516 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



and raised the question as to the advisability of such a combination of 

 duties. He believed it desirable when sufficient men are provided to 

 perform the proper functions of both teaching and investigating with- 

 out allowing either to suffer. This paper called forth an earnest dis- 

 cussion of the relations of instruction and research in horticulture in 

 the agricultural colleges, developing the general opinion that while a 

 combination of teaching and investigating was often desirable, it 

 would frequenth' prove more profitable to allow the horticulturist 

 especially qualified for investigation to devote himself largely to that 

 field, provided the conditions of the institution would permit, and by 

 specializing to jaise his work to a high order of excellence. A large 

 amount of elementar}^ teaching was generally held to be detrimental 

 to thorough station work. 



A paper b}" B. D. Halsted, on Observations concerning the first 

 and second generations of plants, gave the results of the author's 

 observations in crossing sweet corn, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, egg- 

 plants, and salsify. A pink-colored sweet corn, obtained b}- crossing 

 a white variet}^ and the Egyptian, proved ver}'^ unstable in the second 

 generation, many of the ears reverting to the Egyptian type. Cucum- 

 ber crosses were all exceedingly variable, and with ]:(eans no two varie- 

 ties were obtained which were alike. In crossing tomatoes many of 

 the plants were identical with or very similar to the mother plant, 

 while a few were variable m foliage, habit, shape, and color of fruit. 

 With eggplants some very satisfactorj^ crosses were made. Crossing 

 garden salsify with a wild species of the same genus gave true h3^brids, 

 which in the second generation proved verj^ variable in the color of 

 flowers, and showed a strong tendency toward reversion. The paper 

 led to a quite general discussion of the subject of plant breeding, in 

 which the experience and views of a number of speakers were recounted. 



A paper by eT. Craig, on Cooperation between the farmer and the 

 experiment station, while favoring this line of work, called attention 

 to some of its difficulties and recommended that it be confined to prac- 

 tical lines and that there be personal supervision of the work on the 

 part of the station. The discussion developed the fact that at a num- 

 ber of stations cooperative work with farmers has been found both 

 practicable and profitable, and that it is being undertaken by horti- 

 culturists to a considerable extent. 



In a papei on the effect of light and heat on the germination of 

 Kentucky blue grass, E. Brown, of this Department, reported a series 

 of experiments covering a variet\- of conditions. The best results 

 were obtained when the temperature alternated between 20 and 30^ C, 

 and light was found to be apparently without effect upon the germi- 

 nation of this seed. The effect of different degrees of moisture 

 appeared to be of little consequence, provided the seeds were kept 

 sufficiently moist for germination. Attention was called to the bene- 

 ficial effects of alternation of temperature upon a number of varieties 



