NATIONAL COUNCIL OF HORTICULTURE 105 



Some work on greenhouse crops is also conducted on the Arling- 

 ton farm, where a special study of the influence of heat, light and 

 moisture on plants grown under glass is being made. 



VEGETABLE VARIETY TESTING. 



A special line of horticultural work which has been conducted for 

 several years is the testing and standardization of American varieties 

 of vegetables and the publication of monographs of the various garden 

 vegetables. These tests, which have now covered a period of ten 

 years, have included more than 15,000 samples. The first tests were 

 confined to experimental plots near Washington, D. C, but in recent 

 years the scope of the work has been extended to all sections of the 

 country, co-operation with the state experiment stations and others 

 being largely practiced. Three bulletins have been prepared contain- 

 ing monographs of certain vegetables, the most recent of which, now 

 in press, is devoted to the American varieties of garden beans. The 

 object of this work is to establish, as far as practicable, a standard of 

 perfection that will be a guide in making selections of variety types and 

 serve as an authority among vegetables. 



This descriptive work has been carried on in a general way with 

 all the garden vegetables, but before publishing a monograph of a cer- 

 tain vegetable it is necessary to determine more closely the exact dif- 

 ferences in season, productiveness and other characters which are in 

 dispute among varieties, as well as to decide which types of the dif- 

 ferent varieties shall be adopted as the correct ones. We are endeavor- 

 ing here, again, as in the work previously mentioned with regard to 

 fruits, to simplify in every way practicable the varietal nomenclature by 

 adopting approved variety names and by recommending the discon- 

 tinuance of confusing, long-worded, or inappropriate names. 



For a number of years the Department has been endeavoring to 

 ascertain how far the local conditions where seed is grown affect the 

 character of the plants developed from such seed. Special work of 

 this kind has been carried on with sweet corn and cabbage. 



BULB CULTURE. 



Investigations are being carried on in the encouragement of the 

 production of tulips, narcissuses and hyacinths on the Pacific coast. 

 At the present time three gardens are being maintained in that region 

 under the supervision of the Department. The climatic conditions of 

 the Puget Sound region are especially favorable to the development 

 of tulip and narcissus bulbs, and it is probable that the corner stone 

 of the American bulb industry will soon be laid in that region. We 

 are co-operating with commercial men who are endeavoring to develop 

 the industry, and plans are already under way for a considerable exten- 

 sion of the work. 



SCHOOL GARDEN WORK. 



For a number of years the Department of Agriculture has been 

 interested in the encouragement of school garden work. To this end 



