REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 



BYRON D. IIALSTED^ SC.D. 

 EARLE J. OWEIS^ E.S., ASSISTANT. 



During the passing year the work of the Botanical Department 

 has been cliiefly that of plant improvement by breeding and se- 

 lection among truck plants. Alphabetically, the list of subjects 

 receiving the most attention is: Beans, corn (sweet and pop), egg- 

 plants, squashes and tomatoes, Avhile, in a small way, a place has 

 been made for martynias, okra, onions, peas, peppers, salsify and 

 udo, to which the "Prairie Huckleberry" and several strains of 

 '•Chinese Cabbage" may be added as "novelties." 



With beans-, the work thus far accomplished gives hope for the 

 securing of a stringless snap variety, with fleshy pods, bearing 

 small white seeds. Aside from the above desirable qualities, a 

 high degree of productiveness is sought for rather than extreme 

 earliness. The number of crosses already secured is large and, 

 Avith some of them, the fifth generation is past and a fair degree 

 of fixity secured. By means of the greenhouse, a generation is 

 gained, and with the midsummer planting three crops are secured 

 in a year. Among the lima beans many crosses have been made 

 that may help in bringing this highly-prized vegetable more nearly 

 to perfection. On account of the prevalence of the mildew, which 

 is favored by the surrounding dense, often moist, foliage, efforts 

 are being made to secure desirable types of seeds that are asso- 

 ciated with the "willow-leaf" form of foliage and, also, more 

 length of flowering stem that the pods may be formed in the open 

 above the leaves. The hybrids of the bush beans and "Scarlet 

 Runner" have been grown another year, and some of the offspring 

 show decided productiveness with the dwarf nature and may de- 



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