REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. In the Botanical Department the work for the year ending November 30th, 1897, has been divided between the field experiments at the College Farm and elsewhere in the State, and laboratory investigations with the microscope: The chief lines in the field have been with fungicides upon turnips, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, spinach, egg-plants, onions, cucumbers, peas and various ornamental plants. Sweet potato soil rot has been further studied, especially with mixture of sulphur and kainit. Pear fire blight is being investigated in an orchard put at the service of the Experiment Station for five years. In the greenhouse violet troubles are under consideration, and there also the peach root gall has been further studied. The work with weeds has been continued and an experiment made with them in their influence upon crop and soil. The herbarium has been enlarged by a few hundred specimens within the year, and a display case of plant diseases is started. Since the last report was issued, Bulletin No. 120, "Field Experiments with Potatoes for 1896," has been published. Mr. James A. Kelsey, as field assistant, has had charge of the details of the experiments at the College Farm, and has aided greatly in the preparation of this report. Mr. F. A. Blodgett, a graduate student in botany, spent the summer vacation assisting in the work upon the Experiment Area. The Experiment Area. The area devoted to experiments under the charge of the Botanist embraces nearly two acres. For two years previous to 1896 the area was one acre, and was plotted as shown for Series I. to V., inclusive, in Figure 1. Extensions were made two years ago upon both the right and left ends of the original acre, but the plots and belts have not been changed in any way from the time they were laid out in 1894. |