'2(10 IV niM-KIlKNCI-: IMI.lINATIiiNAI.K liK I.K.NKTIi.iLK. 



ni' Mr. Cillicrl llio ilesireil resulL lias lieeii atlained ami wc iiow hâve sirains 

 iltTivcd IVoiii llie Iroii and Whippoorwill cross Ihalbavc llic IViiiUiilness ofllic 

 lallor (oiuljiiicd willi liic résistance ol' Iron. Tlio cowpea is, as a nilc, sclf- 

 feiiilizod, so llial il lias nol beon nncessarv lo isolale Ihe sélections. 



There is now no doiiht tlial tiie character of disease-resistance in tlie 

 cowiica mav l>e recomhined llirii crossing wilh otlier characters possessed liy 

 ollier varieties. 



The résistance lo iieiiialnih- altaik cxliihiled l>_v Ihc Iron Cowpca and ils 

 hybrids is mosl remarkabic, wlien one considers Ihe omnivoroiis habits of 

 Ilelerodcra radickola, and Ihe susceptibilily of olher varieties of Vir/na. Thèse 

 facls should greatly encoura;.,'-e breeders to seek lo discover iiiiiniinily lo niaiiy 

 olher diseases. 



DISEASE RESIS■1'A^■CE IN Tlli; \VATi;iiMEL0N {CitrulluS r'H/^«/V's.) 



The waternielon wilt. <lue lo Fiisariam nivctini Erw. Sni. occiirs in inost ol 

 the Southern L'niled States, and in Oklahoma, lowa. California and Oregon. 

 Most of Ihc work of Ihe Department of Agriculture has beon donc in South 

 Carolina, where llie disease is a serious handicap lo the growing of melons on 

 a large scale for Ihe northern markets. xVll varieties of waternudons appear to . 

 bc vcry susceptible to the tlisease. Exiended tests in 190O and 1901 failed to 

 show any basis for sélection among the l'iO or more varieties lesled. There 

 was, however, an inedible form of Citrulhis rulgaria, locally known as " citron ■"" 

 or " stock melon " which proved lo be immune lo will. This citron, which was 

 niadi'{l!Mll) the pollen parent in a cross wilh a walermelon, has a vigorous. 

 late-maluring vine, wilh long, while fruit, liaving a very lough, hard riiid, 

 liard green flesh and large green seeds. The rind is somelimes cooked and 

 madc inlo préserves. The olher parent was Ihe standard market varicly 

 Eden, an oval. slriped melon, wilh red flesh and while medium-sized seeds. 



F, (litOi) from Ihis cross proved ilself of wonderful vigor and producti- 

 veness, wilh uniform fruit, intermediale belwen the parents, having the oval 

 form and slripes of Ihe walermelon and Ihe hard flesh of Ihe citron. F^ I!t0r> 

 was extremely variable in every respect, the varions citron characters appearing 

 lo be dominant in Ihe grealer part of Ihe melons. From among ,"(100 or 

 'p 0011 plants, len fruits were selected on Ihe basis of their résistance and qualily, 

 and planted the following year (1904) in isolaled infected plots. Of thèse ten, 

 tiie progcny of eighl were so variable and produced so many melons wilh 

 citron characters, Ihal Ihey were rejecled. Two of the plots bore melons of 

 uniform appearance and qualily, one wilh dark green rind, brighl red flesh and 

 small, sliiny, black seeds, unlike either parent, the olher oval and slriped exaclly 

 like the Eden parent, having red flesh and while, médium sized seeds. Bolli 

 Uiese were from the hybrid F,, pollinaled by Eden and were consequently 

 ."i/l melon and 1/4 citron. Alliio an encouraging progress had now been made. 

 Ifu- work was not yel donc. .Vil the best melons were selected and planted 

 separatcly in 1905, when further variations were observable. We no longer had 

 citrons or wholly inedible melons nor were many susceptible lo wilt, but tliere 

 were dillcrences in color and size of Ihe seeds, in the striping and coloring of 

 the melons, and the tenderness and sweelness of the flesh and in Ihick- 

 ness and loughness of the rind. In some cases Ihe flesh was e.vtremely bitter. 



