tions that will interfere in any way with my work at the Station. In fact, the facilities for conducting original and important research with referenee to forest and fruit trees will be greatly increased at no additional expense to the Station. In order to conduct the investigations and experiments that we are now conducting in the forest seven miles from town, it will be necessary to make frequent trips to the field of operations during the summer. If we had to depend upon the livery stable for horse and buggy, it would be quite expensive. As it is, I will have my own team, and the use of the same for this purpose and collecting trips will not be charged to the Station. I therefore consider the move to be in many respects, advantageous in its relation to the Entomological Department. If, however, it is found otherwise, I will gladly change my plans to suit what may be thought to be the best interests of the Station, for it is now, as it has been, my earnest desire to advance in every way possible, the efficiency of my Department and the Station, as well as to subserve to the wishes of the Director and the Board of Regents.

With the feeling that I have not failed in these objects, and that the Entomological Department has done its share of original research and discoveries to help place our station among the leading stations of the country, I submit this, my sixth report to you, and trusting that it will meet with your approval, I am, Respectfully yours,

Morgantown, W. Va., May 17th, 1895.

A. D. HOPKINS,

Entomologist.

REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURIST.

HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT,

W. VA. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION.

DIRECTOR JOHN A. MYERS,

May 20th, 1895.

My Dear Sir: It is with a great deal of pleasure that I now present to you the Third Annual Report of the Department of Horticulture.

I shall not attempt to go into as much detail as in the two former Reports, but merely outline the work accomplished. During the first two years, details were necessary, as everything was new; now we are beginning to get out of the preliminary routine, and although the elementary demands of time and labor are the same, the practical problems of experimental value have been receiving our attention.

The testing of varieties of vegetables which was mentioned as begun in our last year's Report was all looked after, notes taken daily, cultivating, spraying, harvesting, weighing, measuring, photographing, &c., &c., until the season ended. No one realizes the routine work necessary for variety tests, until he has had the practical experience. While I did the planning and took general oversight, the details were carried out, for the most part, by Messrs. Ireland and Johnson, who proved themselves very efficient.

About the first of July I took a week's trip throughout the Northern part of the State, visiting all the main horticultural districts, with a view of studying conditions, varieties used, and getting better acquainted with the people. This trip proved of great interest.

During June and July I had the Report of the State Horti

cultural Society in progress, which was finished and handed in for publication during the fore part of August.

August 7th, having arranged my work, I left enroute for the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, which convened in Brooklyn on the 12th. By leaving early I was enabled to visit Mountain Lake Park and examine the cranberry outlook for that place; Harper's Ferry and Jefferson county peach orchards, which were fruitless on account of the previous hard winter; Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C.; Maryland College and Experiment Station; the trucking market of Baltimore; the numerous seed firms, trial grounds, Fairmont Park, &c., of Philadelphia; also Delaware Agricultural College and Experiment Station. I attended the meetings of the Agr. Science Association, as well as the A. A. A. S. Toward the close of the American Association, I took a trip East and visited the great cranberry meadows of Mass. in the Cape Cod district, and the trucking districts and parks about Boston, as well as the Arnold Arboretus.

I returned to Morgantown on Aug. 25th, again assuming the ordinary duties. Soon after returning the arrangements were made by yourself which would enable me to secure a strip of ground in Preston county and have the same prepared for a trial meadow of cranberries in the mountain glades of this State. We are now awaiting daily plants which have been or dered from Massachusetts.

With September came the time for preparing greenhouse beds and filling them with soil for winter use, sowing seed, harvesting potatoes, plowing garden, taking in greenhouse plants, &c., &c. This was followed in October by the gathering and storing of celery, beets, cabbage, turnips, &c., &c.

Immediately upon my return, the notes which had accumulated during the previous two winters on the experiments with the effect of the incandescent electric light on plant growth were taken up and considerable time was spent in getting them in shape for publication. The manuscript on ElectroHorticulture was finished and the Bulletin No. 37, Vol. IV, received at the Station in December.

Immediately after this was finished, a second bulletin was begun, viz: Potatoes, Potato Blight aud Potato Scab.

deavored to make this practical and useful to the general public. The subjects touched were varieties, spraying for blights and insects, soaking to prevent scab, spray pumps, single-eye cuttings from seedsmen, effects of manure and lime as a scab producers, &c. Bulletin No. 38, Vol. IV, from this manuscript was received in January.

Nov. 7th, 8th and 9th were spent on a trip to Hancock county and return, per request of the Brown Bros., apple raisers and dealers. This, by the way, is as luxuriant an apple section as I know of, and should demand some attention as to subjects of interest in spraying, cultivation, &c. Large cold storage houses are found here, and an exceptionally progressive and wideawake class of Horticulturists.

Nov. 12th, in company with yourself, I enjoyed a trip to Washington, D. C., to attend the first meeting I have ever attended of the Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations. It lasted four days I am frank to confess, Dr. Myers, that I received more new and practical ideas while attending this meeting than any I have attended this year. I took part in the discussions, and although I had not prepared any paper to present before the Horticultural Division, I gave off hand an account of our irrigation experiments. It appeared to be of some interest, for I was asked to prepare a paper and send it to the Secretary of the Section. This I did after arriv ing home. An abstract of this paper appeared in "Garden and Forest" on Dec. 5th, under the heading, "A New Method of Irrigation."

Experiments in Electro-Horticulture, sub-irrigation, mushrooms, open and solid-headed lettuce, forcing spinach and onions under benches, and general floricultural plants from seeds and cuttings, as well as with greenhouse pests, &c., were going on throughout the year.

On January 14th, I left Morgantown to attend the Brooke County Annual Farmers' Institute, which convened at Wells

burg on the 15th and 16th, at which time I presented two papers besides taking part in the discussions.

On January 17th and 18th, I also attended a similar Institute in Ohio county, at West Liberty, reaching Morgantown on the 19th.

On Feb. 13th and 16th, I was in attendance at another Farmers' Institute at Elm Grove, which like all the others was attended well and apparently much appreciated.

During December and January, being secretary and treasurer of the State Horticultural Society, much time was spent in giving notices to the State papers and arranging for the Annual Meeting which convened here at Morgantown on the 20th, 21st and 22d. The programme and all arrangements fell to my lot as well as preparing a paper myself. The meeting was a success and the future prospects for this society seem bright. Dur ing the past year, three new county Horticultural Societies have beed formed, which further goes to show the new interes! developing.

From October to January, I had still a third bulletin in progress, viz: No. 39, "Vegetables." This showed the comparative merits of numerous varieties of the greater majority of garden vegetables. The compiling of notes and setting forth the methods of culture consumed a great deal of time.

The vineyard of 26 varieties fruited for the most part during last season, but on account of the loss of the plan we were unable to report on the same specimens of the fruit, together with leaves and notes, were sent to the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Pomological Division, for identification, but they were unable to identify positively. It being a Station vineyard and one from which cuttings would probably be disseminated, they preferred to wait and visit us for that purpose another year. Meanwhile, as you know, the plan was resurrected, and now, should the season be favorable, we expect to be able to make a careful study of them. Some six or seven new varieties have been added, and all look well.

I have added some of the newer and highly recommended small fruits to our list, such as raspberries, blackberries, goose