HORl^KniLTURP:. 249 



Home-grown v. purchased seed, W. C. Stubbs, F. II. Bi kxette, and E. Wat- 

 son {LotilsidiKi Stas. Bill. 6S, 2. ser., pp. 8JO-840). — The antliur states that there is a 

 freneral l)elief that southern-grown seed is inferior to more northern seed. Experi- 

 ments liavi' tlu'rcforc liccn undertaken at tlic statiiin and si ihstations to determine 

 the trutli of the niattei'. Tests have l)een coiKhieted now fur four years with a large 

 number of vegetables, which show that, in the main, nearly all varieties of home- 

 grown ^•egetable seed are equal, and in some instances superior, to northern-grown 

 seed. Ditiiculties were sometimes encountered in properly curing the liome-grown 

 seed, owing to the dampness of the climate, inexperience, weevils, etc. The fol- 

 lowing crops 'gave as good results with home-grown seed as with northern-grown, 

 and in some instances better: Bush l)eans, Lima beans, pole beans, garden beets, 

 cauliflowers, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, sweet corn, endive, lettuce, muskmel- 

 ons, watermelons, mustard, okra, onions, pe]ii)ers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, 

 radishes, spinach, squashes, pumpkins, and turnips. No success has been attained 

 in raising home-grown cabbage seed. 



Tests of varieties of vegetables were made at the same time. In addition to tests 

 of the vegetables mentioned above, the following were grown: Artichokes, aspara- 

 gus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, kohl-rabi, leeks, shallots, parsley, Chinese 

 cabbage, and a large number of Jai)anese vegetables, obtained from the V. ^. Dejiart- 

 inent of Agriculture. 



Tests were also made of the followiug varieties of fruits: Apples, pears, peaches, 

 plums, figs, oranges, mull)erries, raspl)erries, blackberries, dewberries, strawberries, 

 goumi, and jujube. Of the 45 varieties of ai)i»les grown, Rhodes Orange Moultrie, 

 Killagiskie, Yates, Shockley, and Pear or Palmer bore large crops that kept well. 

 At Audubon Park sand pears were the only ones that succeeded. At Baton Rouge 

 -16 varieties were grown, of which the Le Conte bore a large crop. From present 

 experience it is not possible to recommend the most suitable varieties of pears for 

 Louisiana. Peaches were not a success at Audubon Park. The Peento type have 

 been destroyed by fro^t each year at Baton Rouge, and have therefore been dis- 

 carded. Of the other varieties grown, Elberta has proven the most productive. 

 Some of the varieties recommended for culture at Calhoun are Trimnph, Champion, 

 Rmock, Crosby, Troth Early, Austen Late, etc. Plum growing has not been a 

 success at any of the stations. The goumi bushes planted at the stations bear enor- 

 mous crops of fruit each year. They also rank high as an ornamental shrul). The 

 jujube produced its first crop of fruit in 1899 and is still growing well. 



Preliminary account of variation in bean hybrids, R. A. Emekson (Nehrdslri 

 Sta. Rpt. 1901., pp. Sij-49, pU. .3). — An account is given of the variation occurring in 

 liybrids and their progeny of a numl>er of races of kidney l)eans ( Plid.'ieolu.'t vulgaris) . 

 The work was begun in 1898, and in some cases has lieen carried through five gen- 

 erations. Combinations have been made between varieties with yellow, green, and 

 ])lue-green pods; stringy and stringless pods; long and short pods; round and flat 

 pods; white, red, l)rown, black, and variously mottled seeds; oblong and nearly 

 round seeds, etc. The method of work observeil is given in detail. The hybrid 

 seed used for planting in the field was grown in a greenhouse, since the climate of 

 the station does not permit a successful outdoor hybridization of this crop. Kidney 

 l)eans are perfectly self-fertile, and in the iuithor's observations only 4 per cent of 

 hyVjrid forms were found in lots of bean plants the preceding generation of which 

 was grown in a field with over 100 races, the most of which were in blossom at the 

 same time. 



In the author's experience all the racial hybrids of lieans produced showed little 

 variation in the first generation, but pronounced variation in the second and third 

 generations. They appeared fairly well fixed in the fourth and fifth generations. 



