A season's experience in cross-pollination. 



293 



A SEASON'S EXPERIENCE IN CROSS-POLLINATION. 



WM. A. PETERSON, MINN. SCHOOL OF AGRI., ST. ANTHONY PARK. 



The crossing of plants having different habits and characteristics 

 with the possibiUty of originating some variety superior to any 

 of it's kind now growing is to me an intensely interesting 

 and fascinating line of work. It can be carried on by the amateur as 

 well as by the professional, though the more knowledge one has of 

 the history, past environments and characteristics of the plants he 

 is working with the greater is the possibility of success. 



a. Carmen No. 3, a popular variety of potato but very subject to blight. 



b. Solanum commersoni, a wild form of the potato native to South America. 



This season's work in cross-pollination has been limited to the 

 potato and grape, and marks but a beginning of a series of cross- 

 pollinations looking towards the improvement of these plants. 



Minnesota annually produces 20,000,000 bushels of potatoes, 

 but the increasing loss due to blight and rot during the past three 

 or four vears has discouraged many potato growers and created a 

 demand for disease resistant varieties. It is difficult to determine 

 whether this increasing prevalence of potato blight and rot is due 



