74 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 378 



greater percentage of bud injury occurred. However, the plants in gravel 

 made a more rapid recovery from the injury than did plants grov^^n in soil; 

 this M^as evidenced by vegetative grow^th response on the plants. 



Gardenias did not respond favorably to culture in cinders. The chief 

 difficulty experienced was getting the plants to take up sufficient iron to 

 maintain normal growth. Plants which became quite chlorotic from a 

 deficiency of iron never satisfactorily recovered even after considerable 

 manipulation of the nutrient solutions. 



Banana Stalk Fiber as a Source of Organic Matter for Soil Improve- 

 ment. (Harold E. White, Waltham.) Crushed banana fiber is a waste 

 or by-product which has been marketed bj' the Meloripe Fruit Company 

 of Boston for several years. The value of this material for use as a mulch 

 on plantings of shrubbery and market garden crops has been demonstrated 

 previously at the Waltham Field Station. 



In recent tests shredded banana fiber composted with soil for 10 to 12 

 months has been found satisfactory for use in the greenhouse culture of 

 carnations and snapdragons. Banana fiber, as determined by analyses, is 

 relativeh' high in carbonates of magnesium and potassium and, therefore, 

 is alkaline in reaction. Such a material would be most satisfactory with 

 a soil that is too acid, but if used on soil with a low lime requirement, the 

 liming value of the banana fiber should be taken into consideratio!) 



Cultural comparisons were made between ordinary stable manure, spent 

 mushroom manure, and the banana fiber. The banana fiber and mush- 

 room manure were found to have a toxic effect on gardenias, causing iron 

 chlorosis. This was probably due to the high lime content of the materials. 

 Therefore, they should not be used on crops which have a low lime 

 requirement, or they must be leached well with water to remove most of 

 the soluble carbonates. 



Liming Carnation Soils. (Harold E. White, Waltham.) Carnation 

 plants of the variety New Deal Ward, grown in a soil that received no 

 lime, produced 23.40 flowers per square foot. When lime was applied to 

 the same type of soil at the rate of 1 ton per acre, the carnation plants 

 produced 21.10 flowers per square foot; 1>4 tons yielded 22.40 flowers; 2 

 tons, 20.10 flowers; and 3 tons, 21.30 flowers per square foot. 



The percentages of flowers with split calyces produced by plants in the 

 various treatments were: unlimed, 21.50 percent; 1 ton of lime, 23.20 

 percent; 1^ tons of lime, 24.70 percent; 2 tons of lime, 22 percent; and 

 3 tons of lime per acre, 25.60 percent. The average acidity test of the 

 soil prior to liming was pH 5.6. At the termination of the experiment, soil 

 tests on the untreated and treated plots were: No lime, pH 4.6; 1 ton of 

 lime per acre, pH 5.3; 1^ tons, pH 5.7; 2 tons, pH 5.9; 3 tons, pH 6.4. 



Plant losses from soil-borne disease organisms such as root, stem and 

 branch rot were very low. There appeared to be no correlation between 

 limed and unlimed soils as to the prevalence of diseased plants. 



Packet Seed Studies. (Clark L. Thayer.) For a fifth season the De- 

 partment of Floriculture has cooperated with the Seed Laboratory in a 

 test to determine the quality of flower seeds sold in retail seed stores, 

 garages, hardware stores, groceries, schools, and other retail outlets. The 

 seeds, which were collected by a representative of the State Commissioner 

 of Agriculture, were tested for germination and performance under field 

 conditions. 



