BOOKS AND 



Tests of other cabbages were also made, but the chief 

 attention was given to the investigations recorded above. 

 This direct and closely confined experiment with three 

 kinds should serve as a model for those who test varie- 

 ties. We do not hesitate to pronounce it the best con- 

 ceived test of varieties yet made by the experiment sta- 

 tions. 



" Tests have been made during two seasons, of nearly 

 all varieties of cauliflower offered by the leading seeds- 

 men. The results indicate that but few 

 Cauliflower varieties are suitable for growing in this 

 Tests. latitude, and that many of the so-called 



varieties are synonymous. The early va- 

 rieties have usually given better results than the late, 

 whether planted in spring or midsummer. Not all of 

 the early sorts are valuable, nor are all of the late kinds 

 worthless ; but the best are found among the early varie- 

 ties, and the poorest among the late. The early varie- 

 ties are more dwarf in growth than the late, which is a 

 further advantage, because closer planting is more admis- 

 sible with the former than with the latter. Better results 

 have uniformly been obtained with late than with early 

 planting, both with early and late maturing varieties. Ir- 

 rigation has been practiced to some extent, but the water 

 supply was too limited to admit of carrying on the exper- 

 iment, except where the plants were set close together in 

 beds. This method of planting seems to possess advan- 

 tages aside from the facilities it affords to irrigation, but 

 further experiments are necessary in order to determine 

 its value in practical operations." Mr. Green sums up 

 his cauliflower experience for Central Ohio, as follows : 

 "The early varieties have usually given better results 

 than the late, whether planted in early spring or mid- 

 summer. Better results have uniformly been obtained 

 from late than early planting. The varieties or strains 

 most highly recommended are Early Puritan, Early Pa- 

 dilla, Long Island Beauty, Early Sea Foam, Early Snow- 

 ball and Vick's Ideal. These all appear to be nearly 

 identical with Early Erfurt, and may be considered as 

 strains of that variety. The varieties that do not seem 

 to be suited to this climate are, Lenormand, Veitch's 

 Autumn Giant, Early Paris, Eclipse and Algiers. Many 

 strains of the Snowball have been sent out that are \'ery 

 inferior to that disseminated by Peter Henderson & Co." 



"The most prominent characteristics of Puget Sound 

 cabbage and cauliflower seed are its large size and high 

 germinative power. These large, 

 Puget Sound plump seeds throw up very healthy 



Cabbage and and vigorous plants of a dark green 



Cauliflower Seed, color, and are easily distinguisha- 

 ble from plants grown from eastern 

 seeds, particularly in the early stages of growth. There 

 is frequently a difference in growth of 25 per cent, in favor 

 of plants from Puget Sound seed at the time of vegeta- 

 tion. This difference continues to be manifest for a con- 

 siderable period, but diminishes as the season advances, 

 until it becomes imperceptible sometime before maturity 

 of the plants. In the crop, no difference is discernible 

 between plants grown from Puget Sound or eastern seed, 



BULLETINS. 301 



either in time of maturity or quality and quantity of crop. 

 The superior vitality and vigor of plants from Puget 

 Sound seed serves a useful purpose in enabling the plants 

 to better resist insect enemies and diseases, but the qual- 

 ities that have been developed by long and careful selec- 

 tion are still more important. Given the same qualities 

 in both cases, the Puget Sound seed are more desirable 

 than eastern seed, simply because of the greater vigor of 

 the plants grown from it. If the Puget Sound growers 

 exercise sufficient care in growing their stock, cabbage 

 and cauliflower seed from that locality will become rec- 

 ognized as the best in the market." 



Clarence M. Weed adds some important records con- 

 cerning the treatment of certain plant diseases. He calls 

 attention to the fact that the combination of insecticides 

 and fungicides in the same spray is often effective. This 

 practice originated with Mr. Weed. 



Bordeaux mixture, as usual, gave remarkable results 

 in checking black-rot in grapes. Mr. Weed's 

 method of preparing and applying the fungi- Bordeaux 

 cide is as follows : ' ' This season we sprayed Mixture, 

 it first, April 16, before the leaves had ap- 

 peared, with a simple solution of sulphate of copper, 

 treating the posts and trellises as well as the vines. This 

 was done to destroy the winter spores of the fungus. We 

 next treated it May 17, with the Bordeaux mixture made 

 by adding six pounds of copper sulphate and four pounds 

 of lime to fifty gallons of water, instead of twenty-two 

 gallons, as ordinarily recommended. We usually made 

 it by filling our Nixon barrel machine, which holds fifty 

 gallons, nearly full of water, and then adding three or 

 four gallons of hot water, in which six pounds of copper 

 sulphate crystals had been dissolved. The freshly slaked 

 lime was then poured in, and after a thorough stirring, 

 the mixture was ready for use. Sometimes, instead of 

 the crystals we used powdered copper sulphate, in which 

 case it was not necessary to heat water to dissolve it^ the 

 powder simply being put in the barrel of clear water, 

 and was soon dissolved. A third and last application 

 was made June 25, using the Bordeaux mixture again. 

 The treatment was very successful, saving to ripening a 

 large proportion of the crop, while the fruit of the neigh- 

 boring vineyards was wholly destroyed." 



Experiments were made to check the quince leaf-spot 

 by the use of Bordeaux mixture. "The re- 

 sults indicated that the treatment was efiec- Quince 

 tual. But as our check trees were not ser- Leaf-Spot, 

 iously attacked, the experiment was not as 

 conclusive as it might otherwise have been. Bordeaux 

 mixture applied to apples, in order to prevent the occur- 

 rence of the scab, was found to seriously injure the fruit. 



"Perhaps no experiment of the season was watched 

 with more interest that that undertaken 

 to learn whether the brown-rot [A/oniHa Brown-Rot 

 frill tigena), attacking plums, cherries, of Plums and 

 peaches and related fruits, could be Cherries, 

 controlled by the application of copper 

 solutions. So far as the records show, no such experi- 

 ments had before been made, and the annual loss due to 



