PLANT GROWTH. 435 



ciples which underlie a successful practice, if for no other 

 reason than the prospective large pecuniary interests in- 

 volved. Agriculture has already realized considerable 

 advantages from investigations in that direction, by learn- 

 ing how to cultivate certain plants, with either a view to 

 increase their value for fodder, or to enhance their market 

 price for some industrial application. Numerous experi- 

 ment stations do at present attend to the wants of agricul- 

 ture ; and horticulture, the most successful branch of agri- 

 culture, begins to realize the advantages it may secure by 

 adopting the same course. Experiment stations for the 

 promotion of its special interest date from 1870, Germany 

 claiming already three or four, to experiment solely with 

 fruits. 



My peculiar situation, as far as time and means were con- 

 cerned, as well as a personal interest in the progressive 

 work of the present, induced me some years ago to under- 

 take, with the kind assistance of Professor S. T. Maynard, 

 of the State Agricultural College at Amherst, a series of 

 experiments upon the college grounds for the purpose of 

 testing the action of more or less compound chemical 

 manures, and of simple chemicals, on the production and 

 composition of some fruits. Some of my results obtained 

 in that direction are already, in part at least, published ; 

 others, of a more recent date, are only known to those con- 

 nected with the work. I propose to relate both here, as far 

 as they may add some interest to the matter under discus- 

 sion. • 



I. — Experiments with Grape-vines. 



Action of a special chemical fertilizer on the composition of 

 the organic a7id inorganic portion of the Concord Grape 

 and the Native Blue Grape ( Vitis Labrusca) . 



The Concord grape-vines which served in the experiments 

 were planted in 1869, upon former pasture land. No fertil- 

 izer had been applied in the new vineyard excepting wood 

 ashes but once in 1871, previous to my investigation. 



