BOOKS AND BULLETINS. 



507 



berland, Wakefield, Logan, Haverland and Henderson. 



"Having set strawberry plants both in spring and 

 autumn, and at almost all other seasons during warm 

 weather, I am convinced that those set in 

 Strawberries the spring, as soon as the ground is set- 

 in Indiana. tied, do the best, are in the best condition 

 to stand the winter, and produce the 

 most berries the next year. We also find it necessary 

 to protect the plants during winter, to prevent the frost 

 from heaving them out. A light covering of wheat straw 

 or other material, free from weed seeds, is put on early 

 in winter and left until warm weather, when a portion Is 

 raked off and left between the rows." 



Of 93 varieties of potatoes, the following varieties 

 "seem to be specially worthy of recommen- 

 Potato dation and further trial : Beauty of Sheba, 

 Varieties. Breeze, Dictator, Dakota Red, Early Sun- 

 rise, Early King, Gold flake. Great Eastern, 

 Garfield, New Queen, Rose's New Giant, Rural New- 

 Yorker No. 2, Summit." 



"For family use, where a succession is desirable, the 

 following list of peas will give good satisfac- 

 Peas in tion : First and Best, or Early Morning 

 Indiana. Star, Dan O'Rourke, Minimum, Advancer, 

 Stratagem and Dwarf Sugar (edible pods). 

 The last named is prepared for the table the same as 

 string beans, using pods and all." 



Report of the Horticulturist and the Chemist 

 OF the Maryland Experiment Station. Report of tJie 

 Board of Trustees for the year i88g. Pp. 26~Q^. IV/ii. 

 H. Bishop and Hariy J. Patterson. The greater part of 

 Mr. Bishop's report is upon tomatoes. Sixty sorts were 

 grown. The causes which determine solidity in the to- 

 rhato fruit were carefully studied, as 

 Tomatoes were also the characteristics of the va- 



in IVIaryland. rieties. The instability of tomato varie- 

 ties is noted, and it is thought that ' ' re- 

 version to ancestral types," whatever that may mean, is 

 largely' the cause. The conclusions in regard to general 

 observations are as follows : " (i) The larger the fruit 

 the greater the number of cells ; this holds true not only 

 with the fruits of different varieties, but with the fruits 

 of a given variety compared with each other. (2) The 

 larger the number of cells the greater the solidity of the 

 fruit, as measured by the proportion of solid flesh to 

 seed and pulp. (3) The larger the fruit the smaller the 

 proportional number of seeds. (4) In general terms, 

 the varieties producing the largest fruits are among the 

 heaviest bearers. (5) The most promising varieties for 

 general culture are Ignotum, Paragon, Favorite, Belle, 

 Fulton Market and New Jersey . (6) The earliest varie- 

 ties this season were Conqueror, Earliest of .\11 and Al- 

 pha. To these may be added Bermuda and Advance." 



Experiments with fertilizers upon tomatoes were con- 

 ducted, from which Mr. Bishop infers that nitrogen and 

 potash are the regulating ingredients in tomato fertiliz- 

 ing. It is noticeable that unfertilized ground gave poor- 

 est results, in accordance with results obtained by other 

 experimenters last year. 



Mr. Patterson made a series of exceedingly suggestive 

 investigations upon the chemical com- 

 position of tomatoes at different times Composition of 

 and under different treatments. The the Tomato, 

 tomato is a poor food when judged by 

 nutritive qualities. Over 90 per cent, is water, and sugar 

 occupies about 3 per cent. The red tomatoes were found 

 to have less dry substance than the yellow varieties, a 

 conclusion diametrically opposed to the common notion, 

 but their dry matter is richer in food elements than that 

 of the yellow ones. Nitrogen in the albuminoid form is 

 less in the yellow sorts. 



The effect of fertilizers upon the composition of to- 

 mato fruits is indicated to be somewhat as follows : "(i) 

 That potash has the effect of pro- 

 ducing a fruit with more dry sub- Effect of Fertilizers 

 stance, accompanied by a slight upon Tomatoes, 



decrease in the sugar and an in- 

 crease in the acid. This, when considered in connection 

 with increase of yield, is favorable to the use of potash. 

 (2) That nitrates and phosphoric acid have a tendency 

 to produce a fruit with more than the average proportion 

 of water, but with more sugar and less acid than those 

 grown with potash. (3) The sweetest tomatoes were 

 produced on the plots receiving phosphoric acid." 



The variations of the composition of tomato fruits in 

 reference to weather are stated as follows ; "(i) The 

 variation in composition agrees closer with the variation 

 in temperature than with the rela- 

 tive rainfall or sunshine. (2) That Effect of Weather 

 the highest water content of the upon Tomatoes, 

 tomato follows closely the periods 



of highest rainfall ; but the range does not seem in any 

 way proportional. (3) That the highest sugar content 

 is either on or following the periods of greatest rainfall. 

 (4) That the rate of yield or ripening depends more on 

 the temperature and amount of rainfall than on the 

 actual duration of sunshine ; but the latter seems to 

 exert a decided influence in some periods." 



Mr. Bishop exchanged potatoes with the Vermont 

 Experiment Station, and found that the northern seed, 

 at both stations, gave the best results. Potatoes were 

 also cut in different ways. 



Observations upon various vegetables are recorded. 



Bulletin No. 86, California Experiment Station. 

 Preseivalive Fluids for Fresh Fruits. The Sulphuring of 

 Dried Fruits. By E. W. Hilgard. Professor Hilgard 

 discusses the requisites of the ideal material for preserv- 

 ing fruits for fairs and museums. Such preservatives 

 must prevent fermentation or decay, 



must be liquid, must not extract color Preserving Fruits 

 and must not change size of fruits, for Exhibition. 



causing them either to swell or 



shrivel. In order to retain the size, the liquid must be 

 about equal in density to the fruit juices. The addi- 

 tion of the best grades of commercial glycerine is appar- 

 ently the best means of increasing the density, and as 

 a guide as to the proper quantity to add, the following 

 percentages of soluble matters to total weight are given : 



