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CIRCULAR NO. 129, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



mercial growing on account of its superior shipping qualities. The Gold Dollar and 

 Magoon are being used to some extent. The Miller and Arizona are good for home 

 use, but are too soft to ship successfully. The hill system of culture is preferable be- 

 cause it facilitates the work of keeping the bed free from weeds and the fruit is larger 

 and more easily gathered. 



GARDEN AND TRUCK CROPS. 



The work of identifying and testing varieties of garden and truck 

 crops is conducted in cooperation with the Office of Horticultural 

 Investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry. In this work special 

 emphasis is placed upon the determination of the adaptability of the 

 varieties to local conditions and market requirements. During the 

 three years 1910 to 1912, 67 varieties have been tested. In 1912 

 there were 37 varieties under test, mcludmg those which appeared 

 to be the most promising in previous years and some new varieties. 

 Table IV gives the names of the crops included in these tests, the 

 number of varieties of each on trial in 1912, and the total number of 

 varieties tested to date. 



Table V. — Garden and truck crops under test at the Umatilla Erperimtnt Farm. 



Nineteen varieties of tomatoes have been tried out with a view to 

 producmg a variety with pronounced immunity from western tomato 

 bUght, for a foundation upon which to carry out selection and breeding 

 experiments. Various methods of culture are also bemg tried to study 

 their effect upon the growth of this plant. 



Asparagus. — Asparagus does well on the project and is growing in popularity as a 

 commercial crop. The plants must not be crowded, and the beds should be covered 

 with manure or straw as a mulch during the winter and to protect the young shoots in 

 the early spring. The Palmetto is the best variety so far tested, because of its extreme 

 hardiness. 



Melons. — Watermelons of good quality are being grown, but have not been marketed 

 to advantage, on account of the small quantity produced. There is a demand for this 

 product in carload lots, and as it can be cheaply grown the industry should be more 

 extensively developed. The Kleckley Sweet (Monte Cristo) is not the heaviest pro- 

 ducer of the 14 varieties tried, but it yields the largest percentage of salable melons. 



Cantaloupes do not thrive on sandy raw land, but do well on highly fertilized sand 

 and on silt soils. The Emerald Gem and Rocky Ford varieties are preferable, as 

 determined by observations in the district. 



Potatoes.— The production of early potatoes is a promising industry on the project, 

 but it sustained a severe check in 1912, when the crop could not be sold to advantage. 

 iCir. 12!)] 



