UMASS/AMHERST ^ 3iaDbbDD53DD3Ea 0?-MA^^ i863" DATE DUE 1 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACtlUSETTS LIBRARY SB 383 C23A 24th- 36th 1911-24 CARS CARD ' f 1 *?> A 1.* V r>f ihi mFmm^ REPORT of the TWENTY -x has been given general oversight of this work, and Mr. Smith, the head of the weather service in Boston, is in local charge of details. It is the purpose in this work not only to study weather con- ditions with a view to giving, if possible, warnings of impending frosts, but also of the general relations of weather to the crop. As a means of making it possible to get observations throwing light upon the movements of frost waves, observing stations have been equipped and observations are now being taken in Carver, at Marstons Mills, at one of the bogs of the United Cranberry company (I believe in South Hanson) and at our own Sub-station. These places luive been si-l.-c* with a view of being, able to trace the movement of atmospheric conditions across the cranberry district, as atmospheric waves generally move, as you understand, from west or northwest, easterly or southeasterly. It was hoped to arrange for a large number of voluntary ob- servers who would record maximum and minimum temperatures and perhaps also rainfall. A comparatively small number only of such observers has been obtained; a fact which is perhaps not strange since in so many instances the local care of the boer is in the hands of individuals not perhaps qualified to make accurate and reliable observations. At the Sub-station here in Wareham Dr. Franklin has devoted a large share of his attention as heretofore to a study of insects and he has in progress numerous experiments which it is expected will throw light upon the best means which can be taken to prevent injury. One of the most interesting of his experiments is one bearing upon the relations of the honey bee to the fertilization of the cranberry blossom, or the set of the fruit. This work seems to have been demonstrated in a very striking manner that the honey bee plays a most important part and as it so happens that I have become somewhat familiar with the handling of honey bees, I will perhaps return to that subject after concluding my general remarks in the hope of answering some of the questions which have been asked me by individuals since I have been here today and throwing light upon a few of the problems which I know confront you. We have laid out a series of plots for experiments in V"^ use of fertilizers in our bog. The experiments here will be of the same general character as those which have been in pi ogress in Waquoit. It will be remembered that it is not our idea to try this, that or the other brand of fertilizers, or to compare one brand with another. Such comparisons would prov^ of but little permanent value. In our fertilizer work we aim to follow such a plan as will enable us to determine the specific effect of the dif- ferent fertilizer elements. We need to know the influence, for example, of nitrogen on the giuwtL -^f tiie vine, on its tende- LO fruitfulness, and on the quality of the fruit. We need si'.' |, knowledge concerning materials which furnish phosphoric acid a potash, and possibly also lime. If we can learn the specific effects of the different fertilizer elements we shall then be in a position to advise wisely in relation to the selection of fertilizers under vary- ing conditions. The new fertilizer plots have been so laid out that they can be conveniently examined from a plank walk which has been laid over one of the irrigating ditches. Each plot is marked with a label which shows distinctly what has been applied to it, our endeavor having been to make it convenient for visitors to examine the plots and to determine for themselves the effects of the varying fertilizer treatments. 1 would here call attention to the fact that the results ob- tained in the fertilizer plots at Waquoit last year were not en- tirely satisfactory. There was some frost damage and a varying amount of insect damage on different plots, and it does not, there- fore seem to be worth while to go into any further detail in rela- tion to the results obtained in the fertilizer experiments so far conducted. You may, however, be interested to know that for the express purpose of studying the effects of fertilizers in the cran- berry industry we have put in thirty cranberry bogs in Amherst. You need not fear that the market will be glutted. These bogs are circular and each is only two feet in diameter. Moreover, we shall sell, of course, through the Sales company, in which we thoroughly believe. Note— Prof. Brooks then showed a sketch to illustrate the con- struction of these bogs which had been so designed as to make it possible to follow the chemical elements applied to them. He stated that the idea had been to put Nature as she works in a cranberry bog into harness with a view to making her disclose the secrets of her workshop, and he showed how impossible it is to do this through use of plots in the open bog which must be flooded every winter; which means, of course, that soluble chemicals are dissolved and diffused with the water over the entire area, thus confusing results. He stated that in the construction of these bogs genuine cedar swamp muck or peat from the cranberry district had been usoj and that the appearance of the vines which are now in their second summer was eminently satisfactory. He showed what arrangements had been made for flooding these bogs in win- ter and stated th^t in order to prevent the formation of ice on the vines the entire arba occupied by these bogs is roofed in for pro- tection against excessive cold, the roof of course being removed in he advent of spring weather when the winter flowage is withdrawn. p^, A number of plots h^ve ^een laid out in ou;: Wareham bog, ,,,, surrounded b" dykes and ditches so that it can be separately ,wea. Thes«^ plots will be used in experiments with water for the purpose of determining its relations to insects and the general development of the crop. A modern overhead sprinkling plant has been installed through the generous co-operation and courtesy of the company manufac- turing the fixtures. This may bo seen in operation. It will be tested as to its possible utility in affording frost protection or for other purposes. To return now to the subject, ' 'Bees in Their Relations to the 8 Cranberry Crop". I may say first that I have been asked the fol- lowing questions : 1. What kind of bees should be selected? Bee-keepers are in general agreed that leather colored Italians appear to combine more valuable characteristics than any other kind, although of course each of the different kinds has its advocates. I believe that under the conditions in which bees will be kept in cranberry growing it will be quite desirable to select a kind not excessively given to swarming, for I feel afraid that many swarms might es- cape since the situation is not sure to be such that the bees can be kept under close watch during that part of the year when they are likely to swarm. From this point of view the common black or German bee is perhaps even better than the Italian, but there are strains of Italians which do not swarm unduly, and because of their n-.any other good points (among the most important of which is ease of handling) I believe that the Italian bee will usually be found most satisfactory. The Carniolan and Caucasian bees from the standpoint of excessive swarming would, although very gentle and easily handled, probably be undesirable. There are, it is true, methods by which the escape of swarms or excessive swarming can be prevented, and among these clipping the queen and destroy- ing superfluous queen cells about five days after a swarm issues are among the most generally useful, but to practice these methods requires special knowledge and care. 2. I have been asked how many colonies of bees will be de- sirable for a thirty acre bog. Our experiments have not proceeded far enough to make it possible for me to answer this question with any assurance that I am correct. There can be no doubt, however, I may say, that, from the stand-point of a perfect set of fruit, the greater the number of bees the better. It is not pos- sible for bees, however numerous, to exercise an unfavorable m- fluence and it is safer to err on the side of having too many rather than too few. Moreover, whereas a very moderate number of colonies might do the work effectively in some seasons, in other seasons characterized by considerable rainy or cold or windy weather during the cranberry bloom, a much larger number of colonies will be required since the number of days during which bees can work will be relatively small, On the other hand, it is of course possible that the number of colonies in a given district be made so large that there will not be nectar enough to supply all and starvation or at least great hardship on account of shortage of nectar will follow. This, it is true, might be prevented by feeding a syrup made by dissolving granulated sugar in about an equal weight of water during periods of nectar shortage or to carry a colony of bees over hard times. In feeding for this pur- pose the Alexander feeder, which is slipped beneath the rear end of the hive and to which access for the purpose of replenishing the stock of syrup is easy, is one of the best. 3. It has been suggpsted by one cranberry grower with whom I have talked since I came to the meeting that it may be possible for cranberry growers to hire bees from bee keepers who might be willing to furnish them when needed by the cranberry grower. Since cranberry growers are in many cases without knowledge of bees and since they are likely to be very closely occupied in looking after the other branches of the business, this scheme may some- times seem desirable ; and the cranberry growers who have an automobile might easily co-operate with the bee keeper by moving the bees into the vicinity of the bogs when needed, the automobile for this purpose being much superior to a horse-drawn vehicle on account of the danger that the bees may sting the horses. In connection with this question of moving bees when they are needed in the cranberry bogs I would point out that it is not necesssary to place the bees in the bog, nor indeed on the very margin of the bog. Bees fly considerable distances and sometimes appear to overlook flowers which are in closest proximity to their hives. A location which is at least moderately shaded a few hun- dred yards or a few rods from the edge of the bog is likely to be better than a location in a bog or on its immediate margin. In case the cranberry grower keeps his own bees the question of how they shall be successfuly wintered will be an important one. Bees can be successfully kept either in dry, dark cellars having an average temperature of about 40 to 45 degrees or in the open air if the hives are given special covering for winter protection. Whichever of these plans may be adopted, it is a matter of first importance to see to it that the bees have sufficient stores and the best way to determine this point is to weigh the colonies about the first of October. A colony which does not weigh at least 40 pounds, hive, comb and bees included, should be fed. For winter feed nothing is better than a strong syrup made by dissolving granulated sugar. The proportion of about four parts of sugar to three of water is satisfactory, provided the feeding is done rela- tively early so that the bees may store the syrup in their combs and have time before the weather is duly cold to cap it over. Al- most exactly this proportion is obtained when the solution (after it is made by gradual addition of water and stirring with applica- tion of heat sufficient to bring nearly to the boiling point) stands at the same height in the boiler as that at which the dry sugar used in making it, stood. In feeding for winter a shallow pan placed in an empty super on top of the frames may be conveniently used, but a handful of cut lye straw or other clean straw should 10 be placed on top of the syrup in order that the bees may not be drowned. Syrup for winter stores should be rapidly given and it will usually be best to give sufficient so that the weight of the colony will be about 45 pounds, for bees which go into the winter with abundant stores will build up much more quickly in the spring than those having a scanty or even moderate supply. THE CRANBERRY DISEASE SITUATION IN MASSACHUSETTS C L. SHEAR, Ph. D. T^lant Pathologist, U. S. Department of Jlgr {culture, Washington, T>. C. The United States Department of Agriculture, in co-operation with the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, has un- dertaken an investigation of cranberry diseases in this state. This investigation consists of two phases — one covering labor- atory investigations of the parasites causing the diseases; and the other consisting of spraying and other operations carried on for the purpose of preventing or controlling the diseases. Field work looking toward the control of the diseases has been commenced this season in three places. It is at present too early to determine the results of this work. In fact, under most favor- able conditions of experiment it will require two or three seasons to obtain results from which we can hope to draw definite conclusions. We find that the conditions and diseases prevailing in New Jersey, where we have conducted most of our investigations here- tofore, are quite different from those in Massachusetts, and this makes necessary rather thorough study and careful experimentation here before specific recommendations for the control of the troubles can be safely made. In New Jersey one or more rather serious diseases prevail which have not yet been found in Massachusetts ; on the other hand, one or more diseases occur here which have not been found in New Jersey. Again, the diseases which are com- mon to both states are in some cases more widely distributed and serious in one state than in the other. These different pathological conditions are primarily due to the differences in climatic condi- tions, though there are probably other factors also involved. Cer- tain factors, such as maximum and minimum temperatures and average temperatures during* the growing season, are of great im- portance in determining the development and I'oproduction of thi- ll parasitic fungi as well as of cultivated plants. The longer grow- ing season in New Jersey with the higher average temperature, is probably the main reason why diseases, such as "scald", are more prevalent and injurious there than in Massachusetts; on the other hand, the anthracnose and hypertrophy are more frequent in Massachusetts. The hypertrophy, or "false blossom,", as it has been called by some growers, has in fact never been found in New Jersey; whether because the fungus is rare and has escaped notice, or because climatic conditions are not favorable to its develop- ment, is not definitely known. In view of the fact that so many cranberry plants from Massachusetts have been planted in New Jersey, it seems quite probable that the fungus must have found its way there. Before speaking of special methods of preventing and con- trolling fungus diseases, it may be desirable to consider some of the general principles involved in the health and disease of plants and especially the cranberry. One of the chief functions of a physician today is tv discover and devise means of preventing disease by improving sanitary con- ditions and removing the causes. This is also an important feature of the work of the plant pathologist. In preventing and combating diseases and producing healthy and profitable crops, there is one fundamental requirement which should always be kept in mind by the cranberry grower, or culti- vator of plants; namely, to keep your plants as nearly as possible ut.der optimum conditions of growth, i. e., the most normal and most sanitary conditions. A strong and vigorous cranberry plant, other things being equal, will be much less likely to be attacked by disease than a plant which is abnormal or weakened in any way. This is apparently as true of plants as of mankind. It is generally recognized that a person with a weak, debilitated constitution is much more likely to succumb to disease than one in a strong and vigorous condition. The natural inquiry then arises as to what the best conditions are for th ■. development of hardy, vigorous and productive cran- berry plants. I may say at once that I do not believe there is avail- able at present sufficient definite and accurate knowledge on this subject to enable one to make a specific, detailed statement of the exact requirements for the most perfect development of a particu- lar bog. There are, however, some general conclusions derived from the study and experience of practical growers, as well as the observations and investigations of scientists, which may be safely taken as a general guide. In the first place, let us consider ^briefly the principal factors involved in the problem. We have the plant with its physical, 12 chemical and biological environment; i. e. , soil, water and air and the living organisms with which the plant comes in contact. For every plant thare is an optimum, or most favorable soil condition which has been determined by vast ages of adaption and selection; there is also an optinium water relation as well as a climatic re- lation, each brought about in the same manner. A general idea of the requirements of the cranberry plant was first obtained from observing its growth under natural conditions. The beginning of cranberry culture consisted in ameliorating the condition of wild plants and assisting them in their struggle for existence by removing the weeds and shrubs with which they were competing and regulating the water supply. Nature's chief concern with the cranberry, as with other plants, is to insure reproduction. This she was apparently net able to do in a satisfactory manner by means of fruit and seed alone, so she resorted to the method of reproduction by means of rooting vegetative shoots or runners. Nature's aims and those of the commercial cranberry grower ai'e, however, not the same. Nature is satisfied with the successful propagation and reproduction of the plants. Your chief object is to obtain the maximum quantity of fruit. Under natural conditions the cranberry grows in swamps and peat bogs. The essential soil conditiojis are an abundant supply of peat or muck, that is, an accumulation of vegetable matter in various stages of decay and decomposition. Such soils are gener- ally acid and wet. We have here, then, the essential needs of the cranberry plant— a sufficiently watered, acid, peat soil. These conditions are quite different from those required by most other cultivated plants and hence the cranberry problem requires special study and investigation. There is another peculiarity of the cranberry plant, which is possessed apparently by most, if not all, of the members of the heath family. It has a special mode of obtaining its food supply. Instead of absorbing it directly from the soil solution through root hairs, such as we find on corn roots, for example, it appears to obtain part of its nutriment at least through the aid of a fungus known as mycorhiza, which lives in ihe surface cells of the roots and is able to utilize the food material of the peat and transform it into available form for the cranberry plant, getting its own subsistence at the same time without any apparent injury to its host. There are many things to be learned yet in regard to this strange partnership between the fungus and its host which may prove of importance to cranberry culture. We find then by observation and experience that a normal cranberry plant requires a wet, peaty soil, with ttmperate climatic 13 conditions, but a plant which best meets nature's requirements does not prove satisfactory to the commercial fruit grower who wishes to make fruit production the primary aim of the plant. Here is where our trouble begins. We must modify conditions sufficiently to secure the maximum fruiting capacity of the plant without seriously decreasing its strength, vitality and disease re- sistance. Conditions which greatly favor or stimulate vegetative or vine growth are, in general, unfavorable for maximum fruit pro- duction and vij'or of the plant. The most common case apparently of excessive vine growth is a superabundance of nitrogenous food associated with an abundant or excessive water supply. Under such conditions we usually find a very heavy growth of vines form- ing a dense, thick mass. Such vines are not usually very pro- ductive, and are always, so far as we have observed, more suscep- tible to disease, either of the vine or the fruit. The first effort in such cases should be to modify the soil and water conditions as far as possible in such a manner as to reduce the vine growth. This can be done in many cases by reducing the water supply during the period of most rapid vine growth and pruning out the vines judiciously, but not excessively at one time. Frequent, rather heavy sanding will also help to accomplish the same result. There will always be cases, however, where special local con- ditions of soil and water will necessitate modifications of this treatment, or perhaps a totally different procedure. No two bogs are identical in behavior as a whole, because no two bogs are identical in soil and water conditions. Each bog is. therefore, when it comes to specific details of treatment, a special problem. The general fundamental principles, however, hold good. The food and water supply must be so regulated as to give a good crop of fruit, and at the same time produce an optimum amount cf vine growth, thus keeping the plants in a thrifty, well-balanced condi- tion in which they are best able to withstand the attacks of fungus diseases, or to recover from the same with the aid of proper treat- ment. The conditions under which cranberries must be grown for profit are necessarily unsanitary in some respects since large num- bers of individuals are crowded together in large areas for long periods, thus favoring the development and spread of contagious diseases. There is apparently no way of remedying or avoiding this condition in cranberry culture. In the case of annual or short-lived perennial crops such conditions can be avoided to a considerable degree by the rotation of crops, but this is scarcely practicable in cranberry culture. 14 Regulation of the water supply of the cranberry plant is one of the most important factors in determining its health and pro- ductiveness. In the great majority of cases which we have had an opportunity to observe and study, not only in Massachusetts, but a"so in New Jersey and WiscDnsin, disease has been found to be more or less directly associated with an excessive amount of water. Just what the optimum amount of water for any parti- cular bog may be must be determined in each case by observation and experiment. However, whan you find an ex2e3sive growth of vines which are inclined to be unproductive and unhealthy, try drainage. Reduce your water supply, not suddenly and exces- sively, but gradually. Also avoid making any radical change in the water supply during the active growing season, especially at the time when the plants are in bloom or soon after. If a cran- berry bottom is springy in places it may be very difficult to drain it satisfactorily, but every possible effort should be made to do so. There seems to be an inclination on the part of many growers to use too much water. Of course there are also cases- in which a deficiency of water is the cause of certain troubles, but these cases are few as compared with those in which an excessive water sup- ply is the principal cause. Having exhausted every means at your command to get a cran- berry bog in a healthy and vigorous condition of growth, we are then in a position to use with the greatest hope of success methods of preventing or controlling the fungus diseases which may ap- pear. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture has proven the best treat- ment. Apparatus, methods and mixtures for spraying cranberries have now reached a fairly satisfactory stage of development. For most general purposes on areas of considerable extent a power sprayer is necessary. A 8^-6 horse power gasoline engine has been found to give the best results. Plenty of power is neces- sary in order to do good work, especially where long sections of iron pipe and long leads of hose are used. Don't make the mis- take of getting an engine of insufficient power. A good pump is also a very essential feature of a sprayer. It should be adapted to the use of Bordeaux mixture, and capable of pumping large quantities of the mixture at a high pressure. A pressure of from 150 to 200 pounds should be maintained in order to give an even, fine spray and cover the vines most thoroughly with the least waste of time and material. As a result of our recent experiments in New Jersey, we find that bordeaux mixture made according to the 4-3-50 formula, i. e. , 4 pounds of bluestone and 3 pounds of stone lime, to 50 gal- lons of water, with the addition of 2 pounds of fish oil soap, gives the most satisfactory results. We have tried various lime- 15 sulphur preparations and other fungicides, but none of them are as efficient as Bordeaux mixture for cranberry diseases. We have also tried various substitutes for the fish oil soap, but have found noth- ing which equals it in spreading and adhesive qualities. Where you have blast or blight of flowers and young fruit due to fungous disease, where you have dying of vine from the same cause, or where you have scald or rot of fruit, or fruit which quickly becomes soft in storage, thorough spraying with Bordeaux mixture should prove profitable. We regret that it is too early at present to give the results of this season's spraying experiments. These ex- periments concern the prevention of anthracnose, a soft rot of the cranberry which usually develops late in the season or after pick- ing, and the dying of vines due to fungous disease. As already stated, it will take several seasons of thorough work to determine the effectiveness of the methods being tried. In the meantime we shall be glad to give such advice and assistance as we can to any of the cranberry growers who have troubles of this kind. We hope you will all feel free to send us inquiries and specimens of any disease which may appear on your bogs at any time. STATE BOG REPORT By Prof. H. J. Franl^lin in Charge of State Experimental Bog A considerable amount of time has been given to construction work at the State Bog this year and as a visit to the bog is scheduled for this afternoon for the members of this association and others who may wish to go, I think it maybe well for" me to call attention to certain of the more important arrangements which may now be seen there. Screen House The new screen house is, of course, the most conspicuous fea- ture. While we believe that this building has many desirable features, we wish to have it understood that it is not to be looked upon, in any sense, as a model building for screening cranberries. We have made no attempt to build such a building. We even be- lieve that such a building is practically impossible, as it is appar- ent that every screen house must be built according to the needs of the bog or bogs, the berries from which are to be packed in it. Then, too, we have had to consider certain things in planning this structure, which would not ordinarily have to be considered at all 16 for a screen house, particularly the matter of having living rooms and room for scientific work as well as room for experimental work in fruit storage. One unusual feature of this building is its two screening rooms, one being in the basement for handling the late berries and the other on the first floor for taking care of the early fruit. This arrangement allows for handling the crop without moving any portion of it either up or down stairs, our plan being to move screens and screeners instead, the late berries being in basement storage from the time t'.iey are taken into the house. Whether this arrangement is particularly desirable is yet to be proved and the test hinges on the amount of damage which may be done to the keeping quality of the fruit by the common method of letting the berries pass from an upper room through the separator and down chutes to the screening room below. A platform has been placed on the crown of the building for the accommodation of a weather vane and certain other weather instruments. Areas for Flooding On the side of the bog, toward the pumping plant, we have dyked off five separate areas which we propose to use for flooding experiments, particularly during the next two or three years, for such experiments as may lead to the control of the fruit worm by the proper use of water. This construction is not quite C3mpleted as it remains to put flumes in the canals leading to these various sections. Fertilizer Plots Twenty-three areas have been staked out for fertilizer plots and all but two of these areas are now in use, either having been treated with different fertilizer combinations or having been re- served as checks on the plots so treated. These plots may be ex- amined at close range by walking down the plank walk which has been placed over the ditch which runs down between the plots. I must here warn you, however, not to crowd onto these planks, as the supports under them will not allow for more than one or two persons on a plank at once. Signs have been placed at the heads of the plots giving the amount of fertilizer of different kinds used on each plot. Fungus Plots Five areas, each four rods square, have been staked off and used as fungus plots, one of these plots having been sprayed three times and the others twice this season. Only that plot which was sprayed three times seems as yet to show any marked effect from the spraying. Dr. Shear will doubtless describe this more in detail. 17 Fi'uitworm Plots Several areas contaiiiing one square rod each were sprayed as fruitworm experiments, but unfortunately this spraying was for the most part done too late and does not show noticeable results except those two plots on Howe vines, and on these two plots the results are not as striking to the eye as could be wished. Weather Instruments The United States Weather Bureau has provided the station with a good set of weather instruments and, while some of these have not yet been installed, some of the more important of them may be seen in the instrument shelter erected not far from the screen house. While we feel that we have made a good start in the weather work, we wish here to state that we are of the opinion that a much more vigorous taking hold of this work, both on the part of the Weather Bureau and on the part of the cranberry growers is essential to satisfactory success. We believe that the Weather Bureau should have observation taken at three or four o'clock in the afternoon as well as at 8 a. m , and a special fore- cast made at Washington from these afternoon observations. Evidently one of the chief reasons for the mistakes made by the Weather Bureau officials in forecasting frosts, is that they are un- able with any great degree of accuracy to foretell how rapidly the waves of barometric pressure are going to travel across the con- tinent from West to East during a period twenty hours long after the taking of the set of observations upon which the forecast is made. If special observations on barometric pressui'e alone were taken, as a basis for a special forecast late in the afternoon before the night for which the forecast is made, we believe a far more accurate forecast could be made. We think it quite possible that the relative coldness of the various bogs on frosty nights will have to be determined in order to make this weather service as exact and satisfactory as it should be. For the determination of this relative coldness, it seems absolutely essential that the growers should themselves co-operate as voluntiry observers and keep records with standard maximum and minimum thermometers. More than all this, we feel that a more satisfactory arrange- ment than is at present made use of should be adopted for the dis- tribution of frost warnings. Skinner System, The Skinner system of irrigation which has been installed on a small portion of the bog, will, perhaps, attract the most attention and hold the most interest for the growers this afternoon. This system consists of an arrangement in which water is conveyed by 18 means of galvanized iron piping out onto the bog and is sprinkled therefrom over the vines through special nozzles. The lines of pip- ing from which the water is sprinkled are parallel and are placed sixty feet apart, the nozzles being placed four feet apart in each line of piping. A new and special device has been prepared by the Jager Co., by means of which these pipes may be constantly rotated back and forth through an arc of 180 degrees while the system is in operation, the water being thus thrown out to a dis- tance of 30 feet on each side of each line of piping and at the same time being made to wet all the area of vines beneath and toward the lines of piping with only one line of nozzles in each line of piping. It is possible to warm the water as it is sent out into these pipes by sending it through a boiler. We propose to carry out an extending series of tests for this system as applied to the needs of a cranberry bog with a view to determining its value for frost protection, irrigation, winte"" flowage and spraying for insects and fungi. While we are hoping that this system may prove to be of no little value to the cranberry industry in niany ways and while we can see its possible application to various needs of the business not spoken of and which we need not take the time to mention here, I must still call your attention to the fact that this system has not yet been thoroughly tested out on a cranberry bog for any of the purposes for which it may posssibly be used and cau- tion you not to jump to the conclusion that it is a practical ar- rang.^ment for cranberry needs simply because it looks promising. The fact that it has already been successfully made use of by market gardeners both for irrigation and also to some extent for frost and winter protection argues strongly in favor of its practicabilty for similar uses in the growing of cranberries. We believe it will be well worth your while to see this installation at the slate bog and so come to know exactly what this system is and become familiar with the construction that goes with it, but we also feel that you should follow carefully the tests that we plan to carry out with it during the next two or three years. At the state bog, we have installed two lines of piping for this system, the manner of the installation for the two lines being quite strikingly different. We believe that that line which is hung suspended largely by wires and rings shows what will prove to be by far the more satisfactory construction. This con- struction is cheaper than the other, both in cost of material and of installation. It cuts up the bog less than the other and can be more easily handled to give satisfactory pipe drainage. Wj pre- sume, however, that some further modification will in time be worked out and the most satisfactory distance for spacing the con- crete posts between which the supporting wire is stretched must 19 yet be worked out by experiment. It is probable that the distance in our installation is too little rather than too great. Experimental Work Our experimental work has this season come under five different heads, viz: Insects, Fungus Diseases, Fertilizers, Weather Observations and Fertilization of the Cranberry Blossom. I will discuss our work along these various lines in order. CRANBERRY INSECTS We have continued work this season on the fruitworm and blackheaded cranberry worm (or fireworm) only. What few ob- servations we have made on the cranberry girdler and the yellow- headed cranberry worm only confirm previous conclusions. Spray- ing for the latter according to recommendations heretofore given has been practically universally successful. Heavy fall and spring sanding for the girdler where reflowing could not be done after picking has in some cases proven successful, while in others it has failed to give satisfaction the failure in every case observed being due to the fact that the sand was not applied evenly over the infested bog. Blackheaded Cranberry Worm Last fall we carried out several spraying experiments with contact insecticides in an attempt to destroy the eggs of the fireworm or blackheaded cranberry worm. All these attempts failed, however, to give satisfactory results. We have continued observations at various times during the year, on a considertble number of bogs infested by this insect in hope of becoming more familiar with the conditions which favor fireworm infestation and we are now pretty thoroughly convinced that in addition to the factors favor- ing this insect, which I have discussed at previous meetings of this association, there is still another important factor not heretofore generally recognized. This factor is deep, dense vine growth. This sort of vine growth is apparently in many cases to a consider- able extent both a cause and a natural result of the work of this insect. The thick vines seem to shade the eggs which are laid on the lower leaves that they do not hatch for a considerable length of time after those which are placed on the vines more exposed to the light and heat of the sun. The result is that the hatching period, on bogs which have heavy vines, is often so much pro- longed that there seems to be no period during the year when eggs of either the first or the second brood are not present in consider- able numbers. Then repeated prevention of cropping by the fireworm's injury gives the vines a tendency to wood growth in- stead of keeping up cropping. If a bog is winter flowed and not reflowed at ;ill in the spring 20 and not sprayed with arsenical poisons, it is as likely to become infested with this insect with thin vines as with thick ones. If, on the other hand, the bog is regularly reflowed only once after about the twenty-fifth of May, it is apparently much more likely to become infested with the fireworm if it has thick vines. It is evidently a very difficult matter to free a heavily vined bog from this insect or even to keep it from doing very serious injury year after year, either with water or with poison. On the other hand, as far as my observation goes, this insect can easily be con- trolled and kept from doing any considerable injury on a thinly vined bog either by spraying with arsenate of lead or by reflowing once. This insect only rarely gets into a bog to any extent, when it is reflowed with quick re flowage (i. e., quickly put on) two or three times regularly after the 25th of May, and if it does get in it never stays long, whatever the condition of the vines. For those bogs which are infested with this insect and are heavily vined and can be refiowed only once, or at best twice, with a slow (i. e. taking several days to put on and take off the water) refiowage, I believe that thinning out the vines by pruning and heavy sanding will be found to be an essential treatment to ac- company anything like satisfactorily successful treatment, either by flooding or spraying. I know that s-omeone will say that there are bogs which are so determined to produce vines that it is impos- sible to thin them out and keep them thin very long. I can only reply that I believe that such bogs can, in most cases, at least, be satisfactorily thinned and kept thin if the water conditions are properly adjusted. This necessary adjustment might be along either or both of the two following distinct lines: 1. Early withdrawal of winter fiowage with no long, con- tinued refiowage. 2. Sufficient drainage. I wish further to make the statement that, if a bog by any means (even by burning or long continued summer flowage) what- ever, is entirely freed of this insect, it will not, as a rule, long remain so if all the following conditions are allowed to exist: 1. Winter fiowage, especially if it is deep, over a consider- able portion of the bog. 2. Only one refiowage after the 25th of May. 3. Conditions favoring heavy vine growth. It will be noticed, in this connection, that, for such a bog, I consider the use of nitrogenous fertilizers dangerous, as such fertilizers promote vine growth. It will also be noted that, in my opinion, late holding of the winter fiowage (unless it be held so late as to injure the bog for two or three years) instead of tending •to get rid of or redace this insect as has bean commonly thought, 21 really in the long run favors it, because this late holding favors vine growth instead of cropping. Moreover, spring frosts ui^der these circumstances probably do a double injury^first, directly, by partly or entirely knocking out the crop of the season, and second, indirectly, by favoring the vine growth and consequently favor- ing the insect by thus reducing the cropping. These conditions affecting fireworm infestation and treatment are likely to be more strikingly true on bogs of large area than on small bogs because in propoitim to their area fewer parasites will be likely to be distributed over the large bogs from the up- land, during the growing and cropping season, and so become to any considerable extent an influencing factor. FRUIT WORM Our spraying experiments for this insect were begun too late this season to be as effective as they should be. It only served to demonstrate one thing which we have not heretofore reported, viz. : That in our former recommendations we have advised the use of too much resin fish oil soap. Last season, we recommended about four pounds of this soap to 50 gallons of water used in con- junction with the Bordeaux Mixture and Paris Green. We find, on more extended experience, that that amount of the soap is pretty certain to cause more or less serious trouble by clogging up the valves of the spray pump. For future spraying for this insect, it will be necessary to reduce the amount of soap to two pounds for fifty gallons of water, the whole formula then to be dbout as fol- lows : Stone Lime, 5 lbs. ; Copper Sulfate, 2^ lbs. ; Resin Fish Oil Soap, 2 lbs. ; Paris Green, 1 lb. ; Water, 50 gallons. This season we have begun work on the parasites of the fruit- worm. We have undertaken for the present: 1. To find what par- asites the insect has. 2. To determine their relative abundance on flowed and dry bogs. As already stated, plans have been per- fected for flooding experiments for the control of this insect. NEW CRANBERRY PESTS We have this season found two new insect pests doing con- siderable injury in some places on cranberry bogs. One of these is a scale insect, somewhat similar in appearance to the San Jose scale. This species has done considerable injury on a bog in Yar- mouth this season and has been noted in smaller numbers in a very few other localities. The other insect is a species of white grub, the larva of a June beetle. It has caused the dying of circular patches on several bogs this season, principally in Carver, these patches varying in diameter from three to thirty feet. This in- 22 jury examined superficially might easily be mistaken for the ring- worm injury caused by fungus dis?ase. CRANBERRY BLOSSOM During the present season we have carried out quite extensive observations and experiments on the fertilization of the blossom of the cranberry. We have made a special point of learning what the agents of the ci'oss pollenatio" are and we have tried to determine in particular the value of the hive bse in this work. In oiir experi- ments, we erectecT three tents of mosquito netting on the bog. These tents were arranged as follows : No. 1 — Covering half a square rod. Bees of all kinds com- pletely shut out, the bottom of the tent being made tight with sand. No. 2— Same as No 1, but left open to some extent at the bottom so as to allow bees of all kinds access to the blossoms un- derneath. The purpose of this tent was to discover what effect, if any, the shade of the netting would have on the setting of the berries. In this respect it thus served as a check on tent No. 1. No. 3 — Like No. 1, but much larger, covering over a square rod of ground and being about 12 feet high. This tent was made bee tight at the bottom with sand and no bees were allowed to get inside except those from a hive of bees placed closely against it with an opening between the inside of the tent and the mouth of the hive. These tents were all placed over the vines when the latter were in just about the same condition as regards blossoming all the buds being large and a small percentage of the blossoms having already opened. Numbers 1 and 2 were an early black vine and Number 3 on Howe vines. The berries have not yet been picked from the vines under these three tents, but the evi- dences provided by these tents of the value of bees in the pollena- tion of the cranberry blossom are striking. Tent No. 1 has not over two quarts of berries. No. 2 has about the same quantity of fruit as has the surrounding bog. No. 3 also has about the same amount of fruit as the surrounding bog. The general bog area around all these three tents is bearing from 40 to 60 barrels to the acre. Thus tent No. 1, with its check No. 2, shows that bees are necessary to the poUenation of the cranberry blossom. Taken in conjunction with this, tent No. 3 shows that the hive bees are capable of doing efficient work in this pollenation. As the vines approached full bloom under tent No. 1, the blossoms quite generally began to take on a peculiar vivid pink color and as the blossoming advanced, this became more and more striking. Only a very small percentage of the blossoms on the general bog surface outside of this tent took on this color while under the tent there were very few blossoms which did not show 23 it strikingly. The blossoms under tent No. 2 did not differ noticeably in color from those on the surrounding bog. The Howe vines came to full bloom in the midst of the streak of very hot weather in July. They had a noticeably larger percentage of vividly pink blossoms on the general bog surface than did the Early Blacks which blossomed earlier. Tent No. 3 (placed as already noted, on Howe vines and with bees admitted from a hive in large numbers) had a noticeably smaller proportion of these pink blooms than did the surrounding bog. These facts led ^is to believe that the vividly pink color of the bloom was a pretty certain sign of failure of blossom fertilization. This pink coloring of the blossom certainly always accompanies lack of fertilization with the Early Black variety, for it was just as much in evidence in an experi- ment carried out in the season of 1910, in which bees were com- pletely shut out by a mosquito netting tent, as it was in the case of the No. 1 tent of this season described above. To make this matter more certain we tied yarn to the stems of a large number of Howe blossoms showing this pink coloring to mark them for examination later in the season when it would be possible to deter- mine how many, if any of them, had developed berries. We have recently examined these marked blossoms and we find that hardly two in eleven succeeded in producing berries. This is less than half of the proportion of berries to blossoms found on the bog as a whole. In other words, a very much smaller proportion of pink blossoms produce! berries, than of normally colored blossoms. This confirms to a considerable degree the conclusions arrived at from our tent experiments. The fact, however, that some of these blossoms did produce fruit is an indication that there are other causes which may produce this pink coloring of the blossom, though it is our belief that failure of fertilization is the chief cause. There is, of course, the possibility that fertilization may take place to some extent, though abnormally retarded, after the blossom has taken on the abnormal pink color. Varietal Fruiting Failure We have observed that on all bogs every year the number of blossoms which fail to produce fruit is, as a rule, greater than the number which succeed in doing so. There is no conspicuous reason for this apparent at first glance. The blossoms for the most part appear equally healthy and they open normally. At first we sup- posed that this whole matter might be explained on the ground of fertilization failure. While this factor does undoubtedly have some bearing on the matter, it is now evident to us, after our summer's experiments and observations, that the bulk of this fruiting failure cannot be explained in this way. We have examined a considerable number of varieties on a large number of bogs this 24 suinmer and we find that there is a tremendous variation between the different varieties in the average number of berries borne to the individual upright and, more than this, this variation seems to be fairly constant, for the different varieties wherevr found, even when the different varieties are found on the same bog and under exactly the same conditions. Then, too, there is a marked varia- tion, which also appears more or less constant, for the variety in the proportion of sterile uprights present. Some variations ap- pear to average less than two berries to the upright wherever found, while others have been found to average better than three berries to the upright wherever observed. This condition of things obviously is not due to relative lack or abundance of agents capa- ble of cross pollenizing the blossoms, but is evidently the result of a varying quality of natural prolificness in the vines of the different varieties. The fact that tent No. 3, described above in our discussion of bee experiments, has but little, if any, heavier cropping than the surrounding bog, though bees were present under the tent insufficient in cross fertilization to almost entirely prevent any blossom.s from taking on a pink color, while the numcer of blossoms showing this color on the surrounding bog was very large, is corroborating evidence that this view is correct. Our season's experience confirms our conclusions expressed last year, viz. : — That it will often pay to keep hive bees near cranberry bogs during the blossoming season. There are, un- doubtedly, years in which this practice will not repay anything for the extra work involved. We believe that the season just past was one of these, for wild bei'S, particularly bumble-bees, were present everywhere in abundance and we had good weather for bees to work throughout almost the entire blossoming period. We be- lieve, however, that in any season in which wild bees are, for any reason, scarce, or in which there is a great deal of bad v/eather during the blossoming period it will pay well to keep bees. We believe, however, that a few hives will do as well as a large num- ber even for a bog of considerable area and that no increase in the cropping in direct proportion to the number of hives kept should be expected. We believe that on the average, with most varieties, an upright having in all five blossoms will produce as many berries if only two of those blossoms are satisfactorily cross fertilized as it would if they were all so fertilized. Work with Varieties Thinking that it may be impossible to produce, by continued alternate selection and planting, a much more prolific variety of cranberry than is at present known, we have this season selected and marked a large number of uprights of three different varieties with the purpose in mind of planting them out in separate plots 25 next spring. We have in this work marked only those uprights which produced this season four or five good berries, the aim being to produce a variety which shall, as a rule, produce four, five or even six berries to the upright instead of two or three. It will be observed that this work is directly in line with similar work al- ready carried out successfully with corn, potatoes and other crops. With a variety of cranberries producing four or five berries on nearly every upright it would ba possible to obtain a good crop with a very thin growth of vines, and a dense growth of uprights ought to give a very heavy cropping indeed. We think that this work of variety development may have a direct bearing on the fertilizer problem, for it seems quite possible that, with our pres- ent varietes, the available plant food supply present i);ay never be so seriously reduced, on bogs with good peat bottoms, as to greatly affect the cropping, except on old bogs, which have been cropper! heavily for yea^s, which evidently do often become thus reduced in their plant food supply. General Observations Besides the experiments and obs rvations recorded above, we have made several interesting though disconnected observations during the season which we wish to discuss here. 1. An Indirect Water Injury. We noticed ihis season that, as a rule, those bogs which had no winter flowage and only a small amount of water in the ditches during the first part of the season endured the hot, dry weather of July much better than those which were winter flowed and had the water held well up in the ditches up to the first of June, but got so dried out as to have no water in the ditches during July. This condition of things can, apparently, only be explained on the ground that on the bogs which were thus winter dry, the cranberry roots were compelled to grow more deeply to get their water supply than they were on the winter flowed ones and so were in a better position to withstand the drought when it came. It would thus seem advisable to keep the water in the ditches low during the entire spring, except during necessarj^ re- flowages, and not raise until about the middle of June, or until the beginning of the blossoming period. 2. Impossible to Determine Sets. As far as we have been able to discover, there is no way in which to determine whether a blossom has produced a set or not unless it matures a berry. A large percentage of the small berries in our tent No. 1, above de- scribed, started noticeably in growth after the blossoms fell, but soon stopped and failed to mature. The conditions were such that the failure of many of these berries to mature was evidently due to lack of cross pollenation yet we had previously supposed that any 26 noticeable start in growth on the part of th=! young berry was a certain sign of crosS pollenation of the blossoms and of satisfac- tory setting. 3. Failure to Mature. About a week after practically all the Early Black blossoms had fallen at the state bog and the young- berries (or, as they are frequently called, "sets") were present in all stages of development, from the very smallest up to two-thirds grown, we marked with string berries of different sizes to see, particularly, how many of the very small ones would mature. We did this marking on July 17 and the very largest berries pres- ent then measured seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter (i. e. , small diameter). In this work we marked berries of three sizes as follows : No. Marked Size (Small Diameter) (a) 50 About one-sixteenth inch (not started in growth at all). (b) 50 From five-sixtyfourths of an inch to seven-sixtyfourths of an inch. (c) 50 About five-thirtyseconds of an inch. On August 17, or one month later, these marked berries were examined again with results as follows: (a) Of the first fifty originally marked, forty-three were found, none of which had matured. (b) Of the second fifty marked, forty were found, none of which had matured. (c) Of the third fifty marked, thirty-five were found, of which only eleven had matured into berries. 4. Many Top Berries Mature. It has been the general im- pression, and we, until this season, shared in this impression, that it is the top blossoms .vhich as a rule fail to mature fruit and that the lower blossoms are the ones which produce the berries. On August 20 of this season we examined carefully and made records concerning this matter for seventy-seven uprights taken at random on the Early Black vines on the state bog. In these records we numbered the blossoms lowest down on the upright No. 1, the one next to the lowest No. 2, and so on up in regular order so that the top blossom on an upright with six blossoms would be No. 6. The results of this examination were as follows: Blossoms Berries Per Cent Berries to Blossoms 47 60 44 36 39 83 50 27 No. 1 (1( jwest) 77 36 No. 2 77 46 No. 3 77 34 No. 4 72 26 No. 5 44 17 No. 6 6 5 No. 7 2 1 A general glance over the bog, where this examination was made, a week after the falling of the blossoms, would have given anyone the impression that the small berries, and consequently the berries least like.y to mature, were for the most part on top. This general appearance, usually noticed at that period on most bogs with good promise for a crop, is, however, apparently due to the fact that the weight of the berries, as they increase in size, tends to pull them down into the vines considerably while the smaller berries, not so much pulled dov/n, stick up above the larger ones. THE HONEY BEE AND CRANBERRY GROWING Dr. Burton N. Gates, Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass. The importance of the honey bee in setting a crop of cranber- ries has not been thoroughly realized heretofore. Th^ most excel- lent experiments of Dr. Franklin, however, demonstrate that the honey bee is not only imporant but almost an indisp^nsible servant in securing a maximum crop of berries. The problem before the growers is comparable to that of the producers of cucumbtrs under glass who annually used in Massachusetts upwards of two thousand colonies. Formerly cucumbers under glass were fertilized by hand, which was not only laborious, but not always resulted in perfect fruit. With the cranberry grower, cross fertilization and the setting of fruit has not been at all under the control of the producer. If the honey bee has been a factor, it has been by accident and through no effort of the grower. It will be recognized that cer- tain forms of wild bees and perhaps other insects have their part in the cranberry production, but dependency upon these and upon the possible service of the bees from neighboring apiaries, fails to provide an assured crop. At best it is a haphazard method. The biologist knows that in all natural life and especially among the insects that under the natural wild conditions, there are years when a species is abundant, and years when it is scarce. This fluctuation is often spoken of as periods of ups and downs. Thus it is reasonable to attribute a large bearing of berries one year to an abundance of insect life and a partial crop of berries 28 nother year, perhaps to an insufficient number. It is a down period or a period of depression for the species. In considering the honey bee, it is well known that in certain seasons they thrive better than in others. Furthermore, the honey bee is susceptible to diseases which heretofore crept into the apiaries unbeknown to the beekeeper, and, almost without warning, reduced the stock. Such a reduction might readily happen in the vicinity of cranberry bogs, and, whereas the producer had been successful previously, the entire failure of his crop might result. These and other fluctuations beyond the control of the cranberry grower, who does not maintain his own honey bees, are risks which he should not run and which may be entirely avoided. To obviate this uncertainty and to assure an abundance of in- sects on the bog at exactly the right time, it seems most desirable that the progressive grower should maintain an apiary. The in- vestment is almost infinitesial as compared with the possible re- turns. By maintaining an apiary, the grower should be able to prophecy with relative accuracy the largeness of his crop, barring, of course, the uncontrolable weather conditions which may prevent the flight of the bees during the blooming period of the cran- berries. It is, as with the cucumber grower, the very best insur- ance a producer may put upon his crop. Stated in another way, the maintenance of an apiary in a cranberry bog makes the grower independent of his neighbor, wild Insect life and in a large measure climatic conditions. Furthermore, finding that the bees are not numerous enough to in- sure a maximum set of fruit, it is a very easy matter to bring in a few extra colonies which should increase the number of flying bees by the tens of thousands. Again, if the weather is such that flight^ are intermittent, rain perhaps driving the bees to the hive for a part of the day, these large numbers are absolutely essential in order that each blossom may be visited at least once and fertilization accomplished thereby. Of course when the weather is more favorable, fewer bees are sufficient, they being able to visit a greater number of blossoms. Beside the service of bees in the production of fruit, the cran- berry grower may have another gain also, an opportunity to secure a handsome crop of honey. There is no reason why the bees on a cra.iberry bog should not prosper from the honey producing stand point. Nectar from the cranberry is reported to produce a superior grade of honey. As yet it has not been possible to estimate the numbar of colonies necessary for a given area of vines. It will be possible, however, to determine this, but for the present, growers should maintain an apiary which should flood their bogs with bees, notwithstanding there may be an abundance of wild insects, for it should be re- 29 membered that these are beyond the Ovvner's|control. Rather than to depend upon their fluctuations, their ups and downs, it is far better to provide the honey bee. In this brief statement it is not possible to give specific direc- tions for maintaining the bees on the cranberry plantation. The general rules for beekesping apply here as elsewhere. The hard- ship for thi; colonies will be far less than in the case of the cucumber grower, who maintains them under the most adverse conditions, that is, in the tropical, humid heat of a green house, where there is insufficient nectar and pollen, and where the bees are forced at an off season when they normally would be wintering. In contemplating the purchase of bees, the buyer is urged to secure healthy stock. The infectious diseases of bees have been alluded to already. These are known respectively as American foul brood and European foul brood. Their nature, detection and treatment (they can be successfully eradicated by the careful bee- keeper) is described in tha publication which may be had from Hon. J. Lewis Ellsworth, Secretary State Board of Agriculture, Boston, Mass., an3 from the Office of the Inspector of Apiaries, Amherst, Mass.* *Bunetin No. 1. Apiary Inspection. Brood Diseases of Bees. Their Treatment and the Law for Their Suppression in Massachusetts. By Burton N. Gates, Inspector of Apiaries, 1910. Another Bulletin, just published by the writer, "Some of the Essentials of Bee Keeping", as well as other publications and general information may be had at these addresses. 30 TREASURER'S REPORT Wareham, Mass., Aug. 22, 1911. Aug. 21, 1910, Cash on hand brought for ward from previous year, $222.22 Aug. 22, 1911, Received annual dues from members, 143.00 Aug. 22, 1911, Received from sale of dinner tickets, 74.02 Aug. 22, 1911, Cost of dinner and all other expenses for the year, $130.45 Aug. 22, 1911, Cash on hand deposited with National Bank of Wareham, 308.79 $439.24 $439.24 Respectfully submitted, Irving C. Hammond, Treasurer. The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association EXTRACT FROM BY-LAWS Membership and Dues Any person interested in promoting cranberry culture, or any business pertaining thereto, is eligible as a member of the cor- poration. The due? shall be one dollar for a year, or any fraction there- of, payable to the quarter on or before the annual meeting. All candidates for membership shall sign an application (which must ba accompanied by dues of one dollar for the balance of the year to the next annual meeting) to the Board of Directors, and, if approved by the directors at any meeting held for that purpose, or by written approval of at least seven of the directors, he shall be enrolled as a member. The Caps Cod Cranberry Growers' Association will be found to be of mutual benefit to all those who are in any way connected with the industry and all such are urged to become members. A strong association is necessary for the best interests of the busi- ness, and you should all, who are not now members, join at once and help the cause along. 31 A REPORT of the TWENTY - FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING of the CAPE COD CRANBERRY GROWERS' ASSOCIATION, EAST WAREHAM. MASS., TUESDAY, AUG. 20, 1912. together with a REPORT of the STATE EXPERIMENTAL BOG THE COURIER PRESS WAREHAM, MASS. 19 12 ANNUAL MEETING The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Cape Cod Cran- berry Growers' Association, pursuant to a call duly made by the secretary, (being the third annual meeting of the incorporated body) was held at the State Experimental Bog at East Ware- ham, Mass., on Tuesday, August 20, 1912. The meeting was called to order by the President. George R. Briggs. The Secretary's report was read and accepted. The president drew attention to the change. in the barrel law, stating that it was quite inadvisable to stamp the barrels "IGO quarts", as it is not required by law and causes trouble on the selling end. The standard barrel when properly packed will hold 100 quarts, after the pressure is applied, yet when the berries are measured out they sometim'es fall short. The cran- berry barrel is a legal standard measure when made in the re- quired dimensions. Mr. Briggs gave a review of the laws governing the size of barrels and told of the part the association had played in getting such legislation as was considered fair to the grower and the consumer. He spoke of the attempt being made by congress to establish a standard size for all fruit barrels which would be about the size of an app1« barrel. The bill was opposed by representatives of the cranberry interests who went to Washington and appeared before the committee and after much discussion it was finally practicallv agreed that cranberries will be excepted if the present bill is acted upon this season. Mr. Briggs said that all that was required of growers is that the barrels be marked "Massachusetts Standard Measure." The applications for membership of twenty-three growers were received and all were accepted as members of the associa- tion. The following nominations for directors were made from the floor: Colburn C. Wood, George R. Briggs, John C. Make- peace, Joshua Crowell, Franklin E. Smith, Irving C. Hammond Lemuel C. Hall, Arthur N. Kinney, Franklin F. Marsh, S. N. Mayo and M. L. Fuller. Messrs. Bradley, Harris and Rogers were appointed tellers to receive and count the votes. The polls vi^ere opened and after all had voted who wished they were duly closed. The tellers announced that all those nominated as reported above had been unanimously elected. President George R. Briggs made the announcement that his n^me must not be considered for re-election as president. T)je following nominations for officers were then made: ; President — John C- Makepeace ^ First Vice President — Myron L. Fuller Second Vice President — Seth C. C. Finney Secretary — Lemuel C- Hall ' ' ' Treasurer — Irving C. Hammond The members voted and the officers nominated, as reported above, were unanimously elected. In the absence of the newly elected president the first vice president, Myron L. Fuller, took the chair and presided. Thec-hair appointed as members of the committee to re- ceive and tabulate statistics in regard to the crop, Lawrence Rogers and^ Franklin E. Smith. Col. Bradley moved that a vote of thanks be extended to Ex-President Briggs for the faithful service given the association during his repeated terms of office. The vote was unanimously carried. On motion of Dr. F. F, Marsh it was voted that the by- laws and list of members of the association be printed in such form as may be approved by the directors and that a copy be mailed to each member. Dr. Marsh brought up the question as to whether cran- berry growers are farmers under the intent of the workmen's compensation act. This brought out considerable discussion which was participated in by Dr. Marsh, Franklin E. Smith, J. B. Hadaway and others. Mr. Hadaway moved that the attor- ney of the association be authorized to look into the matter to determine whether the farmer's exemption clause applies to cranberry growers. The motion was unanimously carried. Further discussion followed in regard to the association de- fending a test case and the matter was laid on the table until after lunch. When the meeting was again called to order President Makepeace assumed the chair. After some discussion it was voted: That it is the sense of this association that cranberry growers are farmers and that the directors are hereby authorized to insist upon the same before the courts or commission, and that they may at their discretion defend at the cost of the asso- ciation any suits bjought against any of its members in this con- nection." The committee appointed to tabulate crop statistics report- ed as follows: Estimate for 1912, 123,114 barrels; crop of 1911, 112,506 barrels; an increase of 11 per cent over the crop of 1911. Mr. Chaney reported: Wisconsin' crop, 1912, 30,000 barrels, against 30,000 barrels in 1911; New Jersey crop, 140,000 barrels in 1912 against 143,000 barrels last year. Col. Bradley spoke interestingly concerning the planting of white pine trees on upland and told of what he has done in that direction at Wareham. A vote of thanks was extended to H. J. Franklin for courtesies extended and aid given the association. It was voted that a committee be appointed to secure a re- duced rate of insurance on cranberry buildings. It was voted that the president, treasurer and secretary be instructed to prepare, print and distribute the reports of the meeting. A vote of thanks was given to all the speakers of the day. The addresses made and the papers read will be found printed in full in the following pages. On motion duly seconded it was voted to adjourn. Adjourned. Respectfully submitted, LEMUEL C. HALL, Secretary. THE PLANT FOOD NEEDS OF THE CRANBERRY By PROF. T. W. MORSE. Analyses of cranberries and cranberry vines show an un- usually small proportion of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, especially in the berries. Reports from Massachusetts and New Jersey agricultural experiment stations contain results which agree very closely, and from them I have calculated that a crop of 100 barrels per acre of berries removes from the bog only 7 pounds of nitrogen, 3 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 8 pounds of potash. A ton of vines would contain 15 pounds of nitrogen, 6.2 pounds of phosphoric acid and 8 pounds of potash. Since peat bogs contain tons and tons of these different fertility constituents in an acre foot, it follows that cranberries will not exhaust the plant food in centuries, so far as mere figures can be relied upon. Yet, on the other hand, the low percentages of plant food in the cranberry vines and fruit indicate plainly that the plant has become accustomed to scanty nourishment, and it may need some form of plant food not provided by the bog in which it is accustomed to grow. Only three feitilizer experiments have been found reported in'the experiment station bulletins, one in New Jersey, one in Wisconsin and one in Massachusetts. They agree on the need of more nitrogen in the form of nitrate of soda, but differ as to the importance of phosphoric acid and potash. Neither the New Jersey nor Massachusetts experiments were conducted on a typical peat bog, but on a black, sandy soil. These results of analysis and field trial point to a low avail- ability of the enormous potential fertility of peat bogs under the conditions of cranberry growing. When peat soils have been drained and used for corn, grass and other farm or truck crops, it has been noticed that nitrogen is seldom required, but that phosphates and potash salts have usually been beneficial. The conditions for farm and truck crops are, hovvever, very different from those of the cranberry crop. In the former, thorough drainage is maintained, which means that plenty of air is present to promote beneficial bacterial activity, and nitrates are freely formed. In fact, peat is one of the materials used in sewage purifica- tion because it will hold more water and air together than any other earthy substance. But in cranberry growing it is necessary to keep the peat satuated with water during a large part of the year, which hinders, if it does not prevent, the action of nitrifying organisms. Durmg the period of flooding, there can be little beneficial oxidation of dissolved soil compounds by which they are made fit for plant food At the other periods, the water table is main- tained at a high level so that cranberry vines develop their root systems mainly, if not wholly, in the sand on the surface of the peat. The sand itself is nearly negligible as a source of plant food,, but it is continually supplied with water from the peat below it. and this water rises satuated with the soluble compounds from the peat, to be oxidized in the sand by air and bacteria and made fit for nourishment of the vines and fruit. A peculiar property of many bog plants has been observed by botanists, namely, a resemblance to desert plants which have a scanty supply of water. There are differences of opinion about the causes of this resemblance, but a prominently mentioned cause is the probable presence in bog water of poisonous substances, which causes bog plants to develop roots and leaves that resist the passage of water through them, instead of encouraging it, as in most culti- vated plants. The evidence of scanty food requirements on the part of the cranberry may be due to the presence of poisonous matter in the bog water, which the cranberry avoids by using as little water 'n its interior as possible. A consideration of the conditions under which changes best take place leads me to the belief that the earlier the water is drained ofi in the spring and the lower the water table can be maintained during the summer, the more use can be made of the natural fertility by the cranberry vines. I consider it also prob- able that under the usual methods followed in handling the water on the bogs that the application of small quantities of quickly available chemical fertilizers should be beneficial to the crop. The experiments at Amherst, with small trial bogs in large tiles, are throwing some light on the problem, as Professor Brooks anticipated. Fertilizers were applied last year and this. The vines are now two years old and cover the surface with a dense mat and runners extend over the sides of the tile from two to three feet. We have counted the fruits on the individual bogs and estimate that the average crop is at. the rate of 40 barrels. per acre. Potash is the only element that appears advantageous for fruit this season. A study of the composition of the bog water and measure- ments of the amount drained away last spring and of the quanti- ty added during the present summer, have given data on which to base some tentative calculations of the losses of plant food on the one hand, and of the available nutrients on the other hand. The surface flood water was found to be practically negli- gible as a remover of plant food, but the seepage water which next filled the drains and continued to pass away until the close of the rainy season in June, was of some consequence. This seepage water amounted to 72,000 gallons per acre and removed about 15 pounds of nitrogen, 38 pounds of potash and 7 pounds phosphoric acid; but the composition of seepage water from fer- tilized and unfertilized bogs was practically alike, showing that the fertilizers added to the bogs did not leach away, not even the nitrates. The amount of water which has been added during the sum- mer to maintain the desired level of the water table, has been 6.9 inches per acre, or 190,000 gallons. Analyses of saturated bog waters gave the data from which I have calculated that this amount of water rising into the sand 8 possibly carried with it 53 pounds of nitrogen^ of which 25 pounds was in the form of ammonia and nitrates, 30 pounds of phosphoric acid, of which only traces were available, and 85 pounds of potash, all of which was soluble- The question may naturally occur to some of you. Why is the phosphoric acid present in the water not available? It is an almost imperceptible mass, which apparently passes readily through the soil spaces, but will not pass a porcelain water filter even under a pressure of 40 pounds per square inch. From these data, which show considerably more plant food than the cranberry crop will remove, it may be inferred that nat- ural sources are sufficient. But it comes in instalments throughout the growing season. It is possible and probable that soluble fertilizers added in the spring will be advantageous in giving the start to the vines, that is recognized in most field crops when commercial fertilizers are used. REPORT OF CO-OPERATIVE CRANBERRY SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS IN MASSA- CHUSETTS FOR 1911 By DR. C. L. SHEAR, Plant "Pathologist U. S. Department of Agriculture The following report of the spraying experiments carried on in co-operation with the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station I? given at this time simply as a matter of record of pro- gress in this work. As it covers only one season's experiments, it cannot be regarded as at all conclusive. The purpose of these experiments has been to determine whether the fungus rots of the cranberry, which occur in Massachusetts, can be successfully prevented by spraying. It has been frequently observed that a large percentage of fruit, which is apparently sound when picked becomes soft and spoiled before shipment, or in transit. Studies we have made of such fruit show that almost invariably the soft- ening is due to a fungus parasite which is present in the berries when picked, but which did not develop until the fruit is bruised 9 or submitted fo some unfavorable conditions of temperature and moisture, such as frequently occur in the interval between pick- ing and marketing. If these fungi can be prevented from gain- ing entrance into the berries, the fruit should be able to with- stand proper conditions of handhng and shipment with little loss. In determining the benefit from spraying, therefore, it is desir- able not only to make a record of the quantity of decayed fruit at the time of picking, but also of the loss in the interval between picking and marketing. It seems probable that it will be desir- able, also, to carry this one step further and determine the con- dition of the fruit when it reaches market. One series of experiments was carried out, under our direc- tion, by John C. Makepeace, and the other by Dr. H. J. Franklin. We wish to express our gratitude to these two gen- tlemen for their kind assistance in this work. The experiment made by Mr. Makepeace was as follows: A portion of a bog of Early Blacks was divided into six plots and numbered consecu- tively. The vines on these plots were as uniform in character as could be found and had, in previous seasons, shown about the same amount of disease. The spraying was as follows: Plot Variety Date of Spraying Fungicide Used Yield in Bus. 1 Early Black (unsprayed) 4 2 Early Black (sprayed) June 19, 1911 July 3, 1911 July 17, 1911 4-3-50 Bordeaux August 9, 1911 1-5 Copper Acetate 6 3-4 3 Early Black (unsprayed) 17 4 Early Black (sprayed) July 3, 1911 July 17, 1911 4-3-50 Bordeaux ■ August 9, 1911 1-50 Copper Acetate 12 5 Early Black (sprayed) June 19, 1911 July 3, 1911 July 17, 1911 4-3-50 Bordeau August 9, 1911 1-5U Copper Acetate 10 1-2 6 Early Black (sprayed) July 3, 1911 July 17, 1911 4-3-50 Bordeaux August 9. 1911 1-50 Copper Acetate 15 Eight crates of berries, four from Plot 1, unsprayed, and four from Plot 5, which received four sprayings, were shipped to 10 Washington, just as thej' came from the bog. Two crates of each of these lots were carefully sorted, by hand, October 16, 1911, with the following result: Plot 1 Unsprayed 32.7 per cent rotten Plot 5 Sprayed 5 times 16. S per cent rotten All the fruit, sprayed and unsprayed, sorted and unsorted, was then placed in cold storage at a temperature of 36 degrees F., and kept until February 5, 1912- It was then taken out and again carefully sorted, with the following result: ^lot Treatment Total Pe rcentage of Rot 1 Unsprayed and sorted 80.9 5 Sprayed and sorted 43.9 1 Unsprayed anil Unsorted 84 7 5 Sprayed and Unsorted 42 4 These results show about twice as much rot in the un- sprayed fruit as in the sprayed. The percentage of rot in the sorted and unsorted fruit, when taken from storage in February, was practically the same. These figures indicate that 48.2 per cent rot developed in the unsprayed fruit in storage, and 27.1 per cent developed in the sprayed fruit. This shows a higher percentage of decay developing in storage than was the case in our e.xperiments with New Jersey fruit, as recorded in Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin No. 100, Parti. The following is a record of the spraying experiments at the Cranberry Experiment Station, East Wareham. As there was little or no rot in these berries at the time of picking, the only record made is that of the amount of soft fruit found at the time of screening, on De- cember 4. Plot V^ariety Date of Spraying Fungicide Used Yield in bus. A Howes June 3. 1911 4-3-50 Bordeaux July 17, 1911 August 2, 1911 Copper Acetate and Soap 19.5 -B McFarlinsJulv 17,1911 4-3-50 Bordeaux August 2, 1911 Copper Acetate and soap 20.5 C Howes July 17, 1911 4-3-50 Bordeaux August 2, 1911 Copper Acetate and Soap 17.33 11 A-1 Howes Unsprayed 43.56 A-2 " " 20.9 B-1 McFarlins Unsprayed - 23.66 C-1 Howes Unsprayed 19.8 Fruit picked, Sept. 21-23, 1911. Run through separator, Nov. 7, 1911. Screened, Dec. 4-6, 1911. Eighty-five quarts of berries were taken from each plot after passing through separator Nov. 7. Each of these lots was screened December 4, with the fol- lowing result: Plot Variety Quarts Sound Fruit Percentage of Rot A Howes, sprayed 75 12.3 A Howes, unsprayed 65 23.5 B McFarlins, sprayed 60 29.4 B McFarlins, unsprayed 47 44.7 C Howes, sprayed 78 8.2 C Howes, unsprayed 72.5 14.7 It will be noted that there was from 6 to 13.3 per cent less fruit on the sprayed than on the unsprayed plots, except in the case of check 1 of unsprayed plot A-1, which produced more than twice as many berries as the sprayed plot. The difference in this case is evidently due, in part at least, to some other causes than those which produced the other difference. Dr. Franklin is of the opinion that the difiference in yield in most of these cases is due to the mjury to fruit caused by tramping over the plots in spraying. Taking it for granted that the average loss to the crop on the sprayed plots was due in some way to spraying operations, it is still much less than the amount of rot which developed in the unsprayed fruit. Whether the saving in sound frui*:, between the time of separating and screening, is sufficient to justify the expense of spraying, is evi- dently not conclusively determined by this experiment. The behavior of the fruit, from sprayed and unsprayed plots, during shipment and marketing, should also be taken into consideration. We have, at present, no data in regard to this, however. The experience of some of the growers and sales agents during the past season indicates that the problem of handling fruit to avoid 12 loss after picking and during shipment and have it reach the consumer in sound condition is a very important one. The whole problem of handling cranberries during picking, cleaning, packing and shipping, so as to reduce the loss to a minimum, deserves very serious consideration and needs further investigation, though our studies and experiments have already shown that the great bulk of the loss from softened fruit is due to fungi which are in the berries at the time of picking and which proceed to develop and cause softening of the fruit when- ever conditions of temperature and moisture are favorable. It is probable that little or no softening of fruit occurs from other causes. It has been thought, by some, that fermentation or a general breaking down of the tissues from chemical change may produce softening of the fruit. There is little evidence, how- ever, to support this idea. Only occasionally do we find soft berries which do not appear to be infested with a fungus. If the fruit can be kept from becoming infected with fungous germs, picked and stored under favorable conditions, and with- out bruising, there should be little danger of loss from soft or rotten fruit. If, however, the fruit is infested with disease at the time of picking, it requires very careful handling, under condi- tions of temperature and moisture which do not favor the de. velopment of the organisms. Berries should be placed in a cool, dry place as soon after picking as possible, and bruising should be avoided as far as pos- sible. Other commercial fruits handled in the same manner as the cranberry is ordinarily handled would probably result in total loss. It may be found necessary to modify the present methods of handling the fruit in order to reduce the loss which so fre- quently occurs at present in storage and transit. GOOD PACKING By A. U. CHANEY. This is a dangerous subject for me to attempt to discuss, as my time and attention have always been given to the marketing end. I therefore will attempt to discuss only the necessity of 13 good packing and uniformity and reliability of packing from a marketing standpoint. Business of every kind today is based on credit and reputa- tion, and especially is this true between widely scattered com- munities. This community, or district, produces cranberries, which it exchanges with the South for cotton, with California and Florida for oranges, Pennsylvania for coal, the Centraland Northwestern states for their grain and flour, with the cities for their clothing and manufactured articles, etc. Money is only the medium of that exchange. The communities enjoying the greatest prosperity are those which enjoy the best reputation for producing, manufacturing or packing the most dependable goods — as Sheffield, England, for its cutlery, Minneapolis for its flour, Battle Creek, Mich., for its breakfast foods, Hood River, Ore., for its apples, Colorado for its peaches, Grand Rapids, Mich , for its furniture, etc. Cape Cod enjoys a favorable reputation now for its cran- berries. Strangers to this industry often are surprised to learn that cranberries are grown elsewhere. So favorable has been this reputation that in previous years dealers in many of the principal markets would brand cranberries received from other sections 'Cape Cod Cranberries" to facilitate their sale. Cran- berries from the other sections would be fully equal to and some- times better than the average of Cape Cod shipments of the season, but the public demand was for cranberries coming from- the community most favorably \known to them for that product. Today the other cranberrv sections are alive to the advan- tage of having a favorable reputation for their product and have come to realize that it can best be secured by encouragmg and educating their fellow growers of their state to grade properly, harvest properly and prepare and pack their fruit uniformly and well. They have begun to realize that every package going out of their state improperly packed, graded or marked, injures and retards the reputation of the product of their community. A grower who uses proper care in producing good fruit, harvesting same in prime condition, packing same under favorable con- ditions and in proper manner does credit to himself and his neighbors and materially enhances the reputation of his district. 14 A grower who ships fruit that is carelessly screened, slack packed, improperly marked, or that is misrepresented in any way ma- terially injures, not onlv his own reputation, but the standing in the markets of his community. I believe if every cranberry grower understood the great ad- vantage to themselves that would accrue by all growers packing their fruit in the most approved manner and always so marking or branding same as will properly represent the contents, that greater and more willing co-operative efforts would be made toward that end. One of the difficulties marketing men contend with is berries arriving at destination, often only a comparatively short distance away, in unsound or unattractive condition, after hav- ing left the shipping station in apparently prime condition. It is hard to convince the grower that his berries arrived wet, damp or in weakened condition, when they were apparently dry and sound and properly screened only a few days earlier when they left him. Since I have been manager of the Exchange and rep- resenting the growers, it has been interesting to verify such com- plaints and, through the inspectors, trace back to discover the cause. It might be well here to mention some of the causes of such conditions, as — Packing and screening in damp or fogg\ weather. Harvesting the fruit wet. Storing the fruit in damp places. Sorting in a room of considerably warmer temperature than the storage. Too much handling when fruit is very ripe. Excessive flooding of bog during the time the fruit is com- ing to maturity. Assorting the seconds and mixing in with the first grade, in- stead of packing them separately and so marking them. Hand Assorting — I wish some method could be devised to properly screen berries without doing so by hand, but today the majority of berries must be hand assorted. Even in the hand assorting, however, I have observed that it is possible to do the fruit injury rather than benefit it. Especially do I believe this 15 is true of over-ripe, dark colored fruit. It is more or less diffi- cult to detect all of the soft berries in such fruit with the eye. I have observed the sorters rolling the fruit over the table with the pressure of their hands or picking up handfuls and squeezing them to detect the soft ones. By so doing they cause more berries to become soft quickly than they have picked out. Such fruit would frequently arrive at destination in better condition had not a hand touched them. Please understand that I strong- ly believe in hand assorting, as a rule, but when assorting dark colored fruit unusual care not to bruise the berries with the hands is advisable- Finally, every grower should have in mind that the con- sumers are your customers and that the sales company, cash buyer or commission men are only your medium of distribution to them. As your customers increase you will prosper. If you desire to hold the consumers' favor, you must produce such fruit and harvest and pack it so it will reach their eyes and homes in sound condition and with an appetizing appearance. Put a bar- rel of unsound and unattractive berries in a retail store and you surely retard and often effectively kill the cranberry trade of that store for the balance of the season. A short crop of poor-keep- ing and unattractive fruit is more difficult to market than a large crop of good quality. Cranberries should be grown, harvested, screened, packed and distributed in such a way that they will reach the consumer in prime condition in order to bring best results. 16 PROBLEMS OF THE CRANBERRY GROWER AS A BEEKEEPER With Suggestions for the Utilization of Honey Bees in Setting the Cranberry Crop DR. BURTON N. GATES Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass. With the systematizing of methods for the better cultivation of the cranberry, one of the recent and most marked advances is the possible and probable service of honey bees in the assurance of a maximum crop. The value of insects in general, among them the honey bee, as agents in pollenization of our important fruits and vegetables, has long been known. Each year, how- ever, the particular value of the honey bee is becoming better recognized Heretofore, as was efnphasized a year agf", growers of apples and melons have trusted the setting of their crops to good fortune. The growers depended upon wild insects or upon honey bees kept by neighbors. If, however, the climatic condi- tions were unfavorable, it has been found that insects failed to set the crop successfully. Recent experiments and observations concerning the cranberry have shown that similar conditions prevail. Favorable or unfavorable weather a large or small num- ber of insects are thought to be closely correlated with a large or small cranberry set. Hence, as has been previously explained, the cranberry grower can well afiford to invest a few dollars in bees, maintaining them adjacent to his bogs in order that he may be independent of neighbors bees or the fluctuations of wild insects. This may be looked upon as a matter of insurance. The honey bee at present is the only insect fertilizing agent absolutely at the command of the grower. The writer's recom- mendation would be flood the blossoming bog with bees, re- gardless of other insects. THE NUMBER OF COLONIES FOR A BOG A question which is frequently asked and which is yet un- answerable from the experimental standpoint concerns the num- 17 ber of colonies necessary for a given area. A similar question is asked by the growers of fruits and vegetables. It has recently come to light that a colony of bees for at least every twenty-five apple trees is desirable. From observation alone it is suggested that probably five colonies of bees will be sufficient for ten acres of cranberries. The need for and tax upon the honey bee, however, will fluctuate from year to year and depend upon its ratio to the wild insects or neighbors' bees. In summary, cranberry growers are advised to consider keep- ing a few colonies of bees. The results which may be obtained from their services are entirely disproportionate to the invest- ment. Moreover, the income from the bees is not entirely limited to the service upcn the cranberry bog. It is known that cranberries yield a good grade of nectar and that the bees may store a surplus of cranberry honey. Furthermore, in most lo- calities where the cranberrv is grown, there are also abundant wild flowers. Some of these are practically free nectar producers and yield a surplus. Where sumac abounds, delicious honey may be obtained. Around the cranberry bogs are hundreds "of acres of clethera, sometimes known as sweet pepper bush, pepper bush, etc. This plant is a profuse bloomer and is not known to fail in nectar production. Si;me years, more than others of course, the bees will store a greater surplus. It is a light colored honey and considered choice. In the fall the meadows produce a large amount of golden rod and asters, which ma/ fur- nish surplus honey, or at least abundance of winter stores. Be- side the incom? from hone/, colonies of bees usually find a ready sale, varying in price from $5.00 to $10.00 and up. THE KIND OF BEES The question which is not infrequently asked especially by the growers of cranberries, is what kind of bee will best serve for the fertilization of the cranberry. The reply usually is that a bee is a bee and the race makes slight difiference in the pro- ductivity of the cranberry. It may be said, however, that what is known as the leather colored Italian is probably the best all- around race of bees for honey production and for general bee- keeping. It has one quality in particular which causes it to be 18 much desired by beekeepers of late, namely, that it has at least resistance to European foul brood. It is a gentle bee as a rule, prolific, and a good honey producer. Of course the old time black bee or German bee or its hybrid may be as serviceable for the cranberry grower. It is, however, usually less easily handled and has less resistance to an attack of European foul brood and the devastation of the bee moth. Among the other races of bees which are used to a less extent in Massachusetts, may be mentioned the Caucasian, Carneolan, Cyprian and Banat. THE TYPE OF HIVE Cranberry growers w ill not be dissatisfied with what is now considered the standard hive of the country and which is spoken of as the ten-frame, Langstroth hive. The author's personal preference is for a seven eighth inch bottom board, metal roof cover which telescopes and consists of two parts, outer and inner cover. The majority of beekeepers will prefer the spac- ing devise for the frame, known as the Hoffman spacer. For supers, these may contain either 4x5 or 4 1-4x4 1x4 sections. The beekeeper will also need in his equipment and he is es- pecially urged to obtain, a smoker, a good bee veil, hive tool. Porter bee escape (to facilitate in taking off the hone,). Alley drone trap and if the protection of the hands is desired, a pair of bee gloves. These are essential only in handling bees under ad- verse conditions or in gaining self-control and experience. They are very disagreeable to wear and will probably be discarded by the experienced beekeeper. It may also be desirable to draw the trousers around the ankle by means of a pair of pant guards. SECURE THE STOCK It is usually advisable to secure your stock as near your bog as possible. Transportation of bees by railroad is not always convenient and is sc^netimes disasterous unless the colony is properly packed. It requires some experience to close in a colony allowing sufficient ventilation and preventing the melting down of the combs or the smothering of the bees. Beekeepers are also especially warned against the possible purchase of stock which is disease infected. A beekeeper is less likely, however, 19 to secure diseased stock today than he was a year or more ago. Experience in inspecting during the current year shows a marked reduction of infection. Advice can usually be obtained from the Office of the Inspector at Amherst as to whare stock is available or whether a given apiary is healthy. While it is possible to begin beekeeping at any time of the year, the inexperienced may commence to better advantage late in April, in May or in June. Bees usually cost a trifle more at this season than they do in the fall, but this is over-balanced by the return in honey, increase in bees and the experience which the beekeeper gains during the season. If bees are bought in the fall there is of course the possible danger of loss during the winter. When the colonies have been secured, it is desirable to locate them with some consideration. It is a current opinion among beekeepers and almost dogmatic, that if placed upon a bog, the bees will perhaps fail to visit the blosjoms adjacent to the hive, but fly further away. As a matter of fact, the writer has observed bees of a given colony working within five feet of their hive. This is contrary to the old opinion that a colony of bees set in the midst of a clover field might starve. In slight support of this point, it may be said that a colony will probably be as efficient upon a cranberry bog if within an eighth or a quarter of a mile, as though they were within a few rods of the bog. SHELTER THE COLONIES The following points in locating the bees are worthy of con- sideration. A colony best thrives when sheltered from prevail, ing winds. This applies not only in winter but in summer and particularly in early spring. A board fence, the shelter of a building, a wind break, hedge, stone wall or the bowl of a large tree is often sufficient. It is also desirable to keep the colony away from dampness. Dampness in winter is especially unde- sirable. The hives should stand upon a support perhaps twelve or fifteen inches from the ground. It is usually preferable to have the entrance toward the east or south and away from pre- vailing winds. 20 QUEENS A gentleman inquires why a queen should produce a high percentage of drones. This is due to one or two reasons. The Queen is either poorly fertilized or she is incapacitated. Such a colony should be requeened. It is the practice of the larger bee- keepers and especially of commercial honey producers to requeen their stock at least once in two years. This they do either by buying their queens of some commercial queen rearer or by rais- ing their queens. The principle is to remove the old queen and introduce a newly mated one. This is done bv means of a small cage. In the end of the cage is a small candy plug. The bees, through the hole in the plug eat out the candy, requiring forty- eight hours and thus release the queen. In the meantime the newly introduced queen acquires the particular odor of the hive into which she is introduced and is thus accepted. Where bee- keepers buy their queens, directions for introduction accompany each shipment. Information concerning where to secure queens of the various races may be had by addressing the writer. THE BEEKEEPING PROBLEMS OF THE CRAN- t^ERRY GROWER There is little doubt but that the progressive cranberry producer will sieze the opportunity to insure or secure his crop by the introduction of bees. He will thus become a beekeeper, interested in the most marvelous of insects, enthused by their curiDUS behavior and activity, and confronted by the numerous problems of a beekeeper. Cranberry beekeeper, the same as the cucumber greenhouse beekeeper, as the term is, must necessarily study methods, read the beekeeping literature, comprismg thous- ands of titles, contained m the beekeeping periodicals and in treatises. He will attend the beekeepers conventions and ac. quire the interest and enthusiasm alone peculiar to the art. In a word his problems as a cranberry producer utilizing the de. cidedly beneficial services of the bee, will diflfer slightly from those of the practical b:;e raiser or honey producer- The Massachusetts apiary service at Amherst comprising instruction, expernnentation and inspection will gladly co-operate with you and assist you so far as possible. Perhaps you would 21 have your colonies examined, would like to take a beekeeping course of which at least three are given, attend institutes, and demonstrations, wish for literature or suggestions. At all times please feel free to write in care of the Massachusetts Agricul- tural College. STATE BOG REPORT By H. J. FRANKLIN Mr. President and Members of the Cape Cod Cranberry Grow- ers' Association: The station experiments, which have been conducted during the year that has passed since the last annual meeting of this association, may be discussed under the eight following herds, viz: Weather Observations, Skinner System, Orchard Heaters. Fungus Diseases. Varieties, Bee Experiments, Fertilizers and Insects. WEATHER OBSERVATIONS With all our weather instruments and equipment installed, we this spring began our first really thorough and serious year's work in investigating the Cape Cod frost conditions in their relation to cranberry growing. We were favored in this investigation by an unusually large number of frosty nights, especially in the month of June, and we feel that we have already accumulated a con- siderable amount of valuable experience and information. What we have learned leads me to believe, more firmly than ever be- fore, that we may, in time, beccme able to forecast frosts and dangerous temperatures with gratifying accuracy. The warn- ings sent out by the District Forecaster at Boston have not, as a rule, been reliable this year, but I think the service for distrib- uting the warnings has been improved and I believe that the warnings themselves will improve in time. In addition to these warnmgs, it is our intention to make forecasts here at the sta- tion for any who may wish to telephone in for them on doubtful nights. No grower should, however, for some time, at least, place full reliance in these forecasts. Their only purpose at present is to assist in case of doubt, but it is hoped that in time 99 they may become fully reliable. We have come to feel, however, that as there is so much at stake A'hen a bog promises to pro- duce a good crop of berries, it vv^ould be the part of wisdom for the growers to provide themselves with the necessary instruments and learn to make forecasts for themselves. There is such a va- riety of conditions in the different parts of the Cape and there is evidently so much variation in the minimum temperatures that it may be necessary for many of the growers to do their own fore- casting It will certainly take the station a long time to work out a reliable scale of minimum temperature differences between the State Bog and the various other bogs and locations. Our season's experience indicates that it is probably possible tb work out such a scale. If any grower wishes to learn to make fore- casts for himself, I shall be glad to assist him in any way that I can. The necessary instruments are.- 1. Maximum thermometer. 2. Minimum thermometer. 3. Barograph. 4 Psychrometer (wet and dry bulb thermometer). 5. Weather map (sent daily from Boston on request.) We appear to be favored in making forecasts here on the Cape, in one i.nportant respect. Considerable reliance can ap- parently be placed on the early evening dew point as an indicator of the minimum temperature to be expected. The dew point is the temperature at which dew will form. It is of no value in some parts of the country as an indicator of minimum temper- atures, while in other parts it appears to be very reliable indeed. The following appear to be the best indications that a frost mav be expected on any night during the usual periods of frost danger: 1. Low dew point (50 degrees F. or below at station shelter). 2. High (30.00 or above) and rising barometer. 3- A dying out wind from a northerly, northeasterly or north westerly direction. 4. A clear sky. 5. A low maximum day temperature. 6. A low and falling early evening temperature. 23 SKINNER SYSTEM Last fall we tried to raise the temperature at the bog surface by running heated water through the Skinner system during freezing weather on two different days when there was almost no wind. We found that the idea of raising temperatures in this way, at least as far as cranberry bogs are concerned, was imprac- ticable. The air temperature, during one of these tests, was 30 degrees F. We raised the temperature of the water to 65 de- grees F. and it froze about as fast as it struck the vines. Because of the failure of our circulating pump during the June frost period, we were obliged to use our Skinner System pump for cooling the engine, and, as this pump was not sufficient for both the engine and the Skinner System, we were obliged to postpone our Skinner System tests. We have, however, dis- covered certain disadvantages connected with its use for cran- berry bogs. In the first place, the pumps necessary for supplying water, under the necessary pressure for a system for several acres are more expensive than we at first supposed. While they are not so costlv as to make the use of this system entirely out of the question it is probable that the expense would be so great that the practical grower would prefer to provide for flooding by any of the other methods ordinarily used. However, this obstacle may be overcome, as certain new and more efficient pumps for puinping against high pressures have been devised and are being put upon the marker. We find another drawback to this svstem in the clogging of the nozzles by pieces of pipe scale. 1 his clogging has given us con- siderable trouble in the small system installed here at the bog and on any considerable area the trouble from this cause might be serious. We have, as yet, discovered no sure way to get around this difficulty. E. E. Hickey has recently brought out a new device which is intended to do the sa ne work as the Skinner System. It seems to have merit and may prove to be of much value. Mr. Hickey has installed this device in connection with our Skinner System installation and it may be observed in operation, by the cranberry growers in general, for the first time today. 24 ORCHARD HEATERS A few preliminary tests with orchard heaters were tried here during the June frost period. Four different kinds of heaters were used. The results of these tests were unexpectedly suc- cessful, as we feared that the heaters would not raise the tem- perature appreciably very far from them in a horizontal direction, as would be necessary for the protection of cranberry bogs. Be- fore making these tests, the heating of a cranberry bog looked like a very different proposition from the heating of an orchard, because in an orchard the plants to be protected are above the heaters and heated air rises rapidly on a frosty night. The tests indicated that the smoke from the heaters, when it gets beyond the range of the heat, is of little value in throwing ofif frost. The temperature of the air around the plants must apparently be raised in order to provide a sure protection. Our most striking test was one in which we raised the temperature, at a horizontal distance of ten feet from a single heater, from 30 degrees F. to 33 degrees F. We plan to carry out extensive tests with various types of heaters this fall and next year. FUNGUS DISEASES Dr. Shear has already discussed the fungus question, so I need not go into it. You will all note that the state bog is bearing a light crop this year, and many of you will probably want to know the rea- son. I mention this because I believe that some interesting problems may center around the answer to the question. There seem to me to be only two apparent reasonable explanations for the light crop on this bog this year. They are : 1. Because of a fairly heavy crop last year, the bog may be resting and storing up energy for another year. It is commonly believed among cranberry growers that bogs do rest more or less in this way. In this connection I wish to draw your attention to the plot of vines from which bees were shut out last season, and which as a result bore only about 2 i quarts of berries last fall. This season this plot is bearing a good crop, more than double the crop of any equal area on the surrounding bog. ^ An •25 examination of this plot would lead one, knowing what happened there last year, to believe, at first thought, that the surrounding bog is resting- 2. The light crop may, however, be due to a water injury which may have been caused in the following way : During the spring of 1911, 1 kept the water down very low in the ditches from the time the winter flowage was taken of? until the beginning of the blooming period. By so doing, I probably caused the sea- son's root system, up to blooming time, to develop deep down in the bog, as the roots of any plant will always grow toward the water. At the beginning of the bloom, I raised the water in the ditches as high as it could be raised without having it run onto the bog surface under the vines. I kept the ditches in this very full condition throughout the blooming period, and for two or three weeks after the blossom was past. During the month of July, 1911, I noticed that the very last leaves, in the very tips of a large percentage of the uprights, were dying or dead over most of the bog. I feared then that this injury, whatever might be it. cause, would result in a scanty budding for the follow ing year. Never having observed this injurv before, however, I thought that possibly the bog would recover from it before fall and finally succeed in budding well. This recovery, however, did not take place and the bud formation for this season was poor and was naturally followed by a light bloom and the light crop which the bog is bearing. I have been trying to discover the cause of last season's injurv to the tips of the uprights. I feel practically cer- tain that it was not insect injury. Dr. Shear has been unable to locate any fungus disease in connectiion with it. I at - first thought it might have been caused by keeping the ditches too empty at some time, but I found that the highest portions of the bog were, as a rule going to produce the most berries. It was pretty certainly not a normal or natural development for the tips. When plants rest from fruiting, thev simplv produce healthy vegetative buds instead of fruit buds. They do not normally ab- stain from fruiting by the death of any part. I finally came to thQ conclusion that I might have caused the injury by drown- 26 ing out a part of the root system by holding the water high in the ditches, as I did during the bloom and starting of the berries last summer. I am now rather strongly inclined to the opinion that that was what caused the injuries — that the holding of the water very high in the ditches, in the midst of the growing per- iod, after keeping the ditches empty during the first part of the season and by so doing causing a deep root development, drowned and killed a part of the root system. Then, with a part of the root system gone and the development of a fairly heavy crop of berries drawing on the strength of the vines, some part of the development above ground had to give in — i. e., vines above ground probably had to adapt themselves hurriedly to the root system left to supply them. As the tips of the uprights and run- ners were the most tender parts of the vine above ground, they naturally would give in and die first. It will be seen that the fact that last year's bee experiment plot is this year bearing more berries than the surrounding bog cannot be used as a good argu- ment against this explanation of this year's crop shortage on the bog as a whole. The injury to the tips would naturally be much less where there was no crop making a demand on the root sys- tem in addition to the demand of the rest of the vine. If this is the true explanation of the crop shortage and the bog is not rest- ing, it becomes at once evident that great care should be exer- cised in the holding of water in the ditches during the summer. While it is entirely possible that no general hard and fast rule can ever be laid down for the summer irrigation of cranberry bogs, I feel convinced from numerous observations that most growers are inclined to use too much rather than too little water during that season of the year. It is certainly true that the heaviest crops which I have seen this summer, are on bogs the ditches of which have been kept nearly empty throughout the entire season, with at most only a brief occasional raising of the water. I also feel convinced that the greater part of the injury, which is usually laid to dry weather, is, as a rule, due to other causes. I have been astonished to observe, on various occasions, how much dryness the cranberry vine will endure and still persist in producing its crop. As far as the State Bog is concerned, I propose to cling to the idea of giving the vines little rather than 27 much water during the summer, until I am convinced that that idea is erroneous. While I am discussing the matter of holding water in the ditches, I wish to draw your attention to an injury which I not- iced on several bogs last year. The injury was caused by the combination of holding the water high in the ditches during the spring and first part of the summer and the exceedingly hot spell of weather in July. The holding of the water high in the ditches caused the season's growth to be more succulent and turgid with water than it should have been, the cell walls and the epidermis of the leaves being, from the same cause, thinner than they would have been under more dry conditions. Upon this poorly protected, succulent growth the extremely hot weather of July had a scalding effect, which caused the blossoms to blast, small berries, some of them a quarter grown, to turn red as if baked and dry up. and the leaves, either entirely or part- ly, to take on a marked, abnormal, sickly looking, dark choco- late color. The proof that the hot, dry weather did not alone, in such cases, cause the injury, was usually to be found on the higher and drier parts of the bog, where the vines and their blos- soms or crop were in a normal and healthy condition. If the true explanation of our light crop here this vear is that the bog is resting after bearing a fair crop last year, this fact probably has certain very important bearings on our fertilizer and insect problems, which will be discussed in other parts of this report. VARIETIES Last season, we marked with cloth a large number of the up- Vights, which were bearing four and five berries each, on Early Black, Late Howe and Vose's Belles vines. We thought that those uprights might, perhaps, be regularly, as a rule, more pro- lific than the uprights which were then bearing fewer berries. We have this season examined carefully these marked uprights and we find that most of them are either dead or barren. Only two or three of them are bearing more berries than the average uprights and their berries are much below the average in size and appear as though they had been produced with considerable 28 difficulty. We have, however, 1 think, discovered some of the more certain marks of cranberry prolificness. The most notice- able and evident of these marks appears to be the tendency and ability of the uprights of certain varieties to put out new up- rights as branches, even when they are at the same time develop- ing from three to five berries each. We have marked a consider- able number of such branching uprights for examination next season. It will be noted in this connection that the uprights of varieties which are most grown (Early Blacks, Howes, etc.) sel- dom branch in this way, while developing berries. We think it may be possible, by selecting and planiing the more prolific of these branching uprights, to eventually develop a more productive variety than any at present known. BEE EXPERIMENT We have this season repeated the experiment of shutting out all bees from a small area of bog during the blooming period and for some time afterwards. This time the screen was put in place before a single blossom had opened and we thought we might be able to prove that the cranberry plant was entirely dependent up- on bees for the transference of its pollen. Strange to say, there is now nearly as good a crop inside of the screen as outside of it. This season's results, therefore, appear to contradict those of last season. On this account, it is evident that this experiment should be repeated for several seasons. It is possible that, as Dr. Gates has suggested, small, wild, solitary bees may have forced their way into the netting this year and succeeded in pol. lenizing blossoms without being observed. In future experi- ments along this line, we intend to use a wire screen, which no bees can force their way through, to make ourselves sure on this point. Solitary bees are very abundant some seasons and other years they are scarce and this may account for the different re- sults obtained in dififerent seasons in these experiments. It is al- so possible that with certain weather conditions the cranberry blossom is capable of self-pollenation, while with other condit- ions, it is not so capable of it. 29 FERTILIZERS We have continued the fertilizer experiments begun last year on the station bog, but have discontinued those at Waquoit. We kept berries from all the plots on this bog last fall until the sixth of December, and found that, as a rule, the berries from the fertilized plots kept better and showed a smaller percentage of rot, when screened than did those from the check plots. This was even true of the berries from the plots fertilized with nitrate of soda. These results were surprising to us, as it seems to have been the general experience that nitrates tend to impair the keeping quality, not only of cranberries but of fruits in gen- eral. It is evident that the fertilizers have, in this season's experi- ments, given a marked increase in the amount of fruit that the vines are bearing. Just how great this increase is we cannot definitely say until the crop is harvested. It is plain to be seen, however, that nitrate of soda has given much the greatest in- crease both in the size of the berries and in their number. This is the first seas3n in six years of experimenting that we have had very marked and definite results in favor of fertilizers. We have been trying to account for this. Up to last year, our experi- ments were conducted on the Red Brook bog at Waquoit. We probably should not have expected very marked results on this bog last season, as the fertilizers were applied rather late in the season, and the vines probablv did not get their full benefit in time to show it to any great extent, in last year's crop. It there- fore seems probable that our failure to get results at Waquoit and our success here have been due either to a difference in the character of the bottom of the two-bogs or to some difiference in their management. Soine chemical analyses have been made and others are in progress, which should show whether there are essential differences in the peats of the two bogs. There has been one very considerable difiference in their management. The Waquoit bog has, as a rule, been kept rather wet during the growing seasoii, while the state bog has better drainage and has been kept much drier. On the Waquoit bog, the nitrate of soda increased the already very heavy vine growth very much, but the 30 amount of fruit on the nitrate plots was often markedly less than on the unfertih'zed plots. On the state bog, the increase m vine growth on the nitrate plots, while apparent, has not been very great and the increase in fruit has been very considerable. It seems quite possible that the matter of drainage may have an im- portant bearing upon the results which may be expected from the use of fertilizers. The indications seem to be that, if a bog is kept wet during the growing season, nitrate of soda will go to the driving of vine growth without increasing and often diminish- ing the fruit production and that, on the other hand, if a bog is kept dry and the vines are made to light more or less for their water during the growing season, the amount of fruit will be in- creased by the same fertilizer (nitrate of soda) which, with wet conditions, would tend to diminish it in favor of vine production, and the amount of vines will, at the same time, not be unduly increased. We plan to again test the keeping qualitv of the berries froin the fertilized and check plots this fall. INSFXTS The cotal insect injury has been greaier than usual this year. It is a bad fruit-worm year and that pest has not yet finished its work. The damage done by it will probably, before it gets done, be greater than in any other season for four or five years past, though the 1911 injury was very considerable. The blackheaded cranberry worm or fireworm has done greater and more general injury this season than for many years. Growers of long experi- ence tell me that the fireworm prevalence this season reminds them of conditions as they were fifteen or twenty years ago. THE CRANBERRY SPAN-WORM The true cranberry span-worm has this season caused serious injury for the first time in many years, having destroyed all the leaves on the greater part of the Old Colony bog at Yarmouth. This appearance of this msect may be the fore-runner of more widespread damage next year. It is evidently spasmodic in its occurrence, like the army-worm, and its coming rnd going can- not, therefore, be predicted with certainty. It rarely, if ever, however, damages the same bog seriously two years in succession. 31 This insect is not difficult to control if its presence is detected when the worms are very small- The eggs are laid in clusters and the worms that hatch from each cluster feed out in a circle from their hatching place, growing in size and feeding capacity as they increase the size of the circle. If the infestation is se- vere, the different masses of worms will spread out and, uniting, form an army which, as it advances, eats every green thing in its path as would an army of army-worms. If the worms are found at work, while they are yet small and in separate masses, they may be destroyed and their work stopped by spraying in a circle around each mass with an arsenical poison — preferably with a combination of Bordeaux mixture, Paris Green and resin fish-oil soap. The presence of this insect in the small worm stage is most easily detected by sweeping the bog with an insect-collect- ing net everv few days during the part of the season in which they might be expected, i. e., the last half of June and the entire month of July. SCAI.E INSECT The scale insect, which I discussed in last year's report to this association as having done serious injury on a bog in Yarmouth, has now almost entirely disappeared from that bog. It seems, evident that winter flowage is so detrimental to this pest that it inay be entirely controlled without any other treatment, espec- ially if that flowage be applied regularly every year and be kept on the bog until the month of May. It got its foothold, on the bog in question, in a season which followed a winter during which the bog was not flowed. This insect is not a very distant relative of the famous or, rather infamous, San Jose scale, which is such a widespread and dangerous pest to fruit trees and nur- series. Its scientific name is Aspidiotus oxycoccus, and I find it was first discovered in small numbers on a cranberry bog in New Jersey several years ago, by Prof. J. B. Smith of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment station. It had never been known to do serious injury, however, before we discovered it at Yarmouth last year. SPITTIT INSECTS I have had a long and interesting correspondence this season 32 with some cranberry growers on Long Island. Their bogs seem to have been severeh' injured by spittle insects. I have seen many bogs infested with these insects here on the Cape, but have never yet seen them do marked damage here. I have seen a few infested bogs which did not seem to be doing well and were in what we would call "poor condition" The spittle insect injury, in such cases, mav have contributed to produce this poor con- dition, but it is doubtful if it could have produced it alone, if the vines had been otherwise healthy and thrifty. By marking in- fested uprights, I have proved many times that thrifty uprights will develop berries normally in spite of such infestation, and it is mv belief that, as a rule, where this insect appears to be caus- ing damage, the bog is, for other reasons, not in the best of con- dition anyway. It is, of course, possible, however, that there may occasionally occur a much more serious infestation by this insect than any that I have yet seen. Possibly the Long Island growers, to whom I referred, had such an infestation this season. The experience of the Long Island growers indicated that com- plete reflowing for a day or two, when these insects are at work, will drive them oat satisfactorily, and also that contact poisons may be used against them with considerable success where water is not available. THE GYPSY MOTH Caterpillars of this insect have been sent in to me this season by cranberry growers more than ever before. It seems to be get- ting a foothold on some of the bogs in North Carver. I shall make observations this fall and next spring to determine if it can be controlled by ordinary winter flowage. , EXPERIMENTAL INSECT WORK Our experimental work with insects has, for the past year, been confined mostiv tw-the fruit worm and the blackhead cran- berry worm or fireworm, though we have also made numerous observations on the girdler. THE FRUIT WORM It has seemed probable that certain peculiar weather condit- ions have a tendency to cause this insect to be unusually plenti- 33 ful and injurious in some sf^asons, while different conditions cause it to be less troublesome in other years. We have been getting together data, furnished by the Weather Bureau, and have been making comparisons with our records concerning the injury caused by this insect for a number of years past. We at first thought that an open December, with little snow, was very detrimental to the insect for the following season, while a very snowy December was favorable to it. We find, however, that the records do not substantiate this belief satisfactorily. In fact, the present season's experience is distinctly against such a theory, for this is evidently a bad fruit worm year and there was prac- tically no snow last December on the Cape. As far as I am now able to judge, the data at hand indicate that a very dry summer, especially during the months of July, August and Sep- tember, is favoral^le to the insect and u'ill, as a rule, cause it to be numerous and injurious the following year. Un the other hand, a wet summer may probably be taken as an indication of comparatively light injury the following year- Late holding of the winter Howage is the surest method of controlling this insect at present known. I have heretofore recommended holding this flowage until the 20th of May, every third or fourth year, because late holding every year seemed to reduce the crop of fruit seriously and to give the bogs a tendency toward vine production instead of fruit pro- duction. It seemed to me that late holding once in three or four years was not sufficient to make this tendency considerable, while it would not onlv reduce greatly the fruitworm injury for the season in which the late holding was done, but also tend to reduce the injury for two or three years following. Possibly this is the most practicable method of fruit worm treatment. If. however, the theory that a cranberry bog naturally has years of resting from fruit production and will, on account of a rest one season, produce a heavier crop the next year, is correct, it at once becomes evident that it may be desirable to hold the winter flowage late oftener than once in three years. In fact, it is now my belief that the best results, everything considered, may be .obtained bv holding the winter flowage until the 20th of May 34 every other year. This treatment is sure to reduce the fruit- worm injury very greatly for both years, and it seems to me that, as a rule, a bog may be expected to make up to a considerable extent, in the years when the water is taken off early, for what- ever reduction there may be in fruit production in the years of late holding. Moreover, I am inclined to the opinion that much of the fruit reduction caused by ordinary late holding of the winter fiowage is due to increased fungus injury which might be largely averted by proper spraying. There is undoubtedly a di- rect water injury from late holding, but a very large part of the injury which late holding causes is probably indirect and is direct- ly the result of increased fungus disease or of decreased available fertility of the bottom, which are in turn caused by the late holding of the winter flowage. I believe, therefore, that a sat- isfactory treatment for the fruit-worm can be worked out as sug- gested, by holding the winter flowage late every other year and by spraying properly for fungus diseases and, possibly, also, on old bogs, by helping the vines with proper fertilizers. Our season's observations indicate that early putting on of the winter flowage is of but slight benefit as a treatment for the fruitworm. One bog of about ten acres that lost a large percent- age of its crop by this insect, in the season of 1911, was flowed for the winter on the fifth of October and the flowage was not let off until the 8th of May, and even after that long flooding the fruitworm took about 50 per cent of what would otherwise have been a good crop. I am sorry to say that I cannot recommend spraying as a treat- ment for this insect. While I have, sometimes, on small plots, succeeded in reducing its injury as much as 60 per cent, my suc- cess at other times has been very slight., It is diflScult to time the spraying properly for best results and, moreover, the spray- ing is quite expensive when done as thoroughly as I have done it in my experiments. 1 he need for such a treatment, however, is not very great, for. as I have already said, this insect can be treated with water, where winter flowage is available, and the total acreage of bearing bog, which cannot be winter flowed at a reasonable expense, is only a small percentage of the total bog 35 acreage. Moreover, most of the bogs, which cannot bereflowed at reasonable pumping expense, for various reasons are not and never were good business propositions and should never have been put in in the first place. However, as there are a few such bogs, scattered here and there, which will pay a moderate return, if the fruit worm is kept within bounds, it seems desirable, if possible, to find some treatment, other than that by water, for this insect. It may be possible to apply arsenical poisons in the form of a dust, after having first wet the vines and berries with a soap solution spray so that the dust will adhere to the smooth surfaces of the green berries, m sufficient quantity to treat this insect effectively. We have tried a few little preliminary experiments along this line this season, and thev have given sufficiently prom- ising results for us to conclude to try out this method of treat- ment more extensively next year. I cannot say, however, that at the present time I have reallv any very great confidence that this way of applying the poisons will be found more effective or satisfactory than the old method of spraying. I have this season tried out a method of treatment which we have already found successful against the cranberry girdler — that of heavy sanding while the insect is dormant in the winter co- coon, under the vines in and on the sand on the surface of the hog. I thought that such sanding might, as it does with the girdler, smother the first worm so that the millers would not emerge, during the summer following the sanding, to lay eggs for another crop of worms. In this experiment I sanded a patch of nine square rods with a full inch of sand, taking pains to rake the uprights up through the sand when the^^ were covered by it, on the 22nd of May. This sanded area was then surrounded with a mosquito netting fence, eight feet high, to keep moths from coming onto it from the surrounding bog, but it was not closed in at the top. for I wanted bees to have free access to the blossoms inside and the moths would not get in at the top anyway because they never, apparently, fly up more than five or six feet from the ground. Unfortunately, the new growth had started considerably when this heavy sanding was done, and, on this account, the injury 36 done to the buds was very severe, more than three-fourths of them being destroyed. It is evident that this sanding was only partially successful, as numerous fruit worm millers have been seen inside of the mosquito netting fence, during the season, and probably forty per cent of the berries on the plot have been destroyed by the worms. That a large percentage of the millers were smothered by the sanding is shown by the fact that there are now noticeably more berries on the sanded area than there are on any equal area on the surrounding bog and this in spite of the great injury done to the buds bv the sanding. The ainount of infestation, on the bog wh^re this sanding w-a=i done, is shown, in a general way, by the fact that, on a considerable part of the bog, the worms have destroyed all the berries, where there was a blossom and a fruit setting which should have produced not less than sixty barrels to the acre. As it seems probable that this sanding will have a considerable effect on next year's infes- tation, as well as upon that of this season, I intend to continue the experiment into next season. \ As strictl,i/ dri/ bogs usuai/t/ get either severely nnnter killed or badly spring frosted about evei-y two or three years, I am coming to believe that the most practicable treatment for the fruit worm, on such bogs, mould be to destroy the remnant of' the crop, in the years when the severe injury from either frost or ivinter kill occurs, by spraying the open blos- soms with a 20 per cent solution of iron sulphate. This destruction of all the blossoms will cut off the season's local food supply of the fruit- worm and the bog's infestation will naturally, for the most part, die off by starvation as a result. In most cases, this destruction of the remaining blossoms, after severe reduction by adverse weather conditions, will nor result in a loss to the grovver for the season for, if the blossoms are left and the crop remnant is allowed to develop normally, the fruit worms, which, without the interfer- ence of weather conditions, would have had more than an ample food supply, will concentrate on the remnant and, as a result, there will be little or nothing leffat picking time anyway. During the season, following one in which a bog's fruit worm infestation is starved out in this way, practically the only infes- tation present will be that which comes in from the upland dur- 37 ing that season and that probably will not be very serious in most cases. Another probable benefit, from this method of treatment, is that which will come from not tearing up the vines in picking the small amount of fruit that might be present after the worms got through. If is veri/ probable that, many times, more is lost , through injitri/ done to the vines in harvesting a light crop, than is gained bi/ saving and marketing the berries. On this account, I think this method of treatment could sometimes be applied advatitageousli/ to f owed bogs, as well as to drp ones, if the grower is not pressed for im- mediate returns. In fact, I doubt if, in the long run, such a treatment would have been a disadvantage, _i»rom the financial standpoint , at the State bog this year. I stated, at your last annual meeting, that we had begun work on the parasites of the fruit-worm. I am sorry to say that these experiments have, so far, been a failure, for the most part, ap- parently because I have not succeeded in devising a suitable cage for rearing the parasites. 1 am now starting a new series of these experiments with another kind of cage and I am hoping that these will prove to be more satisfactory than were those used last year. HLACKHEAD CRANBERRY WORM (Endemis vacciniana Pack) Probably a more appropriate and less confusing common name for this insect would be "///f we! bog fire worm.'' It is commonly known by cranberry growers as the "fire worm." Very few, however, think of it as the '"blackhead cranberry worm," by which name it was called, by Prof. J. B. Smith of New Jersey, to distinguish it conveniently and certainly from the yellowhead cranberry worm," which is also commonly known by the grow- ers of the Cape as the "fire worm." In spite of this apparently well reasoned attempt by Prof. Smith to dififerentiate in the growers' mind the distinguishing characteristics of these two in- sects, only a small percentage of the growers had up to four or five years ago, learned to separate them by the character differ- ence made prominent by him in their names. This may have been due to the fact that very few of the growers ever received Prof. Smith's bulletin, or the difficulty of readilv applying insect 38 descriptions may account for it. We have learned, however, within the last few years, that in Massachusetts, at least, the so- called "blackhead cranberry worm" seldom, if ever, does serious damage on bogs which are not winter flowed, while the ' Vellow- head cranberry worm" practically never does serious harm on bog areas which are completely winter flowed. If, . therefore, one insect were called the "wet bog fire worm" and the other called the ' dry bog fire worm," the general tendency to call them both the ''fire worm" would be satisfied and the terms, wet bog" and dry bog" used with the common name, ' fire- worm" would easily and instantly separate the two insects in the mind of anyone. It seems desirable to retain the word "fire- worm" as a part of the common names of both insects because the work of either, when very serious, is so suggestive, in ap- pearance, of the damage caused by fire. Not only is this insect confined in its damage to winter flowed bogs, but we find its prevalence on those bogs depends on other peculiar characteristics of the bogs themselves. We find we can grade the bogs roughly according to the extent to which they are, in the long run, troubled by this insect, about as follows, beginning with those most troubled and following, in order, with those less infested: 1. Bogs of great area and blocky shape with scanty tvater supply for reflowage or with June reflowing not regularly prac- tised. Bogs of this description are never without serious infes- tation by this insect for any great length of time. 2. Bogs of smaller area which are winter flowed and are re- flowed not at ail or very little. 3. Bogs of great area and blocky shape which have abundant water supply for reflowage and are frequently reflowed. 4. Bogs of small area with abundant water supply for reflow- age. These bogs are practically never troubled with this insect, probably not more so than are dry bogs. Furthermore, when a bog of considerable area first becomes infested, the first "burning" noticed is always at some distance from the upland and usually near the center of the bog. In a system of adjoining bogs of different sizes, the first to become 39 infested is almost invariably the largest and widest one when the flowage management is the same for all. In attempting to give reasons for these peculiar facts, con- cerning the distribution of infestation by this insect, we must begin with the fact first discovered — that it damages wmter flowed bogs and onlv rarely attacks strictly dry ones. In this con- nection, it should first be stated that this insect, as usuallv found, is only very moderately parasitized, while the yellowhead, or "dry bog fireworm, " is always attacked by parasitic foes in great numbers. I was at first puzzled to account for this, but the reason is not far to seek and becomes apparent after a care- ful study and comparison of the life histories of these two spec- ies, which are so alike in their habits and which anyone would think ought to be curtailed by natural enemies about equally. The yellowhead passes the winter in the moth stage and, in that stage, it cannot endure submergence in water. Winter flowage will, therefore, either kill it or drive it oti from any bog. The blackhead, on the other hand, passes the winter in the egg stage and, in that stage, the water of winter flowage protects it from the severitv of winter weather (there is a considerable mor- tality among the eggs of this insect when a seriously infested bog is left without flowage throughout a winter) and, at the same time, relieves it, to a very large extent, from its parasitic and pre- dacious enemies (flies, spiders, etc.,) by killing apart of them and driving most of the remainder ashore. The yellowhead, compelled to confine itself to bogs which are not winter flowed, because of the stage in which it passes the winter, has no such good fortune in escapmg its enemies, and this accounts for the apparent difference in the amount of parasitism to which the two species are subject. The difference is an artificial and not a natural one. It is caused by man's interference by his flooding operations, with nature's processes. Indeed, it seems probable that under perfectly natural conditions of the two species, the blackhead is the more severely curtailed by parasitic and predac- ious enemies. This is indicated by the fact that this insect sel- dom seriously infests a dry bog, while the yellowhead succeeds, under dry bog conditions, in becoming very injuriously abundant 40 very frequently indeed. Moreover, practical experience has shown, in a few cases, that when the blackhead succeeds in in- festing a dry bog, it, as well as the yellowhead, can be driven out completely with one good spraying with an arsenical poison — apparently because of the presence of an army of parasitic and predacious forms, which concentrate on the remnant left by the poison and clean it out so thoroughly that it does not become abundant again for many years. Having shown in a general way how winter flooding, by de- stroying the natural enemies of the blackhead, enables it to get a foothold on a bog and become a pest, I will now attempt to show why. in all probability, the size and shape of a bog have a bearing on its liability to infestation by this insect. As I have already indicated the winter flowage either destroys or drives ashore the natural enemies of this insect and at the same time protects the insect itself in the egg stage and puts it in a position to t)roceed freely and without molestation in its hatching and development after the water is taken oH in the spring. Under these conditions the only parasites or predacious enemies which can succeed in reaching the blackhead must come onto the bog from the upland after the water is taken off. Naturally most of the insects of this sort will probably not come from a very great distance to the bog and on this account a limited and probably not verv wide fringe around the bog must supply them. All these things being true, these natural enemies of the fireworm will not become well distributed over a large bog of blocky shape so quickly as they will over either a small bog or a long, narrow one for the two following reasons in particular. I. The distance from the upland to the center of the bog is of course greater on the large, blocky bog. Therefore, the parasitic and predacious forms have farther to travel before they reach the fireworms at the center of the bog and during the ex- tra time it takes them to go this distance the fireworms gain just so much. It seems probable that it is because of this that infes- tation by this insect, on large bogs, usually first appears at some distance from the upland and often near the center of the bosi. 41 As a bog of blocky shape increases in size, the increase in its area is out of proportion to the increase in the area of a Hmited fringe around it. For this reason, what parasitic and predacious fornis (Tachina flies, spiders, etc.) come onto the bog from the upland during the season, will naturally, in proportion to their number, be scattered over a greater area on a large bog than they will on a small one. Thus it will be seen that theoretically, at least, the fireworm will, under such conditions, be relieved from its natural insect enemies in direct proportion to the in- crease in the area of the bog and, from my observations of several seasons, I feel sure that this is actually the case. I have this season made collections on several winter-flowed bogs of great difference in area, at different lengths of time after flooding and at different distances from the uplands, and on a dry bog for com- parison, hoping, by this means, to get additional light in regard to this matter. In this investigation, each collection consisted of the material gathered by one hundred sweeps of my collector's net through the vines. Three separate collections were made on each day that the collecting was done and at each location which I selected for comparison, in order to be sure that the col- lections were truly representative of the insect life present at the time and place that rhe collecting was done. Comparisons be- tween the different locations, on the different dates, was made by first separating out the parasitic and predacious forms fronj the rest of the material in these collections, classifying them, counting the individuals in each class of each collection separate- ly, and finally comparing the counts. Perhaps the most remark- able thing that I learned from this was that, of all forms capable of damaging the fire worm, spiders, of numerous species taken collectively, were, in all cases, considerably the most numerous. Moreover, only the spiders arave really striking differences in the counts of the different collections made. In comparing these counts, I found that the dry bog had very many more spiders, and also a somewhat larger number of parasitic insects than did any of the winter-flowed bogs, even as late in the season as the 20th of August, when the last examination was made. A bog of 160 acres, blockv in shape, gave a distinctly smaller count of 42 spiders, on all parts examined, twenty-seven days after the flow- age was taken off, than did a bog of 12 acres of similar shape, on its. very central portion, sixty-eight days after the removal df the flowage. The distance from the upland, at the nearest point, to the center of the 12 acre bog, roughly measured by pacing, is about 250 feet. The 160 acre bog, in the material collected from the different portions twentv-seven days after the water was taken off, gave distinctly larger counts and showed a greater variety of spiders near the upland than ai the center and, at the same time, some kinds of parasitic insects were collected near the upland which seemed to be entirely absent at the middle of the bog. The distance from the upland at the nearest point to the center of this bog is about seven hundred and fifty feet as measured by pacing. In a general way, therefore, the results of my collecting and counting support my conclusions, arrived at from my general observations, concerning the cause of the peculiar distribution of blackhead infestation already discussed. But, wiiile it is evi- dent that winter flowage seriously reduces the work of the natural enemies of the blackhead, especially on the large bogs, it must be remembered that, in spite of this handicap, they never- theless succeed in doing a great deal toward controlling this in- sect on all bogs and that, in the first beginnings of the most seri- ous infestation, only a few stragglers here and there succeed in escaping them. The escape of these stragglers is, however, a serious matter, for they increase the amount of infestation which these natural enemies must take care of the following season, if they succeed in keeping the pest under control. As the winter flowage comes in and sweeps away these natural enemies again, they cannot increase on the bog to meet the increase in the number of blackheads. The number of the blackheads, there- fore, tends to increase, while the number of their natural enemies tends to remain constant from season to season, on account of the water interference (I am now considering the bog as being winter flowed, but not reflowed at a time to reduce the black- heads)- When once the infestation has developed beyond the- ability of the natural enemies of the insect to control it, its in- 43 crease is very rapid unless artificial aids to these enemies are pro- vided by man. Theoretically, the escape of two straggler fire- worms one year mav mean the escape of perhaps fifty the next year and of perhaps 1200 the third year and of 30.000 the fourth year, and so on. To be sure, a single season's natural increase of the natural enemies, in the midst of the very plentiful food supply present after an infestation has developed to a serious ex- tent, will probably do a little toward restoring the balance be- tween the fireworm and its enemies, but, as a rule, this factor will not be sufficient to make any appreciable difference because of the shortness of the season in which this increase must be pro- duced and do its work. It will be remembered, in this connec- tion, that the fireworm does not usually begin to hatch, in the spring, until the middle of May, and that the moths of the second brood appear in late July and early August to lay their eggs for the following year- Even this short period is consider- ably reduced, as far as the work of the natural enemies is con- cerned, by the moth and egg stages which come between the first and second broods. As you will see, the point which I have been working tow- ard, in this discussion of the relations between the "wet bog fire worm" and its natural enemies is this: Probably the ideal time to spraii Jbr this insect nith arsenical poisons, especially on the large, blocky bogs and on bogs which cannot be reflowed in June after having been winter flowed, is not after an infestation has fully de- veloped and so threatens vines and crop that the 7ieed Jbr immediate action is imperative, but is before the infestation starts. In other words, in treating this pest, try putting a padlock on the Stable door before the horse is stolen. Cut of? the stragglers and keep infestation from starting by spraying at the proper time every year, whether the insect appears to be present or not. When you spray for the stragglers, your spraying will not need to be as effective as it would have to be under conditions of bad infesta- tion, because the natural enemies of the blackhead are capable of taking care of most, if not all, of the worms which escape your poison. In spraying for a heavy infestation, if your work is not extraordinarily thorough and effective, you will, at the best, 44 leave a far greater number of worms unharmed than their natural enemies can begin to cope with. // ii quite possible that this method of trejifmenf irould iiof succeed in pernuinently ivarding off severe infesfafiofi in all cases, but I feel certain that it would, if properly carried out, at least postpone such infestation for several 5 ears. I expect that some of 3'ou will object to this method of treatment on the ground of expense. This may appear to be a serious objection, but it may be questioned if it is really a valid one when we remember that the prevention of the loss of a single average crop will make up for the expense of four good spravings each year for a period of ten years. Then, too, I am coming to believe that there are other entirely sufficient reasons why most bogs should be spraved several times each year. Our fungus experiments seem to be indicating a considerable increase in fruit due to spraying this year, in addition to a distinct im- provement in the keeping quality of the berries last fall. If we continue to get the improvement, by fungus spraying, which at present seems to have been achieved, it will certainly pay to spray regularly to control fungus diseases and the spraying for the fireworm may be accomplished at the same time, by mixing Paris green with the fungus spray, at an additional annual expense of perhaps three and one-half dollars an acre. I hope to be able to give more exact and conclusive data in regard to this, particular- ly concerning the results of fungus spraying, at your next an- nual meeting. There is a bog near Fremont which I have been watching closely, with much interest, for the last six years. It is a winter flowed bog of about twenty acres and it is blocky in shape, with no water supply for reflowage. Its conditions for blackhead in- festation appear to be ideal. This bog has been in bearing for about twenty years, and it has not been infested, to any extent, with the fire worm during the last ten years. Fhe same man has been foreman on this bog for the last thirteen years and, as it happens, this foreman believes thoroughly in spraying and has given this bog a thorough spraying with arsenate of lead a- east once, and sometimes two or three times, in the month of May every year. As I have watched this bog and studied its conditions. I have been . compelled to the conclusion that the 45 only reason for its continued freedom from infestation is that this regular spraying has aided the natural enemies of the insect in keeping down the stragglers to such an extent that it has never been able to get a foothold and start an infestation- I realize, however, that while you may be more or less in- terested in this discussion of the prevention of fire worm infesta- tion, some of you are more desirous of being told how to clean out a serious and fully developed infestation. To begin with, I must point out the apparently most serious obstacle met with in ridding a bog of such an infestation. The hatching period, especially of the eggs that produce the first brood, is always extended over a considerable length of time. The variation, under different conditions, in the length of this hatching period is very great. On account of this variation, it is sometimes possible to control a heavy infestation with either a single good spraying or a single reflowing, properly timed, while under other conditions neither water nor poison nor water and poison combined seem to be sufficiently effective to meet the needs of the occasion. In extreme cases, which are by no means uncommon, the hatching period is so much prolonged that there seems to be no time during the year when eggs of either the first or the second - brood are not present in considerable numbers. Several factors may contribute in causing this prolongation of the hatching time, but the chief one seems to be heavy vine gVowth. A thick vine growth is apparently, in many cases, to a consider- able extent, both a cause and a natural result of infestation by this insect. Thick vines seem to so shade the eggs which are laid on the lower leaves that they develop much more slowly than do those which, placed on the tops of the vines, are more exposed to the light and heat of the sun and, apparently as a re- sult, there seems sometimes to be a difference of as much as five weeks in the hatching time of the eggs of the same brood. I have, this season, seen a similar variation in the hatching time of the "apple tree tent caterpillar," evidently caused in the same way. I found half-grown caterpillars of that insect on cherry trees growing under the heavy shade of pines, ^ome time after the worms of the same species had everywhere finished pupating on trees growing in the open. 4G When a serious infestation develops, the repeated prevention of crop production by the insects' injury, if it is not brought un- der control, apparently gives the vines a tendency toward wood growth, which in turn favors the insect. If a bog is winter flowed and not reflowed at all in the spring and not sprayed with arsenical poisons, it is as likely to become infested with this insect with thin vines as with thick ones. If, however, one or even two sprayings or reflowings are applied at the time which we have heretofore considered the best for treat- ing this insect, a thick vine growth appears to be unfavorable to a successful treatment, apparently principally for the reasons giv- en above. In my last year's report to your association, I made the follow- ing remarks: "For those bogs which are infested with this insect and are heavily vined and can be reflowed only once, or at best twice, with a slow (i. e., taking several days to put on and take of? the water) reflowage, I believe that thinning out the vines by pruning and heavy sanding will be found to be an essential treat- ment to accompany anything like satisfactorily successful treat- ment, either by flooding or spraying. I know that someone will say that there are bogs which are so determined to produce vines that it is impossible to thin them out and keep them thin very long. I can only reply that I believe that such bogs can, in most cases at least, be satisfactorily thinned and kept thin, if the water conditions are properly adjusted. This necessary adjust- ment might be along either or both of the two following distinct lines: 1. Early withdrawal of winter flowage with no long con- tinued reflowage. 2. Sufficient drainage." I still think mcst of this is probably true. There are, however, apparently other, and perhaps more satisfactory, ways of treating this insect under such conditions. The most successful treat- ment with water which, all conditions considered, I have ever seen was applied on one of the large bogs this season. In this treatment, the winter flowage was held late, until the 2nd of June, and then the bog was left without flowage or any special treatment until the 25th of June, when it was completely re. flowed for two days. Before this r^flow, the bog was heavily in- 47 fested, but after it only a very few fire worms were seen through- out the season. This bog is compact in shape and covers about 150 acres and a considerable portion of it is heavily vined and the infestation was spread pretty well over it. It seems to me that the most reasonable explanation of the success of this treatment is the following : The water of the winter flowage tended to maintain a<:ondi- tion of even temperature among the vines on the bog. Because of its presence there was not the difiference in temperature, be- tween the tops and bottoms of the vines, especially where they were thick, that there would have been had they been exposed to the air as well as to the sun. Under these conditions, all the fireworm egg^ present were influenced in their development much more nearly equally by the rising temperature of the spring days than would have been the case without the water. The eggs were thus brought nearly to the hatqjiing condition of develop- ment pretty well together, and then the water was taken off, so that in this condition thev were at once exposed to the hot weather of June, which naturally hastened rapidly the remaining development of all of them. By this means, the hatching was bunched up and the period of hatching so shortened that, when the bog was reflowed 23 days after the winter fiowage was let off, practically all the eggs, on thick vines as well as on thin ones, had hatched and the insect was in the worm sta!J;e only and con- sequently in a condition in which it could readily be drowned by rcHowing. It is quite possible that this method of treatment would not always prove as, successful as it did in this case, but it seems to me that it had in this case a good trial, the results of which may well be looked upon as significant. I believe that it should be tried further where seriously infested bogs can be reHowed in June. Moreover, if rhe reasons given above foi' the success of this treatment are correct, it seems probable that spraying for a heavy infestation of this mse'ct would be most successful, if it were done after first bunching the hatching of the eggs of the insect by holding the winter flowage late. If this be done, the spraying should all be done within a week after the flowage is 48 taken off. / think it advisable to fri/ .inch late holding and spraying on infi's/cd hogx irhicJi cannot he re flowed in June. As the hatching period probably cannot be shortened to much less than three weeks by such late holding of the water, under some conditions it may be necessary to spray twice. There is little doubt but that any bog can be freed from this pest, by treating it as a strictly dry bog for a few years (i. e., not flooding it at any time under any conditions) and so allow- ing the natural enemies of the insect to accumulate against it, and at the same time, spraying at proper times with arsenical poisons. As the danger from injury by winter-kill is considerable under such conditions, however, the grower must consider whether it is best to take the risk. In my opinion, it is possible, on small bogs, to clean out a bad infestation by spfaying, without omitting winter flooding. Many of you are probably curious to know just what are the natural enemies of the fire-worm, of which I have spoken so manv times. There is possibly quite a variety of such enemies, but spiders (of several different species) and Tachma flies are evidently the most numerous and useful. Spiders are known to attack and destroy the worms, and some of the jumping species have been seen to leap into the air after the millers. The Tach- ina flies resemble houseflies considerably, in general appearance, though they are somewhat smaller than those common insects. Thei' lay the white eggs often seen on fireworms. These eggs are smooth and may be glued to almost any part of the worm's body, but are most often found on or near its head. A maggoj hatches from each of these eggs and, boring its way into the body of the worm^ lives in its viscera, absorbing nourishment thert;from. Probably the worms are killed in considerable num- bers by these maggots. THE CRANBERRY GIRDLER (Crambus Hartuellus fiubner) My season's observations on this insect sustain, in ever\ partic- ular, the conclusions concerrling it reached in the past two vears. In regard to control, these conclusions are as follows: 49 1. A serious infestation by this insect, at least on a' bog of small or medium size, is almost a certain sign of neglect. On bogs which are kept well sanded, this insect apparently never succeeds in getting a foothold. Resanding every other year is apparently sufficient, on most bogs, to prevent trouble from this source. Badly infested bogs are invariably bogs on which an ac- cumulation of old cranberry leaves has been allowed to collect over the sand under the vines, and usually the worst infestations are on heavily vined bogs. 2. An infestation may be wiped out either by reflowing for ten days to two weeks immediately after picking, where water for such flowage is available, or by resanding the infested area evenly with an inch of sand sometime between the first of Dec- ember and the first of the following June, and thus smothering the insect so that the moths will not emerge, where water for reflowage is not available. Where such heavy resanding is done it is usually necessary to carefully rake the tops of the vines up th,fough the sand so that the buds will not be destroyed. 3. Reflowing a bog every year, foi* a week or ten days right after picking, is a sure prevention of infestation by this insect. There are indications that the girdler is. many times, favored by man's flooding operations in the same way that the "wet bog fireworm" is favored — i. e.. by the destruction or driving ashore of its natural enemies. These indications are as follows: 1. Winter flowed bogs, which cannot be reflowed, appear to be more often seriously infested than do strictly dry bogs. 2. The infestation on such winter flowed bogs seems usually to appear first near the center of the bog. 3. It seems to be the experience of the managers of some of the verv large bogs that it is relatively more difficult, other things being equal, to keep a large bog free from this pest than it is a small one. That the girdler should be in the same box with the fire- worm in this respect, should, perhaps, be expected, as winter flowage. even if held as late as the middle of May, does not ap- pear to harm it seriously any more than it harms the eggs of the fireworm. 50 I am inclined to the opinion, moreover, that serious infesta- tion by this insect is common on neglected bogs and very rare on those which are kept sanded because of the protection from natural enemies which the accumulated debris on the neglected bogs afifords the worms of this insect. OTHER EXPERIMENTS STARTED In addition to the work already discussed, we have, during the past year, laid off seven new plots and begun sanding and picking experiments on them. These experiments may have to be carried on. and records kept in connection with them, for several years before we shall be able to report very definite con- clusions. In the sanding experiments I am comparing the re- sults of no resanding with those of resanding every year, every other year and once in three years. In the picking experiments, I am comparing hand picking with scoop picking, and early picking with late picking, in their effects on the vines and on crop production. RECORD BLANKS It may interest some of you to know that I have prepared special blank forms for keeping labor records and general records for the State Bog. I speak of this matter because I think it pos- sible that you may wish to keep somewhat similar records for your bogs. I shall be glad to show my record blanks to anyone wishing to see them. 51 The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association EXTRACT FROM BY-LAWS Membership and Dues Any person interested in promoting cranberry culture, or any business pertaining thereto, is eligible as a member of the corporation. The dues shall be one dollar for a ear, or any fraction there- of, payable to the quarter on or before the annual meeting. All candidates for membership shall sign an application (which must be accompanied by dues of one dollar for the bal- ance of the year to the next annual meeting) to the Board of Directors, and, if approved by the directors at any meeting held for that purpose, or by written approval of at least seven of the directors, he shall be enrolled as a member. The Cape Cod Cranberry Grower's Association^ will be found to be of mutual benefit to all those who are in any way connected with the industry and all such are urged to become members. A strong association is necessary for the best inter- ests of the business, and you should all, who are not now mem- bers, join at once and help the cause along. A REPORT of the TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL FIELD DAY of the CAPE COD CRANBERRY GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. EAST WAREHAM, MASS., THURSDAY, AUG. 21, \9\ 3, together with a REPORT of the STATE EXPERIMENTAL BOG THE COURIER PRESS WAREHAM, MASS. 1913 ANNUAL FIELD DAY The annual field day of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association was held at the State Experimental Bog at East Wareham on Thursday, August 21, there being one of the larg- est attendance in the history of the organization. Most of the members came in automobiles and as each member was presented with a banner bearing the letters, "C. C. C. G. A.", the autos bore a gay appearance upon their return, all flying the flag of the association. The meeting was called to order by the president, John C. Makepeace. The first business was the nominating of officers for the en- suing year and the following nominating committee was ap- pointed: Joshua Crowell, F. F. Marsh, T. P. Bradley. They retired and after deliberation rendered the following list: President — John C. Makepeace. First Vice President— Myron h- Fuller. Second Vice President — Seth C. C. Finney. Secretary — Lemuel C. Hall. Treasurer- — Z. H. Jenkins. Directors— John C. Makepeace, Colburn C. Wood, Geo. R. Briggs, Joshua Crowell, Franklin E. Smith, Z. H. Jenkins, Lemuel C. Hall, Arthur N. Kinney, Franklin F. Marsh, S. N. Mayo, M. L. Fuller, Seth C. C. Finney. This list was endorsed by the association, to be elected at the annual meeting of the corporation to be held later. Irving C. Hammond, who has filled the office of treasurer most acceptably for several years, declined to be a candidate for re-election. A crop estimate committee was appointed as follows: A. P. Hamlin, J. T. Hennessy and L. C. Hall. President Makepeace called the attention of the members to the national barrel bill and it was voted to endorse Senate Bill 2269 and to request our senators and representatives to give their support to the bill. President Makepeace also spoke on the matter of tariff changes, but no action was taken. It was moved by Dr. Marsh that a committee of three be appointed to draw up suitable resolutions on the death of Abel D. Makepeace. Franklin E. Smith, Z. H. Jenkins and S. N. Maj'o were appointed and presented resolutions as follows: WHEREAS: The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' associa- tion has lost through the recent decease of Mr, Abel D. Make- peace, a gentleman long and prominently identified with the cranberry growing industry and who had deeply at heart its wel- fare, serving as president of this association for several years: We gratefully acknowledge his many services to our associa- tion and to all cranberry growers; that largely through his cour- age, energy and foresight an agricultural experiment developed into an important and profitable industry, and the foundations were laid upon which our business rests: RESOLVED: That the association does today, at this most largely attended meeting in its history, express its profound grief at his decease. Though passing on in the fullness of years and with a long life of usefulness as his earthly record, his pass- ing is no less sad. In other walks of life than as our associate, he reaped the rich reward of the approval of his fellow men, but in no circle will he be more missed than among us who walked daily with him. RESOLVED: That the testimony of our esteem and re- gard for our late associate be spread upon our records and that a copy be sent to his family. ZiBiNiA H. Jenkins, Samuel N. Mayo, Franklin E. Smith. Interesting remarks were made by Prof. W. P. Brooks, di- rector of the State Experiment Station at Amherst, and addresses were made by Dr. Stone of Amherst on "Structure of the Cran- berry"; by Prof. Fred W. Morse on "The fertilizer experiment on the 'little bogs' at Amherst"; by Prof. C. L. Shear of the U. S. Department of Agriculture on "Fungus Diseases", and a long report by Dr. H. J. Franklin upon the work of the State Experi- mental Bog. A genuine clambake dinner was served by an experienced clambakist in a tent upon the grounds. It contained all of the variety to be found in a first-class clambake and was pronounced excellent in every way. After the dinner, the members enjoyed the opportunity of listening to an address by Commodore J, W. Miller, vice president of the Cape Cod Construction Company, and directly in charge of the digging of the Cape Cod Canal. Com. Miller's remarks were very interesting. He told the people of Cape Cod that the canal is their canal and detailed some of the benefits that they may expect to derive from it. He disposed of the difficulties which it had been prophesied would be encountered by stating that they had all been overcome and that the current in the canal would be less than five miles per hour. He said that the digging of the canal would be completed in July of next year and that it would be ready for traffic in November. ANNUAL MEETING Wareham, Mass., Aug. 27, 1913 The regular twenty-sixth annual meeting of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association (Incorporated) was held at the office of the Wareham Courier on the above, legal notice having been previously given in due form. On motion duly seconded, it was voted to proceed with the election of officers for the en- suing year. A ballot was taken and the following officers were unanimously chosen: President — John C. Makepeace, Wareham First Vice President — Myron L. Fuller Brockton Second Vice President — Seth C. C. Finney, East Carver Secretary — Lemuel C. Hall, Wareham Treasurer — Z. H. Jenkins, West Barnstable Directors — John C. Makepeace, Wareham; Colburn C. Wood, Plymouth; Joshua Crowell, East Dennis; Franklin E. Smith, Boston, Z. H. Jenkins, West Barnstable; Lemuel C. Hall, Wareham; Arthur N. Kinney, East Harwich; Franklin F. Marsh, Wareham; S. N. Mayo, J3rookline; M. L. Fuller, Brock- ton; Seth C. C. Finney, East Carver. The Treasurer made the following report: Balance on hand, Aug. 26, 1913 $500.72 Annual dues and fees 113.00 $613.72 Expenses as per vouchers 247.32 Balance on hand, Aug. 26, 1913 $366.40 Received fees and dues 206.00 Received from Dinner Tickets 213.00 Balance $785.40 Respectfully submitted, IRVING C. HAMMOND, Treasurer. THE "LITTLE BOGS" AT AMHERST By PROF. T. W. MORSE Last year, there vi^as reported to the Cranberry Growers' Association the results of a year's study of the drainage water from our tiny experimental bogs, and this year's work has fully corroborated that of last year; but I will not go into the matter. Instead, we have the results of our fertilizer experiments to discuss this year; results which are concordant and logical, al- though it should be borne in mind that our bogs are very small; but if we consider them in their relations to one another, rather than in terms of acres, we can readily obtain some valuable conclusions. Each bog is 24 inches in diameter, which gives an area of 3.11 square feet, or, in another form of expression, it takes 14,000 to make an acre. Therefore, multiplying results on each of these bogs by 14,000 would give the yield for an acre of like quality of bog; but such calculations are not of much account, unless they be made from averages obtained from several bogs. The experimental bogs bore their first crop of berries last fall, which was picked September 16. On comparing the unfertilized bogs with the fertilized bogs, it was found that the former were decidedly inferior to the latter. Twenty-seven bogs were in the comparison, of which 20 were fertilized and 7 were not. Of the 20 receiving fertilizer, only 3 bore smaller crops than the average of the unfertilized bogs, while only one of the unfertilized bogs had more berries than the average of the fertilized bogs. Therefore, we can consider the averages of the results as strong evidence of the value of fer- tilizers in available form, applied in moderate quantity. We used chemicals at the rate per acre as follows: 100 lbs. nitrate of soda, 400 lbs. acid phosphate, and 200 lbs. H. G. sulphate of potash. In grouping the bogs according to the fertilizer employed, it was found that where potash predominated, there was the heavi- est yield, while nitrate and acid phosphate were about alike and considerably less effective. The average were calculated to acre yields merely to see what they would show. The unfertilized bogs yielded 12 4-5 barrels per acre, while the potash fertilizers produced 23 4-5 barrels, or 85 per cent more than the unfertilized bogs, and the other fertilizers gave results about midway or 45 per cent more than the unfertilized. The vines were severely pruned in October, and will have to be even more thoroughly cut out this fall. Originally, there were about twice as many cuttings inserted as one would plant on an equal area of a large bog, hence the vine growth is very dense, while the runners spread over and down the outside of the tiles. The prunings were dried and weighed as taken from each bog. since such weights would give some idea of the relative vine growth of different plots. By this crude method, the vines were shown to have grown least on the unfertilized bogs and most on the bogs receiving nitrate of soda. Potash was the least effective on vine growth, increasing it only about 5 per cent, while nitrate increased it an average of 15 per cent, with phosphoric acid midway between. It is too early to formulate a fertilizer for cranberries; but these results are logical when considered along with other fruit experiments. We should expect to see nitrate of soda increase vine growth, and every peach or apple grower aims to have a liberal supply of potash in his orchard soil, while peat and sand are notably lacking in this substance. The use of lime on cranberry bogs is receiving careful at- tention, partly because it, too, is noticeably scarce in peat and sand, and partly because cranberries and other plants of the genus are said by some to be positively injured or hindered in their growth when lime is added to the soil in which they grow. I have had an additional reason because of the question put to me last year at the meeting, regarding mail. The argument of the gentleman at the time was logical, but there was a possibility that the premises on which it was based were incorrect. Lime undoubtedly is advantageous to apples and many tree and bush fruits. Our experiments do not show it to be necessary for cran- berries, nor yet is it injurious. At the bog of the Wisconsin Experiment station it proved injurious, but in this case 500 pounds air-slaked lime were used on 8 square rods or 1-20 of an acre, which is at the rate of 5 tons per acre. The lime was applied in the early summer of 1904, and during that season the vines continued to look as well as on adjacent areas without lime; but the next season the limed vines retained their red color throughout the season, showed no growth and many vines died, instead of taking on the fresh green color of new growth to be noted on the unlimed bog surrounding it. Two years ago we added hydrated lime at the rate of 2000 pounds per acre to two of our little bogs, in addition to the com- plete fertilizer of nitrate of soda, acid phosphate and potash salts. Last fall these two bogs had only three bogs surpassing them in fruit yield, but sereral exceeding them in vine growth. Therefore, it can be safely affirmed that in this case lime has neither helped nor hurt the plants. Last fall three more bogs were dressed with lime at the same rate, and the two first men- tioned had a second application this spring. From the nature of the soils in which cranberries naturally thrive, a'nd from some experiments with both carbonate of lime 8 -and hydrate of lime on bog water, I doubt if we establish any economic value to a dressing of lime on cranberry bogs. But the weight of evidence is steadily growing in favor of small dressings of chemical fertilizers for cranberries, when used at the right time. It has required even more water this year than last and the average amount of water added to date will slightly exceed 8 -inches in depth on the bog. The tiles in which the water moved most freely showed the most vigorous growth of vines on the bogs, and the tiles which required most water this summer also gave up the most water in the spring when drained. Therefore, I feel justified in saying that free movement of water in a cranberry soil is a factor in vine development. CRANBERRY SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 1912 By DR. C. L. SHEAR, Pathologist, Bureau of Plant Industry The following brief report of the co-operative cranberry spraying experiments of the Massachusetts Experiment station and the Department of Agriculture may be of some interest to the growers. These experiments include spraying done under our direc- tion on Early Blacks on Nantucket, and also the experiments carried out by Dr. Franklin on the State bog at East Wareham. The plots sprayed on NantucketwereEarly Blacks which hadrotted badly the previous season. The plants were sprayed with Bor- deaux mixture five times during the season. The results when inspected by Dr. Franklin and myself just before picking were very striking and successful. In order to determine exactly the benefit from spraying, boxes of sprayed and unsprayed berries were shipped to Washington just as they came from the bog. They were received on September 26 and immediately carefully sorted by hand to determine the percentage of sound and diseased fruit in the sprayed and unsprayed lots. As a result, it was found that 11.5 per cent of the sprayed fruit was diseased. In case of the unsprayed fruit, which consisted of Howes, grown immedi- ately adjoining the Early Blacks and rotting equally bad at the time of our visit, there was 38.3 per cent afifected; in other words, over three times as much of the unsprayed fruit was de- stroyed by disease as of the sprayed fruit. The actual loss from disease in the case of the unsprayed fruit was not fully indicated by the examination of the picked fruit as some of the fruit was destroyed by blast while young. These results are all that could be expected from the first season's spraying. The sound fruit from both the sprayed and unsprayed lots was kept in ordinary storage after sorting until' February when it was all sorted again. As the fruit had been kept so long in rather unfavorable conditions, that is, at ordinary room temperature, the greater part of the fruit had become softened; that from the sprayed plot gave 20 per cent of sound berries; that from the check plot only 7 percent. The develop- ment of rot in storage as well as on the bog was about three times as great in the unsprayed as in the sprayed fruit. The spraying experiments. at the State bog were carried on in practically the same manner as in 1911, and the results are due to Dr. Franklin's careful supervision and carrying out of the work. Five plots were sprayed; two applications of Bordeaux mixture were made, June 28 to 29, and July 17 to 18, using the 4-3-2-50 formula. A third application was made August 5 to 6,. with neutral copper acetate, 1 pound to 50 gallons of water, and 2 pounds of resin fish oil soap. The fruit of the different va- rieties and the different checks was picked on the same date in. September. There was very little rot on either sprayed or un-- sprayed fruit during the season. The main purpose of this ex- periment has been to determine the effect of spraying upon the yield and keeping qualities of the fruit. The results in increased: fruit production were as follows: Plot A— Howes, sprayed, produced 167 per cent more fruit than check plot 1, and 125 per cent more fruit than check plor 2, or 146 per cent more than the average of both unsprayed plots- Plot C — Howes, gave 76 per cent more fruit than check. 10 plot 1; 98 per cent more fruit than check plot 2 and 87 per cent more than the average of both unsprayed plots. Plot B — McFarlin's, gave 45 per cent more fruit than the unsprayed check. Plot D — Early Blacks, gave 47 2-3 per cent more fruit than the check. Plot E — Early Blacks, gave 55 per cent more fruit than either of two unsprayed check plots. It will be noticed that there was from two to three times as much increase in production in the case of the Howe variety as. in the other varieties. This is thought to be due in great part to the prevention of injury by a rather new fungus disease for which Dr. Franklin has suggested the name "blossom end rot." This disease appears to attack Howe berries more severely than other varieties. The organism causing this disease has been isolated and studied for so:Tie time bat its identity has not yet been positively determined. It appears to be an undescnbed fungus. The sprayed and unsprayed fruit was run through a separa" tor, partly October 3 and partly October II, and kept in the basement of the screen house until December 16, when it was all hand screened to determine the loss in storage. The Howes from Plot A, sprayed showed 122 per cent of decayed fruit at this time, while those from the unsprayed check showed 25 per cent. The other lot of Howes from Plot C, showed 10 per cent loss on the sprayed and 21 per cent on the unsprayed. Plot B, Mc- Farlins, showed 21 per cent loss on the sprayed and 33 per cent on the unsprayed; Plot D, Early Blacks, gave 15.6 per cent loss on the spraved, and 18 per cent on the unsprayed; Early Blacks,. Plot E, gave 18.4 per cent loss on the sprayed and 22i per cent on the unsprayed. Dr. Franklin made a careful examination of each berry in small quantities of the diseased fruit and found that "blossom end rot" seemed to be the principal cause of injury. The great increase in production on the sprayed plots is very striking and in contrast with the results of the previous year's ex- periments in which the production in general was less on the 11 -Sprayed than the unsprayed plots. The improvement in the keeping qualities of the fruit, however, has been pronounced in both cases. This year's experiment, according to present indica- tion, vv'ill not show such an increase in fruit production, except on plots to which fertilizers were also added. This opens up an- other problem which must be taken up. It has for some time been generally known to pathologists that certain plants, e. g., potatoes, though apparently free from disease, show a decided in- crease in yield when sprayed. Bordeaux mixture seems to have a stimulating effect upon certain plants, at least. The exact manner in which the effect is produced is not yet well understood. These results emphasize the necessity of a rather long continued series of experiments before reliable conclusions can be drawn. With the excellent facilities available at the cranberry station, it is hoped that some of these problems may be solved. Whether spraying will be profitable in any individual case must be determined by experiment. The grower should find out exactly what percentage of his fruit is soft or diseased when picked and when prepared for market, and also, if possible, in what condition it reaches the market. We are supposing in this case that the condition of the particular bog is favorable for the normal production of fruit. Spraying will not insure a crop of fruit on vines that are overgrown and matted, or stunted or starved, or otherwise abnormal for want of proper nutriment or moisture conditions. Spraying is primarily to prevent fungus diseases which may attack plants under normal conditions of growth, but usually attack them more severely under abnormal conditions. Bordeaux mixture properly applied not only pre- vents the rot or softening of berries which develops before pick- ing, but also much of that which would otherwise develop in storage and transportation. It also apparently, in the case of the cranberry, stimulates in some way the vital activities of the plant. As there are frequent inquiries from cranberry growers for infor- mation regarding the preparation and application of Bordeaux mixture, it may not be out of place to insert it here. Formula No. 1 — For fungus diseases only: 50 gallons of "water, 4 pounds copper sulfate, 3 pounds fresh quick lime, 2 pounds resin fish oil soap. 12 Formula No. 2 —For both fungi and insects: 50 gallons of water, 4 pounds copper sulfate, 5 pounds fresh quick lime, 1 pound paris green or 5 pounds arsenate of lead, 2 pounds resin fish oil soap. Formula No. 3 — Non-staining fungicide: 50 gallons of water, 1 pound neutral copper acetate, 2 pounds resin fish oil soap. The most convenient method of preparing the mixtures is to make up separate stock solutions of the copper sulfate and lime. Ordinarily a 50-galIon barrel will be large enough for each. Where large quantities of spray material are being used, larger receptacles may be desirable. Place 100 pounds of copper sulfate in a burlap sack, hang it as near the top of the barrel as possible; then fill the barrel with water. This will ordinarily dissolve in 12 to 14 hours, or over night, giving a solution con- taining 2 pounds of copper sulfate to each gallon. Slack 100 pounds of fresh stone lime in the other barrel and fill with water. This, when thoroughly stirred, will contain 2 pounds of lime to each gallon of water. To make 50 gallons of Bordeaux mixture, take li gallons from the stock lime barrel, after stirring thoroughly; pour it through a brass wire cloth strainer into the spray barrel and dilute to 15 or 20 gallons with water. Take 2 gallons of the copper sulfate solution from the stock barrel, which will be the equiva- lent of 4 pounds of bluestone; dilute this to 15 or 20 gallons, and pour through the strainer into the hme solution already in the spray barrel, agitating the whole at the same time. It has been found by recent investigations that it is not particularly important whether the bluestone solution is poured into the lime solution, or vice versa, so long as both are in a rather dilute form. Thor- ough agitation is the essential part of the preparation of a good mixture. But 50 pounds of blue stone andlime may be used for the stock solutions, if considered more convenient, in which case, of course, one gallon of the stock solution of either would contain one pound of copper sulfate or lime. Next mix thoroughly two pounds of resin fish oil soap in at least 10 gallons of water. Stir until the soap is all dissolved; otherwise it is likely to cause trouble by clogging the strainer 13 and nozzle. Then strain the soap solution into the copper sul- fate and lime mixture. Stir thoroughly and fill up to 50 gallons with water. In preparing a mixture for a spray tank which holds 100, 150, or more gallons, the quantity of material taken from the stock solutions must be proportionately greater, of course. In preparing Formula No. 2, the paris green or arsenate of lead should be dissolved in water and added after the other in- gredients (with the exception of the resin fish oil soap, which should always be added last) have been mixed. The agitator in the spray tank should be kept in operation, while the ingredients are being mixed. This will insure a good mixture and help to prevent clogging of the nozzles. All ingredients should be strained through a brass wire cloth sieve, not less than 20 to 25 meshes to the inch. It is impossible to give exact dates for spraying, especially where both insect and fungus diseases are being combated. In this case, the insects must be given first consideration, as a slight variation in date does not, so far as we know, materially afifect the efficiency of the fungicide. According to Dr. Franklin, the first spraying with the com- bination spray should be applied under ordinary conditions, pre- vailing in Massachusetts about the 15th of May; the second just before the blossoms open, and the third when the blossoms be- gin to drop, or within two weeks from the second; the fourth, ten days to two weeks later. If the fruit has rotted badly in previous years, a fifth application should be made within two weeks, using formula No. 3. Ordinarily, four thorough spray- ings should be sufficient to give satisfactory results. The quan- tity of material to be used per acre will necessarily vary, accord- ing to the condition of the vines. In case of a thick, heavy growth, 200 gallons may be necessary to cover the plants thoroughly. Where the growth is thin, the vines short, 150 gallons may be sufficient for one application. 14 Oa-nberry Acreage of the United States According to the Last Federal Census -2- New Jersey . 9030 acres Massachusetts d577 Wisconsin 1689 Long Island 277 Pacific Coast ' 72 Michigan .^_202_- Total crop of the principal states, viz.: MASS. NEW JERSEY WISCONSIN GRAND TOTAI 1901- 2 240,000 105,000 40,000 385,000 1902- 3 215,000 30,000 46,000 ■ 291,000 1903- 4 204,000 168,000 18,000 390,000 1904- 5 226,000 83,000 21,000 330,000 1905- 6 146,000 88,000 18,000 253,000 1906- 7 240,000 103,000 45,000 388,000 1907- 8 284,238 121,000 21.000 426,238 1908- 9 229,860 75,000 12,000 316,860 1909-10 372,835 165,000 30,000 567,835 1910-11 287,046 241,000 16,000 544,046 1911-12 273,120 143,000 30,000 446,120 1912-13 317,605 112,000 45,000 474,605 This does not include cranberries that were not shipped over railroad and used for evaporating purposes. 15 The Cape Co J Cranberry Growers' Association EXTRACT FROM BY-LAWS Membership and Dues Any person interested in promoting cranberry culture, or any business pertaining thereto, is ehgible as a member of the corporation. The dues shall be one dollar for a year, or any fraction there- of, payable to the quarter on or before the annual meeting. All candidates for membership shall sign an application (which must be accompanied by dues of one dollar for the bal- ance of the year to the next annual meeting) to the Board of Directors, and, if approved by the directors at any meeting held for that purpose, or by written approval of at least seven of the directors, he shall be enrolled as a member. The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association will be found to be of mutual benefit to all those who are in any way connected with the industry and all such are urged to become members. A strong association is necessary for the best inter- ests of the business, and you should all, who are not now mem- bers, join at once and help the cause along. Dues and applica- tion fees should be sent to the treasurer. 16 STATE BOG REPORT B^ H. J. FRANKLIN j\lr. President aiul ^ienibers of the Cape Cod Clraiiberry Growers Association : Since the hist annual meeting- of this Association, we have conducted investigations principally along the six fol- loAving lines : Weather observations, frost protection, fungous diseases^ fertilizers, insects and bee experiments. We have also worked someAvhat on weeds and varieties and along some other lines, but the results have not. tlius far. been of sut^cient imj^ortance to call for a discussiini of thou at this time. I will discuss our investigations under their different heads, as I have mentioiu'd them to you. WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. We have made out record blanks for keeping on a single sheet a record of all the important phenomena observed on every frosty night during the cranberry-growing season. On these blanks space has been left for keeping a record of the minimum temperatures at fifteen stations (bogs), besides the State bog. It is also planned to note, as a part of this record, the amount of injury (estimated on the Cape and in NeA\- Jersey. caused by each severe frost. It is hoped th.it by keeping such a record we may be able, in time, from the mass of data, thus condensed, to understand the frost weather conditions better, and to make more sati.sfactory predictions. Only a few of the stations for observing the minimum tonperatures. which we want to get for this record, have, as yet. been established, but we hope, in the 17 course of auotiier season, to get thennometers placed and to begin to take a fairly representative lot of minimum tejnpera- ture observations for the entire Cape. We have also been making a study of the barometric changes and their influence on frost conditions, botii as in- dicated by the weather map and as shown by the action of the barometer itself. We have learned a great many things from this study which we have not appreciated heretofore. I can now, as a rule, tell fairly well from the action ox the barometer during the middle of the day, what to expect it ■vVill do, in a general way, during the following night, and the barometric changes are, of course, the very best indicators of "weather changes. I have learned from a study of the weather map that the high barometric waves are as a rule most dangerous when they extend both far to the north and far to the south, without any low wave on the Atlantic sea board to the south of us. One of the great uncertainties about the barometric action, as far as the weather map is' concerned, is •caused by the occasional more rapid deepening of the Low wave, in or around the upper St. Lawrence valley, than is offset by the advance of the high wave, the general result being a fall in the barometer in an important section where a rise would, as a rule, be expected. This fall of the barometer in the North-east often causes the wind to keep up all night when all other conditions would lead a fore- caster to expect almost a dead calm. There seems to be no way of figuring on this action of the barometric waves ex- cept by more extensive observations of conditions in the east- ern provinces of Canada than are at present carried out by the weather bureau. I understand that the officials of the weather bureau are planning to take special barometric ob- servations in that section in order to forecast our frost con- ditions more accurately. Another factor which isipuz^lhig me is the occasional occurrence of cloudiness on mornings when, from every weather condition known to me, no cloudiness would naturally be expected. It seems quite possible that we ma's' not be able to understand fullv the causes •'' such 18 cloudiness without a study of the conditions of the atmos- l)hore. This is, of course, a very important matter, for the presence of clouds always makes a difference of several de- grees in the temperature of a cold morning. There seems to have been ,this year, a general increase in confidenc.e. on the part of the groAvers. in the forecasts sent us from Boston by the weather-bureau. It is my belief that this increased confidence is fully justified, for it has seemed to me that the forecasts have been much more accurate this season. FROST PROTECTION. I have been giving careful consideration to the different possible methods of frost protection where water is not available for use in the usual ways and have tested the Skin- ner system and orchard heaters to a considerable extent, and I Avill give you, in a general way, the results of my experience in these matters. While the Skinner system seems to be entirely sat- isfactory for irrigation in truck gardens, I do not feel that it is a practicable system to apply to a cranberry bog. The first great objection to its use on the bogs is its expense. If a pump and engine of sufficient capacity to maintain a spray on all parts of a bog throughout a frosty night were installed, the expense of the pump would be so great that the total ex- pense would probably never be less than two hundred and fifty dollars an acre. Moreover, I find that it is extremely difficult to keep sand and other clogging material completely out of the pipes, and, by consulting market gardeners of large experience, I have learned that the Skinner pipe strainers are not completely effective anywhere, in keeping the water strained. It is, of course, possible in marlcet gardens to go about and clean out the little nozzles, when they get plugged, without walking on the crops or doing any considerable injury. On a cranberry bog. however, the clogging of the nozzles would be a much more serious matter, as their cleaning out would necessitate walking on the vines more or less. 19 You will see, therefore, that the objeetions to the use of this system for frost protection on cranberry bogs are well nigh insuperable. It occurred to nie that it might he possible to use the Skinner system with a pump of sufficient capacity to feed only one line of piping at a time, by allowing the vini's to freeze, and then drawing out the frost before sou rise by sprinkling cold M-ater over them, I tried this, however, on a small scale, with a spray-ing outfit, and the results seemed to be far from satisfactory, for the sprayed areas afterward ap- peared to show distinctly more injury than did the surround- ing unsprayed portions of the bog. As the matter noAV stands, therefore, I do not feel at all enthusiastic about the use of the Skinner system for this j^ur- pose. There are, as I stated in my rep(n't of last year, other sprinkling systems intended to do the same work as the Skinner system. Some of these are free from the plugging trouble experienced with the Skinner system, but they seem to be even more objectionabl(\ from the standpoint of ex- pense, than is that system. On the tAventj^-second of last December and the tirst of last January, two-night tests were carried out at the State bog with sixty-five three-gallon Hamilton Reservoir orchard heaters. These tests showed that it is possible to raise the temperature sufficient!}'' to protect a cranberry bog from frost by means of these heaters, but the expense con- nected with their use seems to be so great that this method of protection cannot be considered practicable with fuel oil at the present price. In the first of these tests, the heaters were used at the rate of one hruidred and twenty to the acre. When used at this rate, with the thermometers placed at the center of the heated area at the top of the vines, at a distance of twelve feet from the nearest heater, and with the covers of the heaters drawn back eleven inches, it Avas found j^ossible to raise the temperature, as shown by compariso)! Avith a 20 theniiometer placed entirely outside of the heated area and on its windward side, from ISi/o to Siy^ degrees F., the wind velocity at the time being about four miles per hour. The temperature at the center of the heated area at the top of the vines Avas maintained for thirty minutes at from 29 to 311/2 degrees F., while the outside temperature ranged from 15 to 16 degrees F. The thermometers just inside the outer line of heaters, during this time, ranged from 27 to 28 degrees F. Between 10:00 and 10:15 P. M., the heater covers were from 30 to 31. and the outside temperature being 261/2 de- grees F. We ran the heaters until 3:00 A. M., and took records every hour. It seems unnecessary, however, to give more of the records here, as the 2 :45 A. M. records shoAV the condi- tions, as they existed from 11:30 P. M. to 2:45 A. M. fairly well. The effective burning time was about six hours. This was an extreme test, to find out what could be done with a larger number of heaters than would ever be used on account of expense. Tn the test carried out on the night of January 1st. the heaters were used at the rate of sixty to the acre. When they Avere closed up to the second hole (i. e.. when open about two inches), where they would have to burn, if they were run long enough to protect from frost for several closed from eleven inches to about two inches. The wind gradually increased during the night, the velocity at 2:45 A. M. being from 15 to 20 miles per hour, the center tempera- ture, at that time, being 32. the margin temperatures ranging hours, the differences in temperature shown by the ther- mometers inside and outside of the heated area (the outside thermometer was placed one hundred and twenty-five feet from the heated area and on its windward side, at the top of the vines), were veiw slight, some of the time being almost imperceptible, the wind velocity at the time being about four miles an hour. It was evident from this test that sixty heat(M's to the acre are not enough for satisfactory frost ]irotection. Judg- 21 ing from the records of the two tests, it seems eertam that it wonld take not less than ninety heaters of the Ilamiltoi: make to protect a cranberry bog from frost. As it takes three gallons of fuel oil to run each heater for a whole night, it Avould probably take about two hundred and seventy gallons of oil per acre per night. With oil at the ]»rice quoted to me by the Xew York office of the Standard Oil Company soon after these tests were made, the cost of this oil alone, without considering the labor involved, for one acre, for one night's protection, would he about .^18.60. As there are usually at least three or four bad frost nights dur- ing a season, the cost of the oil, without considering the labor at all, is practically ]n'ohibitory, or, at all events, is so g]'eat as to make this method of frost protection a very unsatis- factory one. There is another factor which would cause most cranberry growers to shun this method of protection. There is, as we discovered in our last test, a considerable danger of setting a bog afire with these heaters. Besides all this, we found it practically impossible to use these heaters without killing a good many vines by spilling oil. The heaters used in these tests were loaned to the cran- berry station by the Hamilton Orchard Heater Company, through the courtesy of its local agent, Mr. Chester D. Holmes of Plymouth, JNIass. These heaters were selected for the test only after a careful study of the characteristics of the other heaters on the market at the time had lead me to believe that, if any such heater would serve the purpose, this make of heater could probably be relied upon to do it. It became evident, at an early stage in the investigation, that the round and taller kinds of heaters would not serve the purpose satis- factorily because the bnrning surface of the oil would with them, be higher above the vines than it Avould be with the Hamilton heater and because they seemed mudi more liabh^ to overturning. There are yet other possible methods of frost protection 22 for cranberry hogs wli'cli luive not yet been tried. It may be possible to cause the frost to be drawn out slowly fron\ the vines, after a frost, by screening off the sun for the first two or tlu'ee hours of the morning. This screening could, perhaps, be accomplished by a curtain of smoke as cheaply and easily as in any way. This method of protection is sug- gested by the well l^iiowu fact that the injur.v. caused by freezing in both plant and animal tissues, is due more to the sudden Avithdrawal of the frost from the tissues than to the formation of the frost in them. I think, also, that nearly every one. who has thought of the matter, has recognized the possibility of protecting a bog from frost by covering it over with cloth. This, of couree. is a rather expensive treat- ment, but it has the probable advantage of being entirely effective. However. I have come to believe that, as a general proposition, it is unwise to attempt any special frost treat- ment on dry bogs, because of the peculiar conditions and difficulties otherAvise associated Avith such bogs. The only kind of bogs for which I would suggest any special treatnu^ut along this line are those which are winter flowed, but can- not be re-flowed to any extent. It seems to me that the managers and owners of most bogs, which have poor frost protection, have, as a rule, over- looked the method of protection which, though not perfect, is. nevertheless, nmny times very effective, and which can be applied Avith relatively small cost, namely, that of keeping the bog well sanded. It has been shown by the Wiseons'n station and by the experiments carried out by Prof. 11. J. Cox for the Tnited States Weather Bureau that there is a protection aga'nst several degrees of frost to be liad by keeping a bog well sanded. .Many of the growers of the Cape have come to realize this from general experience, and, on tAvo or three occasions this last spring. I saAV most strik- ing exam|>]cs of the efficiency of saiul in this direction, i feel certain that a A'ery considerable percentage of the rVine cra)iberrv losses from frost could be saved by a more uen- ei-;)l uiulerstanding and application of this principle of re- saTuling for ]u-oteet!on. 23 FCNGOUS DISEASES. Dr. Sliecir has already giveu you. in a general way. tlie results of our experiments for the control of cranberry fungous diseases carried out last season. I need not. there- fore, go into them fully here. I wish, however, to call your attention particularly to the new disease which we have discovered and found to be affecting most seriously the Late Howe variety. As Dr. Shear has already told you, we are tentatively calling this disease the "Blossom End Rot." He has already told you of tlu- ef- fects of spraying on this disease. It was, last season, evidently a serious factor in reducing the Late Howe crop on the State bog. I am anxious to know hoAv general this disease is in its attack on this variety. Some definite knowledge concerning its distribution and severity on different parts of the < 'ape seems essential to wise recommendations concerning its treatment. I am planning to make a survey this fall for the purpose of obtaining information concerning this. If the growers present will send me samples of berries of this variety fi'om their various bogs, they will be of great assistance in for- warding our knowledge of this disease. After the harvesting of the crop on our fungous plots last fall, it Avas noticed that the increase in quantity of fruit on the McFarliu plot was accompanied by a much more light colored and sickly appearance to the foliage than was shown by the vines of the check. The contrast between the sprayed and unsprayed vines, in this respect, was noticcible by the first of September and very marked after the crop was picked, being plainly evident to the eye from a long dis- tance. A redder and more sickly color was also distinctly evident on the two Early Black plots, as compared witii the surrounding unsprayed vines, but the contirast was not nearly so marked as with the ]\IcP^arlin plot. No such difference Avas apparent on the Late HoAve vines, possibly because it ■\vas hidden by the naturally very dark color of their foliage. The i\[cFarlin and Earh' Black vines seemed to shoAV that 24 there was not sut'fieieiit available plant food present to main- tain a strong vine condition and at the same time develop the extra amount of fruit which the reduction of fungous ■diseases caused by the spraying, had made possible. Whether this was the real cause for the differences in appearance noted between the sprayed and unsprayed vines, .or whether the spraying had done the bog injury in some way and so caused an unthrifty appearance. I do not know. It may be sufficient for the present to say that, after pick'- ing last fall, the appearance of the sprayed vines of the Early Black and McFarlin varieties gave the impression that they probably would not bear as heavy a crop this season as the surrounding unsprayed vines. This season, these plots have all been sprayed again with Bordeaux mixture, used in the same way as last year, but a greater number of times, plots A and C (Late Howe Plots) being sprayed with the Bordeaux on June oth. June 17th, June 28th and July 19th. and with neutral copper acetate on August 7th. Plot B (]\IcFarlin plot) was sprayed with Bordeaux mixture on June 6th. June 18th and July 21st. Plots D and E (Early Black plots) were sprayed with Bordeaux mixture on .June 6th. Jvuu' ISth. Jidy 11th. and July 22nd. All these plots at the present time, show a much ligliter crop than do the inisprayed vines, precisely as their appear- ance last fall suggested they would. On June 28th. the middle half of Plot A was fertilized. a quarter of the plot on each side being left without fertilizer, the fertilizer being used on the middle portion at the fol- lowing rate: Nitrate of soda .two hundred pounds per acre; acid phorsphate, four hundred pounds per acre; high grade sulphate of potash, two hundred pounds per acre. At the l)resent time, this fertilized middle portion of the plot shows a very much heavier crop than do the unfertilized side por- tions. This is particularly interesting because on June 28th„ when tlie fertilizer was applied, the vines were going out of 25 bloom, and there was no rain to speak of. to dissolve the fertilizer and wash it into the soil, for several days after it was applied, and it is the first time that 1 have Isnown fer- tilizers to cause a marked increase in th.e amount of fruit on a cranberry bog in the first season a|)plied. This is sug- gestive in several ways. In the first place, it seems to indi- cate that spraying alone will not cause and maintain vn in- creased fruiting. It looks as though vines Avhich have borne a larger crop, due to freedom from fungous disease brought about by spraying, need an extra supply of plant food the following year in order to maintain the.'r vigor and hold their own in fruiting with unsprayed vines. The results of this fertilizing and spraying may ptM'haps also be taken to indicate that fertilizers will do their best work in driving fruit production only when the vines are comparatively free from fungous disease. They also suggest the possibility that there is a best time for applying fert'l- izers in order to get the best fruiting, perhaps at about the blossoming period. I have, this season, seen on some other bogs a rather marked increase in fruit production following the application of fertilizers, rich in nitrates during the blos- soming period, the fertilizer being applied for the first time this season. There seems to be much yet to be learned ahnig these lines by further experimenting. An unexpected result of the spraying, noticed on these ])lots this season, Avas the killing of the wood moss. This moss is ccnnpletely killed out on every one of these plots, wh'le on the general bog surrounding some of them, it is jn-esent in considerable abundance and very much alive up to the very edge t)L' the plot. We have, this season, also started thrt'c new fungous plots. One of these Ave have sju-ayed Avith lime-suljilMir solu- tion made from Frost's poAvdered lime-sulphnr. The spray- ing on this plot Avas done o]i June 7th. June 18th. June 28tb. July 21st. and August 7th. At the present time, there ajv pears to be distinctly less fruit on this sprayed ]>lot thnti on the surrounding bogs. 26 Another new plot Avas sprayed with Bordeaux mixture on June 7th. June 17th. June 2Sth, July 21st, and with neu- tral copper acetate on August 7th. This plot also now seems to have less fruit than the surrounding bog. One-half of the fertilizer plot which has up to this time been treated the most heavily with nitrate of soda was also sprayed this season, for the first time, with Bordeaux mix- ture, this fungicide being applied on June 6th. Jinie 1 7th. July 11th. and July 21st, and neutral copper acetate l)eiiig used on August 7th. This third new plot also noAv has a dis- tinctly smaller amomit of fruit than does the rest of the fertilizer plot of which it is a pai-t. This general falling ofif of the fruiting on the new plots, as well as on the old ones, suggests that a distinct injury was caused by the spraying in some way. and it seems to me probable that this injury was done by spraying iu the bloom. This is a point concerning which v,-e are nnich iu need of light, and calling for further investigation. In Jiine. I began some tests looking for a possible new and more convenient method of control of the fungous dis- eases on cranberry bogs, namely, that of putting chemicals in the tlowage. The chemical used was copper sulphate. This seemed by far the most promising chemical for this pni'pose. as it had been so extensively tried in the treatment of Avater organisms — bacteria, and more especially algae — and had been found to possess peculiar toxic properties not present with salts without copper in their composition. The cheuiicals were put in the water on our flooding sections here at the State bog. the strengths of the copper sulphate tried iieing one part to fifty thousand parts of water (one ])ound in six thousand tAvo hundred and fifty gallons) on Secticnis 2'P, and 25 and one part to one hundred thousand parts of Avater (about one pound in tAvelve thousand five hundred gallons) on Section 27. The eop})er sul])hate Avas first dissol\"ed in pails of Avater. and the solutions Avere distributed as eA-enly as possible, in the floAvage of these sections, by throwing them into the fioAvage by the cupful. 27 This treatiaeiit Avns Mpplied to these sections on June 3r(l and again on June loth. On Section 23 each treatment Avas continued al)out t^venty-three hours. On Section 25, the treatment was con- tinned for eleven hours and was applied after twelve and one-half hours of flooding, without treatment. On Section 27, the duration of the treatment was about eleven hour's and. as with Section 25, followed twelve and one-half hours of flood- ing without treatment. When the first treatment was a{)- plied to these sections, the blossom buds were well developed and prominent, and, when the sec(Hid treatment was applied, they were approaching near to blooming, there being here and there a blossom already opened. The treatment did not appear to affect injuriously the buds on Sections 25 and 27 in any way. Some of those on Section 23, however. Avere spotted slightly, showing that the solution used had probably been fully as strong as was desirable. The strength of the solution used on Section 23 Avas recommended to me by Dr. Shear, as the result of laboratory experiments which he had conducted. Unfortunately, span- Avorms worked seriously on Section 23 and reduced the crop to such an extent as to destroy the results of the experiment, as far as the amount of the fruit might give any evidence concerning the beneficial effect obtained from the treatment. That section, at the present time, evidently has less fruit than liaA^e the untreated flooding sections. Sections 25 and 27 do not appear to show any increase. We shall haA^e to Avait until harvest time before Ave can get any idea as to Avhat affects these treatments may have had on the quantity of fruit, and probably until Christmas time before Ave can determine their eft'ect on the keeping (pialities of the berries. THE EFFECT OF RE-SANDING ON THE PREAWLEXCE OP FUNGOUS DISEASE. A part of the State bog Avas re-sanded iti the fall of 1911, and most of the remainder in the spring of 1912, Avith 28 iiboiit li;iH an iiidi of s a ml. Two Earl}- lilack i)l(»ts (O aiul V). of !l s(iuai'p rods each, were left iinsanded as an experi- ment. () lieing' located on a portion of the bog sanded in tlie fall and A' on a part sa)ided in th(^ s])ring. Checks were laid out on tlii-(M^ sides of each i>f these plots, antl. in. both cases, they averaged a distinctly smaller rpmntity of fruit per squai'e rod. in the 1912 crop, than did the plots them- selves. This difit'erence Avas perhajis caused by the injury done the vines in the process of sanding. The keeping qualities of the berries from these plots and their checks were tested, with the results given in the following table: s i) •— EZ i- ■zc "^ t- ^1 — o t: X ^ — ■ '•'i ~ -^ -i-5 %^ ~ * "■ r— ' g i ^ j^ ^- ,-v ~ ' 3. -^ ^ ^' V _2 0. Oct. 3 Dee. 13 12/3 "1 7/17 15 3/10 Check 0, Oct. 3 Dec. 14 2 1 9/16 21 9/10 V, Oct. 3 Dec. 13 2 111/16 15 3/5 Check V, Oct. 3 Dec. 13 2 15/8 18 3/4 The results here shown seem to indicate that re-sand- ing favors fungous diseases, and this indication is in accord with what seems to be the general (experience of the growers. FERTILIZERS. The Waquoit experiments were discontiniied last year, but the plots were examined ,iust before harvesting and were found, without exception, to have produced a very light crop. There seemed to be no evidence of any effect on the fruiting as a result of the fertilizer used in the pre- ceding seasons. The berries on the fertilizer plots on the State Bog were all picked with scoops last fall, on September 11th and r2th. They appeared so uniform in color and so alike in most other respects that no records were made, except those concerning their quantity, size and kec^ping 29 v|iuiijty. Storage tests were carried out witli berries from all the plots, beginning on October 11th and ending Decem- ber 13 to 17, the results of Avliich gave no evidence that any of the fertilizers, except perhaps the acid phosphate, had affected the keeping quality in any way whatever. There seemed to be somewhat less loss, as a rule, among the berries from the plots treated with phosphate (alone, or in com- bination.) than among those from the plots on either side of those so treated. The results in this connection, how- ever, were not very positive. The following table shoAvs Avhat fertilizers were used and what quantity of fruit was obtained from each ])lot, and is largely self-explanatory : Size of Berries; Quantity of Average Num- Frnit obtained, ber in Eight Plot. Fertilizer used. (Boxes.) Samples. 1 2 3 4 r. X P K 17/8 31/4 2 13/4 13/4 31/7 3 7/8 2 3/4 21/3 4 31/2 3 2/5 21/2 4 5/6 6 1/9 5 2/3 31/6 5 1/2 4 41/5 3 31/8 2 109 108 105 1 /2 112 105 1 ^9 6 7 8 Q NP NK PK 1081/2 102 106 1/2 110 10 11 12 13 NPK NPKL NPKCl 104 105 1/2 99 108 1/2 105 102 1/2 103 1/2 106 1/2 102 106 1/2 1031/2 105 1/2 106 14 15 16 17 N 1 1/2 PK N2PK NKP 1 1/2 18 19 20 21 NKP 2 NPK 1 1/2 NPK 2 29 23 106 30 Plots 1, 5. 9. 13. 17. 21. 22 and 23 are all untreated elieck plots. The meanings of the fertilizer symbols used are as follows: X means one hundred pounds nitrate ot soda per acre. P means four hundred pounds acid phos- phate per acre. K means two hundred pounds high grade sulphate of potash per acre. L means one ton of lime (slaked) per acre. KCl means tAvo hundred pounds muruite of potash per acre. Nli'o means one hundred and fifty pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. X2 means two hundred pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. In combinations they mean, for example, as foUo^vs : N2PK::=200 pounds of nitrate of soda -|- •100 pounds of acid phosphate -[-200 pounds of high-grade sulfate of potash per acre. The nitrate of soda evidently had a mai-ked effect in increasing the quantity of fruit. As shown by the ligures in -column 4 of the table (the average sizes of the berries were inversely proportional to these figures) the variation in size between the berries from the different plots was not very great. The increase in quantity was evidently due, for the most part, to an increase in the number of the berries, the increase in their size being a minor factor. The potash caused no increase in fruit and the phosphate but very little. If the lime had any effect, it seemed to be detri- mental. The boxes used in measuring this fruit were bushel boxes. The area of each of these plots is eight square rods These plots were again treated with fertilizers this year, the same kinds and quantities being used as last year. They were, for certain reasons, however, applied later than usual this year — on Juh^ 15th. At present there does not appear to be a larger amount of fruit on any of these fertil- ized plots than seems to be present on the checks. Whether the harvest will justify this conclusion, made from a general inspection of the plots, remains to be seen. Plot 15 shows a very marked falling off in the amount of fruit, though it had by far the heaviest blossom of any portion of the bog. For some reason, however, the blossoms 31 tiiid sDiall l)eiM'i('s on this i)lot dried up iiiDi'i' t!i;ii) they dieU on any other portion of the bog, the condition l)eing siieli that, all things considered, it could not be very well laid to dry weather. The reduced fruiting seems to have been due to a detrimental effect of the nitrate in the fertilizer. Ihonsj,!! it is perhaps impossible, at this time, to say Avith certainty just Avhat the eifect Avas. It must be remembered that half of this plot was si)rayed for fungous diseases as well as fertilized, but the unsprayed portion shows a marked falling off in the quantity of fruit as well as the spraye- the thousand on an area of about two acres which had not been treated in any way to get rid of the insects, because that portion of the bog belonged to a separate and apparently careless owner. Portions of the boi;- which had been heavily infested in July and Au^'usl. I!)i2. had been burned over in the latter half of August, and other infested portions had been re-sanded with seven-eighths of an inch to an inch and a half of sand. Practically no moths of this span worm were found on June 13th on any of these treated i>ortions. except wheri^ the treated areas immediat<'ly 33 adjoined untreated, heavily infested areas. Evidently the burning had effectively destroyed the pupae and the sanding had smothered them. At the time of the visit to this bog (June 13th), the millers on the infested portion were being caught and eaten (the males mostly, as this sex Hew up into the air readily, sometimes as high as twenty or twenty-five feet, while the females, as a rule, being heavy with eggs and unable to fly well, stumbled and flopped along the ground w^hen attempt- ing to do so, by swallows (two barn swallows and a dozen or more tree swallows). These swallows were flying back and forth like bats, and clicking of their bills was incessant, as they captured the millers. I dissected out and counted the ■eggs of several plump female moths on June lath. These eggs "were all bright green in color, but they afterward turned yellowish. The eggs obtained from these moths numbered two hundred and ninety-five in the most productive specimen and one hundred eighty-seven in the least productive one. I found eggs of this insect hatching in the laboratory on June 19th and 20th. On July 8th, I visited the Old Colony Bog again and got the following notes concerning this insect from Mr. Ellis, the foreman of the bog, who seemed to be a very good observer: "Pound the first worms on the bog on June 25th. They were then very small. Unhatehed eggs were also present in abundance on June 25th. Small worms Avere seen in numbers spinning down in the vines and hanging by small threads. Most of the moths had disappeared by June 18th. The eggs on the vines were yellow, and laid in scattering small batches (three to five together). The worms worked first on the backs of the leaves." Mr. Ellis had been spraying a considerable part of the portion of the bog that was under his management, and his experience seemed to shoAv that it is not very difficult to control this insect by thorough spraying. On July 8th, the worms (of many different sizes), were present, on the badly infested portions of the bog, in great numbers, the vines having been turned brown by their work, 34 and. Avhen opened, appearing literally alive with them. So little foliage was left, on the worst infested portions of the bog. that death by starvation, for a very large percentage of the worms, seemed inevitable. This summer, this insect was also found to be threatening a bog in INIattapoisett. Numerous reports have come to me from cranberry growers, this season telling of threatening gypsy inotli trouble and the little cranberry snout beetle appears to have been more troublesome than usual. EXPERIMENTAL INSECT WORK. The experimental work with insects has been confined mostly to the Flowed Bog Fireworm (Black-head Cranberry Worm) and to the Fruit Worm. I will now discuss the work with these two insects, somewhat in detail. THE FLOWED BOG FIREWORK!. (Rhopobota Vacciniana Pack) . You will recall that, in my last year's report to this Association, I cited the successful results obtained in the treatment of a certain large bog by holding the winter flowage late (until about the first of June) and then re- flowing about three weeks later, to destroy an infestation of. this insect. A somewhat similar procedure was carried out on an- other, but smaller bog, this season, with much less satisfac- tory results, due to the fact that the re-flowing was done too soon. The results of this treatment were, however, all things considered, suffleiently successful to confirm my belief that, where this method of treatment can be applied, it will be found, at least, a fairly satisfactory one. The reflowage should evidently be continued, in this treatment, for about forty-eight hours. I wish to say, hoAvever, that my con- clusions as to the way in which the bunching up of the hatching of the eggs of this insect is brought about by the late holding of the winter flowage, as expressed in my last 35 report to tliis association, were evidently incorrect, as 1 have discovered by observations made this season. Tests with thermometers have shown me that there are greater differ- ences of temperature among the vines of a cranbtn^ry l)og when the bog is flowed thaii when it is open to the air. the conditions in this respect being exactly the reverse of what I had presumed them to be. It now seems pro])able that tlie bunching of the hatching, by this late holding of the wjiter. is brought about mostly by a retardation or prohibition of hatching for the first eggs that reach or approach the hatch- ing stage. It seems evident that the worms from any eggs, which might become far enough advanced to hatch under "water, would droAvn soon after hatching, and it is not im- possible^ that this is what happens to the eggs soonest de- veloped while the eggs or sloAver development are catching up with them as the warming up of the water in the late spring allows them to develop. It is. of course, evident that the whole hatching process is naturally more rapid when it takes place under the hot sun of June than it is when thi^ development of the eggs and their hatching takes place in the cooler weather of the first half of ^\ay. as occui-s wlien the winter flowage is drawn off early. I consider that the general position which 1 took in my last year's report, in regard to the practice of spraying for this insect should be maintained. It is quite possible, how- ever, that, instead of using Bordeaiix mixture and Paris green for this spraying, it will be found best to use Arsenate of Lead alone, for, while some of our results with Bordeaux mixture have been satisfactory, as already indicated in my discussion of our fungous work, there seem to be indications that it may be. under some conditiojis at least, an injurious spray to use. I am planning to carry out more spraying experiments to determine exactly what is best to recommend in this connection. On some bogs where T have seen B(n-d(^aux mixture and Paris green used on a part, and arsenate of lead on an(*ther 36 part, this season, it has seemed to nie that the arsenate of lead gave rather distinctly better results. It seems very probable that Ave have not yet learned Avhat is the best method of applying a spray to a cranberry bog. There seems to be a considerable diversity of opinion con- cerning this, and I am planning to carry out experiments along this line. I am inclined to the opinion that, in thick vines, a spray driven with a good deal of force is more lii\ely to place poison Avhere it will have the most satisfactory effect in destroying this insect than is a spray applied with less force. From observations made on a considerable number of bogs this season, this insect seems to be distinctly more injurious on vines of the Late Howe variety than on those of the Early Black, and it is my present impression that the Late Howe variety is rather of a favorite Avith the pest. If this is the case, it is only an added indication that, Avhere bogs are being ncAvly built, it is the part of Avisdom to plant only one variety on a bog. It is noAv becoming generally recognized that the planting of seA^eral varieties together on the same bog causes more or less serious inconvenience in many Avays. You Avill recall that, in my last year's report, I gaA^e you a somcAvhat detailed account of my findings concerning the parasites and other natural enemies of this insect and con- cerning the bearing Avhich .bog flooding has upon their ef- fective activity. In connection Avitli this, for the benefit of those of you Avho may be sutficiently interested to make observations for yourseh'es this fall. 1 Avish to mention the fact that. Avhen a bog is re-floAved. after picking, the most conspicuous forms of animal life that are driA'en a.shore by the Avater. from the standpoint of their numl)ers, are the spiders. The numbers of these forms seen by one looking for them, on the occasion of such after-harvest re-flowhig, is really surprising, and it is interesting to note that most of them. eA'en on a bog of considerable size, succeed in reaching the upland alive, as they are fitted to float lightly upon the 37 surface of the water for consirlerable distances iu case of need. In all my examinations of bogs, made during the pro- cess of the after-harvest re-fiowing, I have, as yet ,failed to see a sufficient number of parasitic insects driven up by the water to lead me to believe that they can have nearly as im- portant a bearing on the prevalence of the fireworm as do the spiders. It is probable, however, that the presence of the parasites on a bog is. in a sense, more affected by the flowing than is the presence of the spiders, because they are probably far more liable to destruction by drowning than are the spiders. THE FRUIT WORM. (Mineola Vaccinii (Riley). My chief work Avitli this insect, since I last reported to this Association, has been a study of its natural enemies. I have now reared nearly a dozen of its parasites and have worked out, in a general way, the complete life history of the most important one, an insect, whose connection with the fruit worm has not been, heretofore, suspected. This para- site has been determined by Mr. H. L. Viereck. an expert on the group of insects to Avhich it belongs, to be a Braconid, to which has been given the name Phanerotoma tibialis. I have seen this insect on cranberry bogs in large lunn- bers, in previous seasons, but had not fully accounted for its presence until this year. This season, it was present in greatest numbers during the first three weeks of .Inly. It had almost entirely disappeared (it being possible to find only now and then one) from the bogs on the Ca]ie by Jnl>' 2ntb. I had a large number of wormy berries collected last fall. and, keeping them in cans until the middle of this smnmer. I made a careful record both of the moths and of the i>ara- sites which emerged. The Avormy berries used in this iiives- tigation. came from three general locations, as follows: 1. The center of a flowed bog (State bog). 2. The edge of a floAved bog (State bog). 38 3. A dry bog- (that is. one not flowed at any time). The ret'di'd of moth and parasite emerg-enee was kept with these locations in mind. The most interesting- things shown by the record tlius obtained were : 1. That Phanerotoma tibialis far outnundiered all the other parasites taken together. All the parasites obtained from the berries collected at the center of the State bog. and all but one of those from the edge of this bog. were ot this species. Abont four-fifths of the parasites from the berries collected from the dry bog were also of this species, but the percentage of other species of parasites was much greater amongst the forms obtained from the dry bog berries. ,2. The berries from the dry bog produced nearly three times as many parasites, in proportion to the fruit w^orm moths Avhich emerged, as did the berries from any portion of the flowed bog. o. The time of the greatest emergence of the parasites, from the berries from all three locations mentioned, was from June 30th to July 9tli, inclusive. 4. As slightly more parasites than moths emerged from the worms of the berries from the dry bog. it seems highly probable that more than fifty per ceut of the fruit worms on that bog last year were killed by these parasites. This shows something of the importance of the natural enemies of this insect which Ave have been in the habit of eonsidrn-ing as being comparatively free from parasites. You will observe that the relative junnber of jiarasitcs obtained from the flowed bog and from the dry one shews a similar condition as regards the amount of parasitism i)resent on dry and flowed bogs, as that which Ave have already found obtains with the natural enemies of the fire w(u-m. Froiu a study of the life history of Phanerotoma tibialis. Iiowever. it is not easy to see just how the Avater can affect its prevalence to so marked an extent. I find that the adult Phanerotoma lays its eg^ in the egg of the fruit Avorm. Tt is not difficult to got one of the parasites to lay its egg under o1)servation by bringing near 39 it a berry be;iriiig'. under one of the loltes of its hlossoin end. an unhatched fruit worm eg'g. During their hi>'iug season, these parasites are constantly running over the vines, with actively vibrMting antennae, and searching for the eggs of the fruit Avorm, and when an eg^ is presented to one of them, if the parasites antennae sense its location, it will give imme- diate attention to it. and the whole process of egg laying may be observed. A peculiar fact discovered was that o.ne of these parasites will never lay twice in the same fruit worm egg. One of them can, hoAvever. be readily induced to lay an egg in a fruit worm egg. Avhich already contains ojie or even several (in one test. tAvelve was the liighest number reached), eggs deposited by other indiA'idnals. AVh(4her the egg of the parasite hatches l)efore the fruit worm egg does. or not, I do not know. but. at any rate, the fruit worm, when it emerges from the egg. carries the small parasite with it, ^md. as the fruit Avorm groAvs. the parasite within it also groAvs, feeding ui)on its juices and so depleting its vitality that. Avhen it becomes full groAvn and forms its cacoon for the Avinter around itself, it is often l)ut little more than half the size of a normal unparasiti/ed Avorm. Sometime during the Avinter or spring, the parasite larA-a becom(\s full grown, and, emerging from the fruit Avorm. leaves it a mere dead shell, and forms its OAvn tiny Avhite coccoon about itself Avithin the coccoon of the fruit worm. Within its small coc- coon. it changes into a pupa stage, and it eA'entually emerges as an adult parasite nearly a year after it Avas de[)osited as an egg in the egg of the fruit Avorm. A study of this parasite may. in time, prove to be of greater importance than it might seem to be at tirst tlunight. for it is not impossible that in some years it may be suffi- ciently abundant to, single-handed, be a controlling factoi- in the preA^alence of the pest. We can onl\- learn about this, hoAvever. by making observations for several years and keep- ing records. Tf it is found that this parasite does, in some years, become a controlling factor, it should be possible to 40 judge beforehand from a study of its abundance, as to tlie probability of eoming- fruit worm trouble. The seeond most important parasite, which 1 have reared, is a small lehneumou whieh lays its egg in the fruit worm after it has hatched aud is already working in the berr\'. The name of this species has not. as yet. been determined. The female, in laying its egg. inserts its egg-laying appara- tus into the hole made in the berry by the fruit worm and left open by it. I have never seen one of these parasites drive its eggdaying apparatus through one of the white silken curtains which the fruit worm usually makes over the mouth of its hole after it has gone into its first or second berry. I have not. as yet. Avorked out the life history of this parasite to any extent. It is certaiuly a far Tess importaut enemy of the fruit worm than is Phanerotoma til)ialis. STUDY OF CONTROL FOR FLO^YED BOGS. I have, this season, made no definite advance in my ideas concerning the control of this pest by water. The recommendations given in my last year's report are what I would give to anyone today. There seem to be some indica- tions that the depth of the flowage may have some bearing on its effect in killing this insect within its coccoon. It seems reasonable to suppose that a deep flowage is more ef^'ective than a shallow one on account of the greater water pressure of such a flowage and its probable greater effect in collapsing or penetrating the coccoons of the fruit Avorm. I have already collected an abundance of Avormy berries for experi- ments, which I have planned to carry out this fall, to deter- mine this point. STUDY OF CONTROL FOR DRY HOOS. The sanding experiments which t conducted last \ear. for the purpose of determining whether this in.sect could be smothered in its coccoon. and wliich I told von the results of 41 in my last report, have been repeated and continued this season on the dry bog just over the hill, the general results being unsatisfactory. I feel pretty certain that this metliod of treatment for this insect "vvill never be practicable. You will recall tlie snggestioiis wliich 1 made in my last report, concerning the possibility of starving out a fruit worm infestation on dry bogs by killing the remnant of the bloom in seasons of severe Avinter-kiU injury or of severe frost damage by spraying with a 20 per cent solution of iron sulphate. I have been making first tests of the practicability of this method of treatment, this season, aiul 1 find that this solution can be used in such a way as to kill the bloom with- out apparent injury either to the vines or to the buds formed for the succeeding year's growth. I fi]id. however, that it M'ill take, as a rule, three rather thorough sprayings to accomplish the entire destruction of the blossom, on account of the fact that the blossoming does not all take place at (uice, but is drawn out through a period of three or four we(d