to counteract the serious influences of Jiu abnormal composition of the 

 sap, on the life of plants. 



To secure suitable material for an examination in the above men- 

 tioned direction, five experimental plats were set apart for that pur- 

 pose, in 1875. They were planted under the direction of Prof. 

 Maynard, with strawberries, raspberries, currants, and blackberries, 

 besides cherry, plum, pear and apple trees. Four of these plats 

 received annually, a certain kind and amount of chemical manure, 

 (see currant experiments below), while one plat received no manure. 

 Upon each plat were planted the same kind and variety of fruits. 

 Some interesting observations made on grapevines and strawberries 

 have already been published in the annual reports of the college, in 

 the Report of the Mass. State Board of Agriculture lor 1879, and 

 elsewhere. A brief description of experiments with healthy peach 

 trees, and with trees suffering with " the Yellows," has been pub- 

 lished in the reports of the Mass. Horticultural Society, and of the 

 State Board of Agriculture for 1882. A more detailed description of 

 these experiments in particular, will be found in the annual report of 

 the Board of Control of the State Experiment Station for 1883. 

 The experiments with currants below described, furnish an niterestiug 

 addition to previous observations. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH CURRANTS. 



RED CURRANTS VERSAILLES). 



The plants furnishing the fruits for the examination had been for 

 several years under special treatment upon five different experimen- 

 tal plats. The ground upon which these plats are located has served 

 for years previous to its present use, for the production of grass. 

 The soil consists of a light gravelly loam. Each plat covers an area 

 of 4,200 square feet ; four of them have received annually for five to 

 six years past a definite amount and kind of special chemical manure, 



