1366 The Vegetable Industry in New Yoke State 



The winter course in vegetable gardening has been arranged 

 especially for those who are interested in this kind of agriculture 

 and who are unable to spend the whole year at Ithaca. It is 

 attended by increasing numbers of actual commercial growers as 

 well as persons who expect to enter this field for the first time. 

 The presence in the classes of young men who hail from the vari- 

 ous producing sections of the state has added greatly to the in- 

 terest and value of the work. The plan calls for courses in 

 commercial vegetable production, in vegetable forcing, in soils, in 

 fertility of the land, and in one or two other elective subjects. It 

 is recommended that those who might possibly spend two winters 

 at Ithaca devote the first to a course in general agriculture, and 

 specialize in vegetable gardening the second year. 



The department is gradually building up a splendid equipment 

 for the work in vegetable gardening. Its offices and class rooms 

 are located in the poultry building. Here are kept the collec- 

 tions of preserved specimens, of herbarium material, of photo- 

 graphs and lantern slides, as well as of books, bulletins and period- 

 icals. Four glass houses, comprising about 6,000 square feet of 

 space, constitute the vegetable range at present. This is to be 

 enlarged to about double the area. Adjoining the greenhouses is 

 a frame yard which accommodates at present about 125 sash. The 

 glass is used for laboratory and departmental work in plant grow- 

 ing and for growing plant crops to maturity. 



The gardens include 3 1 /? -acres of sandy soil and about 12 acres 

 of heavier land. The former is well adapted for intensive work 

 and is equipped with service building and with irrigation appar- 

 atus, illustrating several types. This garden provides facilities 

 for the individual student's field work. A half an acre is planted 

 each year with samples of the leading varieties of all the vegeta- 

 bles. The 12-acre piece is divided for a four-year rotation and 

 is utilized for the less intensive types of gardening which are 

 practiced by the general farmer. The products of the gardens are 

 harvested and sold, thus giving opportunity for laboratory work in 

 marketing. 



