BOOKS AND 



trate of soda nor muriate of potash alone are profitable 

 tomato manures upon thin soil. 5. Very early setting 

 of stocky plants in the field, even in dark and raw 



weather, augmented earliness and pro- 

 Tomatoes in ductiveness this season, t. Seedlings 

 New York. gave far better results than cuttirfgs. 7. 



Trimming the plants lightly late in sum- 

 mer gave a greatly increased yield. 8. A double or 

 monstrous flower upon a young plant is no indication 

 that succeeding flowers upon the same plant will be 

 double, and produce irregular fruits. But varieties 

 which habitually bear double flowers are also the ones 

 which habitually bear irregular fruits, g. Cool and 

 dark weather in early fall, and early fall frosts, are the 

 leading drawbacks to profitable tomato culture in the 

 north. To avoid these dangers as much as possible, 

 plants must be started early and forced rapidly. 10. 

 The essential general points in profitable tomato cul- 

 ture are these ; Careful selection and breeding ; early 

 sowing ; frequent, or at least, occasional transplanting 

 to obtain stocky plants; rich soil, well prepared and 

 well tilled. 11. There is evidence that varieties of to- 

 matoes run out, even under good culture. 12. The 

 best market tomatoes appear from our tests to be Igno- 

 tum, Favorite, Bay State, Atlantic, and perhaps Ruby 

 among the red varieties ; Beauty, Mikado, and possibly 

 Potato Leaf among the pink or purple varieties , Golden 

 Queen among the yellow sorts. Among the novelties. 

 Ruby and Chemin Market are most promising." 

 A new tomato, the Ithaca, is described and figured. 

 Bulletin No. 10, Hatch Experiment Station of 

 Massachusetts. Report on Special Fertilizej-s for Grt-en- 

 house Crops. Report on Small Fruits. By S. T. May- 

 nard. Pp. 14. For two seasons Professor Maynard has 

 made experiments upon special fertilizers under glass. 

 He has tried carnation, lettuce, tomato and parsley, and 



has used a variety of fertilizers. His 

 Greenhouse conclusions are as follows; "Of the 

 Fertilizers. nitrates, the nitrate of potash has given 



the best results, but sulphate of ammo- 

 nia give better results than either [nitrate of potash or 

 nitrate of soda], especially in the production of a foliage 

 crop. Of the potash salts, the sulphates give better re- 

 sults than the muriate. Bone black shows a marked 

 effect in increasing the number of blossoms." 



' ' To learn when the peach buds were destroyed, obser- 

 vations of their condition were made every week from 

 December i, 1889, to March 13, 1890, and at each ob- 

 servation 500 buds were cut open and examined. On 

 December 21 the first buds were found injured. On 

 December 28, 6 per cent, had been destroyed. From 

 this time up to January 22, no larger per cent, was found 

 to be injured, the lowest temperature up to this time 



being 11° above 0°. On the 23d of Jan- 

 When the uary the temperature dropped to 8° 



I'each Buds above 0°, and January 25 to 7° above 

 were Killed. 0°, but the evidence of injury did not 



show itself until February i, when 14 

 per cent, were found injured. This state of injury re- 



BULLETINS. 63 



mained until March 27, when 52 per cent, were found 

 destroyed. Then on March 7 the temperature dropped 

 to 6° below 0° and held nearly at 0° the following night, 

 after which about 85 per cent, of the buds were found 

 to be injured. This was the average of all the varieties 

 examined, but some were more injured than others, and 

 at the time of blossoming the average remained about 

 the same. " 



Despite Professor Maynard 's attempt to protect the buds 

 of peach trees in Massachusetts after " another year of 

 earnest effort to find something to protect the buds from 

 the effect of the cold we must again acknowledge our- 

 selves baffled. We have demonstrated 

 that large peach trees can be loosened Protection 

 at the roots and laid down on the ground for Peach 



for winter protection and be again set Buds, 

 up successfully, but we have thus far 

 failed in saving the buds. We shall continue our efforts, 

 and if any grower can suggest any way that offers even 

 the slightest hope of success, we will carefully test it ; 

 for the peach tree can be grown successfully in all parts 

 of Massachusetts, and if some means rould be found to 

 save the buds from winter's cold, peach growing would 

 be a profitable industry, supplying our markets with one 

 of the choicest and most healthful of fruits." 



Reports are given upon strawberries, raspberries and 

 blackberries. The author advises hill culture of straw- 

 berries in order to lessen expense of cultivation. 



Bulletin No. 3, Louisiana Experiment Station. 

 Report of Horticultural Department . By 11. A. Moro'an 

 and f. G.Lee. Pp.20. This is a catalogue list of fruits 

 and vegetables grown by the Louisiana station last year, 

 with some very brief and often pointless 

 notes. The best thing in the bulletin is Louisiana, 

 the opening sentence : " Of all the kinds 

 of agriculture adopted by this state, truck farming bids 

 fair to become the most prominent." 



Bulletin No. 4, Louisiana Experiment Station. 

 Irish Potatoes. By IV. C. Stuhhs, If. A. Morgan and f. 

 G. Lee. Pp. 20. Experiments were made at the Loui- 

 siana station upon the varieties of potatoes, the best re- 

 gions from which to procure seeds, fertilizers, profits of 

 the crop in the south, and, of course, upon methods of 

 cutting for planting. The following 

 conclusions were reached concerning Irish Potatoes 

 varieties with reference to yield ; "Six in Louisiana, 

 of the above varieties yielded over four 

 hundred bushels per acre, viz ; Boston Peerless, Ver- 

 mont Early Rose, Beauty of Hebron, Cayuga, Callun's 

 Superb and Russett. Eleven gave over three hundred 

 and fifty bushels, viz ; Parson's Prolific, Enos Seedling, 

 Home Comfort, Late Favorite, Webb's Early, Sylvian, 

 Extra Early Vermont, Dunn's Seed, Early Puritan, Dic- 

 tator, Piatt's No. 5. Thirteen followed with yields over 

 three hundred bushels per acre, viz ; Baker's Imperial, 

 Strawberry, Bliss' Triumph, Burbank, Sunset, Great 

 Eastern, English Kidney, Rural Blush, Irish Cup, Scotch 

 B. , Dunnmore, James Vick and Bufi'alo Beauty. Of the 

 remainder, seven gave less than two hundred bushels 



