718 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



paid a visit to the old town of Ak Su. The whole expedition ended, 

 however, in a failure, owing to scant preparations and want of funds. 



G. B. 



Timber, The Seasoning 1 of. By Hermann von Schrenk ( U.S.A. Dep. 

 Agr. Bur. Forestry, Bull. 41). — This bulletin deals in a very clear and 

 lucid manner with the preliminary seasoning of timber which precedes 

 the actual chemical treatment. It is well known that there is a vast 

 difference in the length of life of seasoned and of unseasoned timber, and 

 in order to do away with the injurious results of warping and shrinking 

 many devices in air seasoning and particularly of kiln drying have been 

 resorted to. 



In this country we are far behind in the matter of timber seasoning ; 

 indeed, in the majority of cases our home-grown woods receive little or 

 no attention in this way, trees being felled to-day, and cut into fencing to- 

 morrow, even creosoting being very rarely resorted to. 



There are excellent illustrations of how to pile logs so that season- 

 ing may go on slowly, thus avoiding splitting and warping, while a 

 number of seasoning tests with approximate costs are of the greatest value 

 to everyone who is at all interested in the life of our various timbers. 



A. D. W. 



Tobacco, Cultivation and Curing'. By T. J. Harris (Bull. Dep. 

 Agr. Jam. vol. ix. pt. 10, p. 148 ; 2 illustrations). — This contains a 



description of each process. — G. H. 



Tomato Industry of the Arkansas Valley. By H. H. Griffin 

 (U.S.A. Exp. Stn. Colorado, Bull. 73, Feb. 1903).— The Tomato was first 

 grown by the natives of tropical America before the continent was discovered. 

 It was afterwards known as the 1 Love Apple,' and considered poisonous, 

 but was cultivated both in Europe and America as a decorative plant. 

 About the beginning of the last century it began to be used for food, but 

 down to 1832 was still looked upon as a curiosity in New England. At 

 the present time about 300,000 acres are devoted to the crop in the 

 United States and the produce averages about 5,500,000 cases. In the 

 Arkansas valley it should always be remembered that the bearing season 

 of the Tomato is liable to be much longer than the season of appropriate 

 weather. It is therefore most important to waste none of the available 

 time, and to neglect no means, by early forcing and fertilisation, of bring- 

 ing the plants to the bearing point at the earliest possible moment. 



It is recommended to plant Tomatos close enough together to shade 

 the ground during July and August. The reflection of the sun from 

 light-coloured soils has an injurious effect upon the plants. For the rest, 

 good seed must be used, varieties must be carefully selected, and a 

 constant and uniform supply of moisture must be given, but not too 

 abundant until the blooming period is well started. 



Varieties of Tomatos are short-lived. Ten years may be considered 

 the profitable life of a variety, and several old standard sorts are now quite 

 extinct.— M. L. II. 



Tomato Wilt (Bacillus solanicola). (Qu. Agr. Journ. xiii. p. 32, 

 July 1903.)— This disease, referred to in Journ. R.H.S. xxvii. p. 819, under 



