EXPERIMEXT STATIOX REPORT. 389 



EXPERIMENTS IN CROSSING LIMA BEANS. 



In 1900 twenty plants were secured as probable crosses between 

 ihe "Henderson" and "Burpee" dwarf lima beans. The results with 

 the seeds from these plants are given in the report for 1901. A con- 

 siderable portion of the Experiment Area has been occupied with the 

 second generation of these crosses the present season, and the work of 

 harvesting the crop is in progress as this report is closed. It can only 

 be said now that there was considerable variation in the various lots, 

 some being small-podded, prolific and early like the "Henderson" 

 parent, while others were large-podded and comparatively late and 

 small bearers. 



Last year there were eight plants of the crosses that required poles. 

 Seeds from these were planted separately, and, with Imt few excep- 

 tipns, the plants have required poles. Many variations are to be met 

 with among these, and there are indications that with careful selec- 

 tion a number of new pole sorts, as well as bush kinds, may be ob- 

 tained in coming years. The yield upon some of the plants was quite 

 remarkable. 



CROSSED CUCUMBERS. 



During last winter crosses were secured in the greenhouse of the 

 •"Telegraph" cucumber upon the "Znaim," the seeds of which were 

 planted in Belts 1, 2 and 3 of Plot III., Series III., with good results. 



The "Znaim" cucumber takes its name from a thriving Austrian 

 town, a short distance north of Vienna, and known far and wide for the 

 enormous quantities of superior cucumbers grown in its vicinity. 

 Seed of this variety was kindly sent me by Mr. D. G. Fairchild, Agri- 

 cultural Explorer for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. In Circu- 

 lar iso. 2* he states that "The Znaim cucuml^er is a variety of Cucumis 

 sativus and belongs to the field cucumber class. The seeds of this 

 variety were brought to Znaim by a certain Andreas Lutz, servant of 

 one of the Moravian princes. They are reported to have been intro- 

 duced over one hundred years ago and to have come from the south (or 

 Orient). The seeds were distributed throughout the county of Znaim, 

 and from that early date the culture of this cucumber has been a lu- 

 crative one. 



* " The Cultivation of Znaim Cucumbers " Section of Seed and Plant Introduc- 

 .tion, U. S. Department of Agriculture, January 10th, 1901. 



