316 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT. 
The practice, however, according to the same authority, has never 
become general. 
An estimated account was given of the cost of shading straw- 
berries with mention of the annoyances caused by wind tearing 
cloth, etc. Tables are appended giving the temperatures for morn- 
ing, noon and evening of outside air, air under cloth, and of soil 
three and one-half inches below the surface, under cloth and out- 
side. Investigations showed that there was slightly more moisture 
in the soil under the cloth than was found in similar positions in 
the strawberry bed outside, but the difference was very slight. 
The evaporation was found to be about only one-half as great 
under the cloth as outside. On this account one of the persons: 
conducting the experiment off the Station grounds advises that 
if cloth is to be used for this purpose “it be removed after a rain 
until the leaves had become dried.” The protection from frost was 
quite noteworthy ; in one case where frost occurred at the time when 
the bed was covered, plants outside showed considerable injury, 
while those underneath the cloth were practically unharmed. In 
this case the injury was chiefly to the buds, 85 per ct. of those out- 
side showing the effects of the frost, while only 7 re ct. of those 
covered showed any injury. 
In the case of one variety the plat under the cloth was consider- 
ably. more affected by leaf blight. This variety, the Hunn, is stated 
to be very susceptible to disease. Mildew was also found, in one 
locality, to be more prevalent on the shaded plants than those un- 
shaded. It was thought, however, that this can be prevented by 
withdrawing the cloth after a rain as is mentioned above. 
Analysis of the berries showed that those grown under the cloth 
“were much less sweet, but this was not due to the presence of 
more acid but of very much less sugar, the acid being slightly less 
in the shaded than in the unshaded berries.” 
A discussion is given as to the general effect of shading plants 
and of the “ general applicability of shading as a cultural practice.” 
The writers are of the opinion that the climate of New York State 
is not such that this would be generally recommended, at least so 
far as strawberries are concerned. They state that the greatest 
success has attended the shading of “crops grown for aerial vege- 
tative parts.” Tobacco, rhubarb, celery, lettuce, dandelion, swiss 
chard and asparagus are cited as instances. They state further that 
a climate, where there “is a high percentage of sunshine and rather 
light rainfall, and a considerable wind with a consequently high 
