?oo 



SCIENCE, 



[Vol. XVI. No. 408 



future use as of value in this State. Among these, however, are 

 some very promising varieties. This necessitates, besides vcork in 

 the field, much chemical vyork, analyses of juices, etc. 



5. It is also proposed to enter upon another line of work with 

 our pasture and meadow grasses, — the selection, preservation, and 

 propagation in absolute purity, by sod-culture and seed, of the 

 most vigorous and hardy strains and individuals of the most valu- 

 able varieties. It is hoped to establish the better types as standard 

 by co-operation with some other stations, and to supplant the 

 degenerate varieties so largely used. 



Maps, charts, plans, and drawings for purposes of illustration of 

 station work, have also been made. 



In the chemical department the following work is in hand: 1. 

 Analysis of milk of registered cows nndergoing experiment (this 

 work involves at present the complete analyses, each week, of 

 from ten to fourteen samples of milk, and the extent of the work 

 will increase until the whole herd is in milk) ; 3. Analysis of skim 

 milk, buttermilk, and butter, in connection with the foregoing, 

 requiring at present from fifteen to twenty-one analyses each 

 week; 3. An extended investigation into various methods of 

 creaming, requiring at present seven analyses each week, but 

 soon the work will be increased threefold; 4. Analyses of all the 

 feeding-stuffs connected with various experiments being carried 

 on at the station; 5. Analysis of fertilizers in accordance with the 

 recent law establishing a fertilizer-control at the station; 6. An 

 investigation into the influence of acidity of cream upon the 

 quantity and .[uality of butter produced; 7. Experiments relating 

 to a more accurate method for the determination of fat in feed- 

 ing-stuffs; 8. Experiments relating to a simple method for the 

 determination of nitrogen in nitrates; 9. Analysis of various things 

 sent to the laboratory from different parts of the Stale. 



The work being carried on in the horticultural department is a 

 continuation of that of last season, with the addition of such 

 other lines as have been thought best. The leading features are 

 (1) tests of the novelties in vegetables as to their desirability and 

 commercial value; (2) tests of vegetable seeds, especially cauli- 

 flower and cabbage, to ascertain the value of American-grown 

 seed as compared with imported seed; (3) the acclimatization of 

 vegetables not native to this climate, notably the svveet-potato, 

 with which very successful results have been obtained; (4) the 

 forcing, under glass, of such vegetables as seem best adapted for 

 that purpose; (5) tests of varieties of small-fruits, which consist iu 

 the study of the varieties as to their commercial value and adap- 

 tability to the climate of this Stale: (6) also, so far as facilities 

 offer, work in cross-fertilization, finding to the improvement of 

 varieties and the special study of pollen influence. This line of 

 work is of very great value, and a large part of the greenhouse 

 has been set apart for the continuation of it through this coming 

 winter, as there are. from the results of last winter's crossing, 

 over one thousand seedlings to be tested; and the data, if as 

 valuable as expected, should bo before the public as soon as 



The above is in connection with the daily routine of note taking, 

 and records made of the planting, germination, growth, habit, 

 blossoming and fruiting season, of all plants in this department, a 

 large number of which notes are merely for reference, and are 

 only inserted in our record hooks, making no showing that would 

 lead the public to know what a vast amount of constant painstak- 

 ing work is necessary to keep records that become of greater 

 value year by year. 



In the pomological department the testing of the large fruits 

 and of the varieties of grapes is being carried on as heretofore, 

 and a study made of their habits of growth, vigor, susceptibility 

 to disease, hardiness, and adaptability to this climate; also of the 

 diseases affecting the different fruits, especially the grape. Ex- 

 periments are being continued with fungicides and insecticides, 

 with the object of obtaining simple and effective remedies for the 

 holding in check or entirely ridding our orchards and vineyards 

 both of fungi and the insect pests that are rendering such a large 

 proportion of our fruit worthless. A more extended line of ex- 

 periments is being planned for the comfng year, intended to em- 

 brace a larger field; and some of them will be carried outside the 

 station limits through the courtesy of ijurseryojen nn^ fruit- 



growers, a number of whom have offered to place the necessary- 

 land and stock at the disposal of the station. It is intended that; 

 a portion of this work shall be devoted to experiments with fer- 

 tilizers. In connection with this, an object-lesson ra the chemical! 

 composition of the ash of four leading fruits (apple, pear, plum, 

 and cherry) and of two of the woods (grape and apple) has been 

 prepared, showing the amounts of the different fertilizing and 

 mineral elements removed from the soil by the growth of 150' 

 pounds of each of the fruits named, also by 100 pounds of the 

 wood of the grape and apple. It is intended for use at the fairs, 

 fanners' clubs, and meetings of fruit- growers, and for use at the 

 station. 



As a portion of the general farm-work has been included ini 

 this department, a considerable amount of routine work has ne- 

 cessarily to be performed. Experiments have also been started^ 

 with cereals and grasses, to test varieties and methods of seeding. 

 Others are planned with fertilizers, ensilage, crops for soiling, 

 and methods to obtain the best and most economical results. 



In addition to the above regular and systematic work of inves- 

 tigation going on at the station, there have been published during 

 the past year, in addition to an annual report of several hundred! 

 pages, seven bulletins with an aggregate of 173 pages, 45,000 

 copies of which, in all, have been distributed among the farmers 

 of the State ; while the correspondence has steadily and rapidly 

 increased from a total of less than 500 letters in 1887, to over 

 2,000 during the past year, many of these letters of inquiry neces- 

 sitating study and investigation. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



There are few injurious insects for which more remedies and! 

 preventives have been recommended than tor the striped cucum- 

 ber beetle, — the everywhere abundant yellow " bug " with black 

 stripes along its back, which attacks squashes, cucumbers, melons, 

 and in fact nearly all cucurbitaceous plants. A large portion of 

 these remedies are doubtless worthless, if indeed not positively 

 injurious. In order to get a more definite knowledge of the pre- 

 ventive or remedial value of these various substances, the Ohio 

 Experiment Station began last season a series of experiments in 

 which it is designed to give each a practical field test, and, if pos- 

 sible, to arrive at some reliable conclusions for the guidance of 

 the interested public. The results of last year's work showed that 

 many of the so-called remedies ai'e worthless, some even being 

 worse than the disease. The experiments were continued this 

 year on an extensive scale. A field of two acres was put in good 

 condition by the use of plough and harrow, and was planted to 

 squashes, melons, and cucumbers according to the ordinary plan 

 of growing these vegetables. The seeds came up early in June, 

 and the first striped beetles appeared soon after. They then came 

 in great numbers, and destroyed a large number of plants before 

 they could be treated. Two general methods of treatment were 

 employed: (1) coating the plants with poisonous substances, and 

 (3) fencing out the insects by mechanical barriers. The best suc- 

 cess was attained in the first class of remedies by the use of to- 

 bacco-powder, — the refuse packing of the cigar- factories. A 

 number of barrels of this substance were obtained at a cigar-fac- 

 tory. A shovelful of the powder was thrown on each hill. The 

 first application was made to eighty hills, June 13. Rains coming 

 soon after, it was repeated June 14, 16, and 17. The results were 

 excellent. The beetles seemed to dislike working in the tobacco, 

 and the plants on all the hills so treated came through in good 

 condition. Aside from its value as an insecticide, the tobacco 

 acts both as a mulch and fertilizer. Chemical analysis shows that 

 its value as a fertilizer is twenty five dollars per ton. In many 

 Eastern cities it is being utilized, but in Columbus and other Ohio 

 cities many of the factories are glad to give this refuse to any one 

 who will take it away. Various methods of mechanical exclu- 

 sion of the beetles were again tried with good success. This may 

 be done by simply placing over the plants a piece of thin plant- 

 cloth or cheese-cloth about two feet square, and fastening the 

 edges down by loose earth. It is better, however, to hold the 

 centre of the cloth up by means of a half barrel-hoop, or wires 

 bent in the form of a croquet arch. It is frequently stated that 



