240 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



HUBAM BREEDING^ 



Hubam as it is generally known is an annual white sweet clover. The 

 race that is being carried on survives the winter. 



There were five acres of Hubam on the college farm in 1920. The fol- 

 lowing spring it was discovered that about one hundred plants on an 

 acre were still alive. Some of these plants were transplanted in a 

 group entirely- away from the general field. The seed from these indi- 

 viduals was used to set out a Hubam nursery in the summer of 1922. 

 This race segregated extensively- into types that blossomed the first year 

 and those that did not. 



We are continuing with individuals that produced flowers in the first 

 season, and survived the following winter, with the thought that it 

 may be possible to produce a perennial sweet clover. It is well-known 

 that the ordinary- biennial type dies when once it has produced its seed 

 crop. If this work can find a strain that can produce seed, and sur- 

 vive, it is clearly of a different type. 



There is also another line of sweet clover investigation that may be 

 mentioned here. It is a low Ibush type that sends up a large number of 

 fine stems in the place of a few large but taller ones. This low bush 

 type has been observed in both the Hubam and the biennial types. A 

 strain of low bush beinnial has been isolated, and if it can be kept from 

 being crossed upon, should be productive of a much better quality hay 

 than is possible by the old type. 



OAT BREEDING. 



The work with oats at the present time is almost entirely confined 

 to extensive varietal testing. Most i>f the varieties are strains that have 

 come from individual plant selections in former years. Certain promising 

 commercial sorts, together with certain new strains that have been pro- 

 duced by other experiment stations are also included in the varietal 

 series. 



POTATO BREEDING. 



Of the thirty-one hundred tuber-units planted in the spring of 1921 

 only eight hundred and fifty-four were saved in the fall because these 

 Avere superior in yiel'ding quality. A tuber was taken out of each of 

 these for testing in the greenhouse. A bud from each such tuber was 

 planted to determine whether the individual tuber contained Mosaic or 

 other physiological diseases. If a bud developed any of these diseases, 

 the potato and the tuber-unit, from which it came, Avere discarded. This 

 work reduced the number of units to five hundred and sixty-five. The 

 healthy tubers were planted in new tuber-unit series in 1922. 



These were again tested in the greenhouse during last winter by 

 taking a bud out of a potato from each tuber-unit. If the bud developed 

 disease, the lot that the bud represented was discarded. This reduced 

 the number of- units to one hundred and sixty-three. The healthy 

 tubers were planted in tuber-unit lots in 1923. 



It seems very difficult to get away from Mosaic, and other physiologi- 

 cal diseases. The hope is that a strain may be found entirely free from 

 these diseases that will also be a high producer. The purpose is to run 



