THE NATIONAT 
NURSERYMAN 
61 
Hmong the experiment Sta¬ 
tion SKorhers. 
Louisiana: Director, W. C. Stubbs, for twenty years in charge 
of this station, and professor of Agriculture in the University, has 
recently retired. He has been succeeded by W. R. Dodson. 
Massachusetts: The State Agricultural College has a bill before 
the Legislature asking for an appropriation of $106,650 for buildings. 
This includes about $60,000 for buildings for the horticultural depart¬ 
ment. 
North Carolina: An experiment farm lias been established in 
the mountain section of the state near Hendersonville, for the specific 
purpose of conducting experiments with orchard fruits and trucking 
crops. 
Tennessee: Professor H. A. Morgan, a graduate of the Ontario 
Agricultural College, and recently Professor of zoology in the Louis¬ 
iana University, becomes director of this station. 
Minnesota: The annual report of the State Entomologist of Min¬ 
nesota for 1904, has reached this office. It comprises a volume of 195 
pages nicely illustrated with half tones, line drawings, and colored 
plates. The principal injurious insects are described and figured. 
An interesting chapter on spray machinery is included, but perhaps 
the most readable section of the whole book is entitled “A Plea for 
Some of Our Common Birds, Based Upon Their Food Habits.” This 
is a timely discussion of the value of birds as insect destroyers. This 
report is to be highly commended to the nurserymen of the Northwest, 
and will be of unquestioned value to anyone interested in tree or plant 
growing. 
Bureau of Plant Industry: Bulletin No. 66 of this bureau gives 
a list of the seeds and plants introduced by the agents of the depart¬ 
ment from September, 1900 to December, 1903. It includes 4,396 
entries; of course, not necessarily that number of new introductions. 
The report is presented by David G. Fairchild, agricultural explorer. 
Many of the introductions have been obtained through the co-operation 
of Mr. Barbour Lathrop of Chicago. The Bureau is fortunate in having 
the assistance of such a public spirited citizen as Mr. Lathrop has 
proved himself to be. 
Ohio: Soil studies. Contains a somewhat technical descripton 
of the types of soil found mostly in the Ohio State University Farm 
at Columbus, and the experiment station at Wooster, in addition to 
one or two outlying points. The bulletin will undoubtedly be of 
interest to residents of the state, but appears over-technical for the 
ordinary farmer. 
W. S. Thornber, late instructor in horticulture in the agricultural 
College of South Dakota, who came to Cornell University last fall 
for the purpose of taking graduate work in horticulture, has been 
recently elected to the Chair of Horticulture in the State Agricultural 
College of Washington. Mr. Thornber has had a number of years 
experience as a teacher and instructor, and in his new field he will 
undoubtedly meet with success. 
The Division of Pomology, United States Department of Agricul¬ 
ture, is investigating the shipping end of the citrous fruit industry 
in California. A circular letter has already been issued by the agent 
in charge, G. Harold Powell, which calls attention to several sources 
of loss in the handling of the fruit. One of these is the careless use of 
clippers in trimming the stems. It has been found that the fruit is 
injured from one to fifty per cent, by different pickers. Every injury 
of this kind shortens the life of the fruit. 
COLONIST RATES. 
To Pacific Coast Points, Via WABASH RAILROAD. On sale 
March 1st, to May 15th inclusive, $42.50 to all Pacific Coast points 
from Buffalo. Corresponingly low rates to points in Utah, Montana, 
Idaho Washington, Oregon and California. Ask your Local Agent or 
write R. F. Kelley, G. A. P. D. or James Gass, N. Y. S. P. A. 287 Main 
Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 
Quiz Column. 
PROPAGATING CURRANTS. 
Question: Please give general directions for striking 
currant and gooseberry cuttings. I have had no experience. 
Indiana. j? 
Ans: There is usually not the slightest difficulty in growing 
currant cuttings by almost any method of treatment, provided 
they are not set in the fall in "heavy” ground. When this 
is done, the frost may throw them out. My own experience in 
growing currants from cuttings leads me to recommend the 
making of the cuttting as soon as the wood is ripened in the 
latter part of August and the planting of it immediately. 
If set out this time the roots will develop the same season; 
and if the cuttings are protected by a mulch (which will 
prevent frost heaving them), they will grow rapidly and make 
strong plants by the end of the next season. As a rule, few 
varieties of gooseberries do well from cuttings. Mound¬ 
layering is the most satisfactory method to employ in propa¬ 
gating them. If I had currant and gooseberry cuttings on 
hand at this time, I would tie them into bundles of one hundred 
each, squaring off the butts nicely. I would then dig a pit on 
a warm, well-drained southern slope and pack the cuttings in 
this, butts up, about four inches below the surface of the 
ground, pack the soil well in around and through the cut¬ 
tings, mound over and protect with mulching material suf¬ 
ficient to keep the frost out of the ground. In spring I would 
take this protective material off and leave only two inches 
of soil over the butts of the cuttings and keep this properly 
moistened. In due time the butts will callus. Before rootlets 
are thrown out they should be planted. They will need 
careful watching at this time because rooting follows callusing 
very rapidly. The bed can be so arranged as to allow of the 
placing over it in spring of a hotbed sash. This will con¬ 
centrate heat and hasten the callusing process. C. 
VARIED QUERIES. 
Will those who have had experience volunteer information 
on the following: 
Has any nurseryman constructed a frost-proof cellar of 
the hollow, square tile, used so much for walls and founda¬ 
tions and frequently for buildings, and with what results? 
What, if any, are the objections to this material for this 
purpose? 
What variety of apple is known as the "Rochester Pie” 
apple? 
What is known of the seedless apples claimed to be grown 
in different parts of the country, mainly Colorado. What 
are the merits and defects of the latter and is it thought that 
it will be a valuable addition to our list of apples? 
A Reader. 
ROSE CHAFER. 
Can you give us a formula for killing the old-fashioned 
Rose bug; we have not the time to look up the entomological 
name, but you will know what we mean, as it is an old pest, 
and fairly laughs at the ordinary poisons and Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture; but there is surely some formula that will effectually 
destroy them, and our customers, in the Western part of this 
County have written us for this formula, saying that these 
