EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 195 



York, have very kindly cooperated in the finding of the best growers of the 

 most promising varieties. Approximately sixty selected haK-pound tubers 

 were obtained from seventy-six sources and small quantities came from 

 twenty other sources. These lots were reselected at East Lansing to obtain 

 the best for planting. After treating and drying, each potato was cut into 

 four pieces at planting time. These four pieces were planted in adjacent 

 hills, called tuber-units. 



The potato improvement work at Chatham and East Lansing is cooperative 

 with the members of the Department of Botany, who take care of the dis- 

 ease phases of the work. They treat the tubers before planting, pull out all 

 the tuber-units that develop constitutional diseases, and attend to the spray- 

 ing. The year of 1921 is considered a quarantine year, during which time 

 all disease types are to be rogued out. Tuber-units will be selected at har- 

 vest, to continue in plant rows for 1922. The checks in that series will be 

 a tuber line selected and increased at Chatham. 



During the following three years, the plans are to pool the selected strains 

 from the two Stations and grow duplicate varietal series at the two Stations. 

 Then the best ones will be ready for increase and distribution. 



During this time the plan is to make crosses between promising strains 

 and compare the new seedling lines for disease resistance and good production 

 of potatoes with desirable quality. 



The new rye bulletin, that is now at the printer's, gives a good outline of 

 results with Rosen rye. A varietal series will be planted in the fall of 1921. 

 This series will include the most highly recommended varieties throughout 

 the country, together with the strains of Rosen rye in the hands of the Micliigan 

 Crop Improvement Association. Also it is planned to plant a series of 

 spring ryes in the spring of 1922. 



Rod-row series will include samples from all the growers receiving inspec- 

 tion in 1921, in addition to about a hundred lots coming from individually 

 selfed heads and plants collected in 1919 and 1920. These lots were caged 

 in a wheat series in 1921. The purpose is to plant a portion of the seed 

 and save a remnant. The results will indicate the more desirable remnants 

 to be used in future rye breeding work. 



The work with sugar beets is considerably increased in 1921. The most 

 highly recommended lots of seed in this country and Europe have been 

 obtained to place in a varietal series. The selfed seed of 1920 entered progeny 

 rows in 1921 and other beets are isolated for selfing purposes. 



The other lines of work are indicated in the table and most of them are 

 continuing much as usual. The wheat work is becoming so extensive as to 

 over-crowd the space allotted to it. The new varietal series, started in the 

 fall of 1919, was so badly drowned in the spring of 1920 as to make the results 

 undesirable. A good set of results are obtained in 1921, but this series should 

 run two more years to give desirable averages. Meanwhile new lots coming 

 up through the smaller series and plant-rows demand space. Some new 

 wheats will be increased during the next year. 



Respectfully submitted, 

 F. A. SPRAGG, 



Plant Breeder. 

 East Lansing, Michigan, June 30, 1921. 



