The Injury to Forests by Incipient Fires A Device for Measuring Plant Growth The Description of a New Auxanometer 234 Chestnut Reproduced from Root Sprouts Climate of West Virginia Makes it Suited to Fruit Growing 199 187 Commercial Value of Northern Grown Wood for Cuttings 178 226 Cutting Rather than Seeds as a Means of Studying the In- Loss of Young Forest Growth at a Period When it Cannot Poplar Cuttings, Average Growth of Poplar Cuttings from New York, Virginia and New Jersey 182 183 Potatoes, Response of Northern Grown to a Given Temper- Upper Austral Zone Marks the Area of Fruit Culture in Why Not Grow Raspberries? 215 Work Done in the Dept. of Agriculture and Horticulture 170 Yellow Locust from Root Sprouts 234 Zone of Successful Fruit Culture in America 200 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND HOR TICULTURE The work of this department came under my supervision October 1st, 1895. Up to that time all the energies of those in charge had been largely directed along the lines of horticultural research. This was in a measure necessary, because of the limited land area under the jurisdiction of the Experiment Station authorities. A garden plot, a small vineyard and a number of specimens of peach, pear, apple and plum trees, together with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, currants and gooseberries, made up the resources for work of this character. The facilities for carrying on investigations in the laboratory and greenhouse were more extensive. Two houses, each 18x60 feet in extent, steam heated, and well constructed, afforded the best of opportunity for pursuing studies relating to the influence of electric light and sub irrigation upon plants. One of the houses is admirably suited to experimental work. It is divided into three compartments, each of which is separately and independently piped and ventilated. This affords means for controlling the temperature, so as to suit it to the particular needs of the class of plants under observation. In addition, cold frames for retarding plants in the fall, and for hastening those for outside planting during the spring, were provided. Since assuming the responsibilities of this office, a few minor changes have been made in the system of record keeping; the interior arrangement of two of the compartments of the greenhouse has been materially altered; four permanent hot beds and a new cold greenhouse, 10x30 feet in dimensions, have been constructed; the acquisition of a farm, consisting of some 90 acres of land and conveniently near the borough of Morgantown, has made possible the planting of a peach orchard of 23 |