No. 17.1 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 83 



repay all the labor expended upon it, in the looser condition of the soil, 

 and its greater freedom from weeds. As a whole the ground is now 

 in much better condition for garden purposes than a year ago. The 

 effect of the somewhat extensive system of under-drains laid last 

 season, is beginning to show itself in the greater friability of the soil, 

 which before draining was so tenacious as to make it exceedingly 

 difficult to plow. 



CROPS RAISED. 



Although the main object of the garden is to serve as a means of 

 illustration, we have raised upon it more than enough to supply the 

 wants of the boarding-hall, farm house, and Professors' families. 

 The following list embraces the more important crops raised for this 

 purpose : 



Beans, Lettuce, Radishes, 



Beets, Melons, Salsify, 



Cabbages, Onions, Squashes, 



Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips, 



Corn, Peas, \ Tomatoes. 



Cucumber, Potatoes. 



In the spring I procured and set out in the bed prepared last year, 

 one thousand roots of Purple Giant Asparagus, also planted one 

 hundred roots of Conover's Colossal. \ Both varieties did so well 

 that I expect to crop quite heavily next spring. The Rhubarb bed 

 made last year yielded a full supply for the boarding hall. Such 

 plants as died out from the drouth of last year were very generously 

 replaced by the firm of Mathews & Son, of Knoxville. Also pre- 

 pared and set out a bed of Horseradish, which did well. 



EXPERIMENTS. 



Seventy-nine varieties of potatoes were planted with a view to de- 

 termining which were least liable to suffer from the attacks of the 

 potato beetle. The following is the list of those tried : 

 Black Mercer. Early Rose. 



Great Western. Early White Sprout. 



Early York. Shaker's Fancy. 



