seedling root was less hardy than the top and 

 thus more easily injured. This sort of injury was most common 

 in the eastern part of the State, where there was little or no 

 snow on the ground. 



The enumeration of these conditions favoring injury sug- 

 gests the remedies. Greater care should be exercised in choos- 

 ing sites that have free outlet below for cold air, and not 

 too great expanse of hillsides above from which cold air can 

 flow down upon the orchard. We cannot afford to discard 

 the Baldwin nor perhaps the other rather tender varieties, 

 but we can take all possible precautions to avoid injury. 

 Good orchard care, to secure vigorous but not excessive 

 growth and thorough ripening in the fall, is desirable from 

 all points of view. Root injury is not extensive in Massa- 

 chusetts, but in those parts of the State where the snow 

 covering is likely to be light it may be worth while with 

 hardy varieties to plant one-year trees, and put them deep 

 enough so they may root from the scion. 



Work at the Market-garden Field Station. 



Mr, H. F. Tompson makes the following report of the work 

 at the market-garden field station in North Lexington: — 



During the first full year of the market-garden field station 

 the following projects have been started : — 



1. Limited variety test to show the comparative qualities 

 of leading standard varieties of the common garden vegetables, 

 to compare with them certain new or improved sources pre- 

 sented to the trade. 



2. The establishment of a one-fourth acre plot of Martha 

 Washington asparagus. 



3. The beginning of a ten-year experiment to determine 

 the value of green manure as compared with stable manure 

 and a standard commercial fertilizer on a variety of vegetable 

 crops grown in regular rotation. 



4. Test of the efficiency of the tar felt discs in the control 

 of the cabbage root maggot on the early crop. 



