20 Drirector’s REPORT OF THE ‘ 
rain. The toxic substance passes, for most part, through stomata 
and the basal cells of plant hairs into the cellular tissue of fruit and 
leaves. Small black specks characterize the first stage of the in- 
jury. As the fruit grows, the epidermis is lacerated because the 
dead cells are unable to bear their share of the surface tension. It 
is these dead cells that give the russetted appearance. 
An experiment to show whether wet or dry weather gave favor- 
ing conditions for the injury proved that wet weather gives the 
favoring condition for the trouble. Bordeaux mixture containing an 
excess of lime, in these experiments, did not prevent nor lessen 
bordeaux injury. An experiment to show the effects of bordeaux 
mixtures made with varying qualities of copper sulphate and lime 
showed that the more copper sulphate the greater the injury; and 
that, in general, the stronger the solution, as to copper sulphate, 
the better the control of the scab fungus. From the experiments 
it was believed that what is known as the 3-3-50 solution can be 
used to check the fungus and yet: cause a minimum amount of 
‘injury. 
Practical suggestions for spraying without injury are: Use less 
copper sulphate; spray in moderation; use the bordeaux mixture in 
dry weather, as far as possible; use equal amounts of lime and 
copper sulphate. Some varieties of apples may be sprayed without 
much fear of injury. Others must be sprayed with great care. 
Many varieties are nearly immune to attacks of apple scab. These 
need only light applications of bordeaux mixture. 
Ringing herbaceous plants-— The cbjects of ringing plants are: 
To cause unproductive plants to set fruit; to increase the size of 
the fruit; and to hasten the maturity of the fruit. Experiments 
were made in the Station forcing houses in ringing the tomato and 
the chrysanthemum. In ringing these plants a wound was made 
through cortex and the bast and a band of bark of greater or less 
width removed. The plants were ringed during the period when the 
bark peels most readily from the wood. 
The theory upon which ringing is founded is: That.unassimi- 
lated food passes from the roots of the plant to the leaves through 
the outer layer of the woody cylinder. The assimilated food is 
distributed through the cortex of the inner bark. When plants are 
ringed the flow upward continues, but that downward is checked 
and the top of the plant is thus supplied with food at the expense 
of the parts below the ring. 
With the tomatoes ringed there were no ph ores to be noted 
in regard to either the color, the maturity or the flavor of the fruits 
