250 



THE Y SA y. 



fruits this distance would be almost sure to work seri- 

 ous injury unless the roads were exceptionally good, 

 which is not likely to be the case in such situations. 



Many men are located near a small railway station, 

 with excellent facilities for shipping, who cannot -com- 

 mand sufficient help to grow concentrated crops, re- 

 quiring a great amount of labor. It by no means fol- 

 lows that because someone he knows is making money 

 growing strawberries, onions, or celery, he can do the 

 same. Instead of fretting because he cannot grow acres 

 of these, or trying to do so against such obstacles, let 

 him devote himself to larger fruits and those things re- 

 quiring more land and less labor, for in the production 

 of these he is more favored than growers located on 

 high-priced land near markets. Neither should he fight 

 against the character and ability of his soil. The at- 

 tempt to grow celery for market on dry upland would 

 very likely prove as profitless as undertaking to win a 

 trotting race with an English draft horse. If the home 

 market is good, grow what it demands. Do not try to 

 educate it to take something better which it does not 

 want ; such philanthropic efforts are little appreciated, 

 and the result is not unlikely to be a depleted pocket- 

 book. If there is no home market look well to the ship- 

 ping facilities, and grow such products and varieties as 

 will bear handling well, and meet the demands of the 

 distant market. If there are certain things you must 

 grow, and no others, go to a place where conditions are 

 right ; but better adapt the crops to the environments 

 as the\' are. 



There is no reason to fear an industry because others 

 in the community are engaged in the same thing. The 

 chances may be much better from the very fact. If a 

 community gets a reputation for growing any product 

 especially well, this fact is likely to attract buyers to 

 the localit}'. There may be sharp competition between 

 them, and much better markets and prices secured than 

 for an isolated crop in some section where such is sel- 

 dom or little grown. Moreover, the fact many are en- 

 gaged in its culture is evidence that the locality is suited 

 to its production. — Fred W. Card. 



Disappearance of Starch from Twigs in Spring. 

 — On March 12th to 14th, i8Sg, a comparison was made 

 of the amount of starch present in scions of 12 varieties 

 of Russian apples and 3 varieties of Russian plums, 

 which had been kept in a cool cellar, with the amount 

 in scions of the same varieties cut directly from the 

 trees. Cross sections were taken in nearly every case 

 from the top, middle and base of each scion, and the 

 amount of starch recorded from inspection in the per- 

 centage of a full supply. This, although a rough 

 method of determination, would, it was believed, fur- 

 nish, by a large number of observations, a sufficiently 

 good estimate for the purpose of comparison. 



It was found that the apple twigs had lost but little 

 of their starch, the average amount present in the twigs 

 from the cellar being represented by 76, and in those 

 from the open air by 85. The plums had lost most of 

 their starch, the amount in the twigs from the cellar be- 



ing 5, and in those from the open air 20. In one 

 variety, the Early Red, the twigs from the cellar had 

 lost all but a trace of their starch. 



From the above it will be seen that the twigs from 

 the cellar were farther advanced in vegetation than 

 those in the open air, though none of them yet showed 

 any swelling of the buds The scions from the cellar 

 were somewhat shriveled. Under the same conditions 

 the cellar twigs should have contained a little the most 

 starch, for they were as a rule the most thrifty. It was 

 found that up to a certain size, strong well-developed 

 and well-ripened scions contained the most starch, and 

 that most was deposited in those twigs and parts of 

 twigs which had well developed buds. 



On March igth and 21st an examination was made of 

 the roots of several trees and shrubs and the amount of 

 starch found compared with that in the twigs of the 

 same species. It was found in the cases examined that 

 more starch was then present in the roots than in the 

 twigs. 1 he kinds were several poplars and willows, 

 Russian cherries, white pine, and red cedar. — A. A. 

 Crozier, Ann Arl>o?\ Mii/iii^an. 



Injurious Insects in Washington. — Few injurious 

 insects have yet arrived to make sorrowful the joyous 

 days of our pomologists. I am informed, however, of 

 some local outbreaks of the codlin moth, and some less 

 injurious native insects, in the valley of the lower Col- 

 umbia. It costs millions of dollars annually to fight in- 

 sects in the Atlantic states. It will therefore be readily 

 observed how important it is to this favored fruit region 

 to keep out the insects, immediately destroying all 

 sporadic outbreaks. Much of the future prosperity of 

 the country depends upon this vigilance. At the very 

 first session of the legislature laws should be passed 

 with severe penalties for negligence in this department 

 of state police. The advances of science will afford no 

 higher results anywhere or in any department of human 

 activities, than in the early and careful use of the 

 various insects destroyers that have been devised. — D. 

 S. M.JiRVlN, Taiointi, U^as/i. 



The National Land Grant. — Prof. Goode, in a paper 

 read before the American Historical Association at its 

 recent session in Washington, said he thought the 

 Morrill bill of 1862, granting land to colleges for the 

 purpose of stimulating agricultural schools and experi- 

 ment stations, did more toward advancing science and 

 scientific methods than any other legislative enactment 

 has ever accomplished. 



Horticultural Statistics. — The nth census reports 

 are to contain very full statistics relating to horticulture. 

 Mortimer Whitehead is in charge of the agricultural 

 matter of the census, and he has conferred from the 

 first with the national pomologist, H. E. Van Deman, 

 concerning the horticultural matter. It is gratifying to 

 know that at last horticulture is recognized. 



Death of Dr. Parry. — Dr. Charles C. Parry, for 

 many years one of the most indefatigable botanical ex- 

 plorers of the west, died at his home in Davenport, 



