NINTH ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE DIRECTOR 



OP THE 



MASSACHUSETTS STATE AGRICULTURAL 

 EXPERIMENT STATION, 



To the Honorable Board of Control. 



Gentlemen : — The past year has been a prosperous one 

 in the history of the Massachusetts State Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. 



The buildings have suflered no injury from any excep- 

 tional source and are in a well-preserved state, considering 

 their respective age and previous condition. 



The construction of a new barn, for storing separately in 

 a desirable manner the products of the diflerent experimental 

 plats, has filled a serious want. 



A favorable season has aided materially in a successful 

 termination of a variety of field experiments as well as in a 

 satisfactory general management of the farm work. 



The difierent lines of investigation presented from time to 

 time for your consideration have received their due attention 

 as tar as circumstances have rendered practicable. The 

 amount of work accomplished in the field, the barn and the 

 chemical laboratory compares well with the results of pre- 

 vious years. The introduction of the vegetation house for 

 the purpose of studying, under well-defined circumstances, 

 the influence of special articles of plant food on the growth 

 and character of plants, besides other intricate questions of 

 vegetable physiology, has added an important feature to our 

 resources of efficient methods^ of observation for the advance- 

 ment of an economical production of farm crops. 



Prof. J. E. Humphrey has continued his observations 

 regarding various diseases of fruit-trees and garden crops. 

 An interesting description of his investigation during the 

 past year forms part of this report (Part II. 9). 



The details of the work carried on during the past year, 

 1891, are reported upon subsequent pages in the following- 

 order : — 



