The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-26
CLEMSON COLLEGE.
Report Of Prof j. +. &. DuPre. HOrH.
cuIfuriSt.
Clemson College, 5. c, June Is, lSH5.

Clemson College, 5. c, June Is, ls!5.
Dear Sir: In The matter Of Horticulture
work ~ this Experiment station. ana re,
ferred To in Your letter Of 9th May, would
The work was begun in the Spring of 1872,
under very uniavortble conditions, that Is I'D
Sav, AS to soil and lncatlOn.
The only available land was Il high ridge.
slopiug south, East and West The SOIL was
poor. thirsty and II portion oi IL washed lnio
yullieS. II has, however, been successfully
terracsd aud is very much improved AL
most the whole area Is swept by the w esterly
winds, to which there is no obstruction With
In Two or three miles Gse ban@ WINS hhs soil so nd
whipping the plants. On these landS, In the
Spring of 1872. we planted about one thouSahu
fruit trees, and EIGHT hundred grape vines
These have been added 10 from Time 10 Time,
unit! we now have about twenty three hum
dred fruit trees and two thousand grape vines
The trees consist Of apples. pears, peaches
plums. ounces, cherries, figs, pecans, wal.
mus. chr,tuutS, tilD"rtS, &C., IN variety; OF
grapes, we have thiriy-siX varieties.
Both trees and vines have made good growth
aud are cOmparatively free from disease.
they are SO interlncafed and alternnted as 10
rive each kind and each variety tue beneht OF
the different exposures and soils. the freeze
of 9th March, l>9i did great damage To all,
bat especially TO the figs, qu nccs and he So
called oriental varieties of pears--the l.e-
conte CARRIER and Kiefier being killed to the
ground.
Mernora nda has been made OF the growth:
date of biuoin damage by frost. yields, &C.. oi
the ditfereut varieties Oh the several expos
ureS.
The trees being young, and the froSts con-
timing into May. have borne llttle lruit as
yet. maj,rity of the peach ps Trees nave nav
recovering from the freeze In vi bore lew
scattering lunches, but the crop of this year
promises 10 be very fine, with me exception
Of one variety the Norteus Virginia.
W. have used the Bordeaux mixture, cop
perdlne and some other fungicides, but az YET,
have seen no sign OF disease or rot upon ELMER
sprayed or unSpraye ed vines.
In the matter of experiments win the veg
etabieS, we have grown the following: Va-
rieties OF asparagus: q varieties oil beetS, IN
Guiding sugar beets and mangOlds; 69 Vari'
ties of dWait or bunch beans; 10 OF pole beans,
Including the limas: 4S OF cabbage; l3 OF car.
rotS; 9 of celery; 81 of cucuinberS; 20 oi let
tuce; 81 OF onions; or pumpkins; oG ol irish
potatoes: - radiShes; ; OF satisfy; l! o.
so uashes; IL OF turuip>: OF splnach or
I of okra; OF parnips: q of pepper; 55 OF
tomatoes and sundry others: together wltb Us
varieties OF cdntelOpes, and 81 varieties OF
waternelOnS. Also popcorn, mlllets, SOFA
beans, German coffee, ct Al.
None of these experiments have, as yet. run
through more than two years, except dwarf
heans, tomatoes and Irish potatoes; bulletins
prepared. The result Of the first years test
has already been published. In addition 10
these variety tests. fertilizer and cultivation
experiments are also being carried on with
toes, beans, cabbage. onions and Irish pola-
toes-there being thirty-four different fertil-
iZers and combinations OF fertilizers on pota-
toes alone.
varietiesJ. strawberries tforty.two varletiesl,
currauts, gooSeberries. &c. These were all
more or less injured by the freeze OF March,
1894. and none Of them have fully recovered
except the strawberry. We gathered Of these,
this season, over four thousand quarts from
three acres of old aud poor land. Oi these
forty odd varieties The Buback No. D, tne ha'
vefland aud The Candy, In the order named.
deserve special mention for yield, size and
flavor.
We have needed and used very little and
but few Insecticides, except TO test their rela-
tive merits. Small boxes, elevated on poles.
AT the rate of five TO the acre, have been the
nesting and hroOdiug places OF the common
blue bird (siaia sialiSi and other insectiVorous
birds, and these. with the aid OF the common
toad, have kept All noXious insects sunJu-
gated except the harlequin bug (Strachia his
triouica). No bird or fowl, SO far as we have
observed, will kill or eat This hug. Our rule Is
to encourage and provide for 10y furnishing
nesting places and food in winier) all birds oi
every kind except the jay bird and the so
called English sparrow. These two last we
kill on sight.
The blue bird, cat bird and the old field
sparrow are worth their weight in "silVer' 10
any gardener.
The various cabbage worms are easily dis
posed Of Wheat bran. corn meal, gypsum,
flOatS or any line uuSt, Heely spIlhh leu VII lut
plants when the dew is on, Will soon destroy
them. Alter the cabbage has headed, take Il
leaf from the bottom and lay II on top late In
the evening; in the early morning you VIII
find most OF The worms on the underside ot
this leaf.
! The harlequin bug Is made of sterner stuff.
Next To hand picking. the best remedy we
have found is to plant mustard or turn1ps
near 10 the cabbnge; the bug prefers these,
and gathered on them kill (bothl with crude
petroleum or cheap Kerosene OIL.
The labor in this department consists OF
one foreman. six laborerS and two mules. A
few of the cuilege students work about four
hours each on Saturday. aud Two sections OF
the Sophomore class work two hours week,
but this latter Is educational and not paid for.
In addition TO hot beds, cold frames, &c., we
have a small green house say 20NGO. In which
are grown several hundred ornamental
plants. including ninety varieties OF cacti.
Most OF the college students take great inter-
est In this section Of the work.
The area In experimental work proper Is
about thirty acres.
In connection with this department we
have a canning and a picking outfit. In the
season OF "a the output of the canning sec
tion was ten thousand three pound cans OF
vegetables. Tue most of this work Is done by
the students and Is both educational and prof
liable. Respectfully,
Il q DuPre