72 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



thing of their value. From the appearance of the foliage 

 and the growth of vine we may look for a great variety of 

 types of fruit. 



Strawberry SEEDLmas. 



This collection, numbering al)Out four hundred varieties, 

 is in a very fine condition, and some varieties have shown 

 decided merits. 



Named Kinds of Strawberries. 



Many new varieties of strawberries of decided merit have 

 been added to the collection. Many of the older varieties 

 of little merit have been discarded, and the plots at this 

 time never looked so well. 



Strawberry Field. 



The field crop is planted on the knoll south of the old 

 farm buildings, and is in a remarkably good condition. 

 This land is of a gravelly nature, but with a retentive sub- 

 soil of hardpan, which in an ordinarily moist season may be 

 depended upon to produce a large crop of fruit, but in a 

 very dry time suffers severely. The land slopes in such a 

 manner that either the trench system or the spraying sys- 

 tems of irrigation or sub-irrigation can be employed in case 

 of drought. Two reservoirs on the grounds are available 

 for this purpose, and the three methods may be compara- 

 tively tested. A considerable quantity of two and one-half 

 and two inch pipe on hand is available for this work. This 

 need not be of any great expense, while its importance is 

 very great, as no comparative results have ever been ob- 

 tained that show whether any of the methods can be profit- 

 ably employed, or which is the most valuable. 



Variety Testing. 



The value of the comparative tests of varieties of fruits, 

 vegetables, flowers, etc., is often discussed. That it is a 

 legitimate and important part of the work of the stations is 

 shown in the demand made for the publications recording the 

 results of such tests. When we consider the large number 



