84 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 388 



plants will cause the sterile plants to set seed. If these plants can be used, there 

 will be no need of emasculating the flower to obtain hybrid seed. 



Slimmer Pascal Celery. This year 20 different single-plant selections of Summer 

 Pascal celery were tested to determine whether a longer petioled strain could be 

 obtained; and no irrigation was supplied after the paper for bleaching was ap- 

 plied, in order to determine whether there were differences in the susceptibility to 

 heartburn. Some of the single-plant selections showed almost 100 percent heart- 

 burn, while the best had only 25 percent. This severe heartburn provided an 

 opportunity to make selections that did not heartburn for the supply of stock 

 seed. 



The results of trials in past years have shown that seed from selected celery 

 plants grown in the fall cannot be raised in time for the next year's crop. Ex- 

 perimental work with light and heat has not hastened the seed stalk development 

 to any extent. A crop of seed was raised outside to provide ample supply of 

 stock seed for our growers. The demand for Summer Pascal celery is greatly 

 increasing. 



Greenhouse Lettuce. The third generation of a cross between Bel-May and an 

 English variety, Cheshunt Giant, was grown at the Waltham Field Station and 

 in two growers' houses. Selections were made and seed produced of the most 

 promising. The hybrids have darker green color and better overlapping of leaves 

 on the bottom, and are slower bolting to seed. It will require another generation 

 or so to completely remove the off-type plants from the strain. 



Rutabaga or Cape Turnip. A good crop of turnips was produced on the Field 

 Station grounds. As a result three distinct types have been selected, and sufficient 

 seed will be grown to enable the growers to try them on their own farms. Type 

 No. 1 has white flesh with white or light green shoulder, and the root is almost 

 uniformly colored from top to bottom. Type No. 2 has white flesh with a slight 

 purple shoulder. Type No. 3 has yellow flesh but is otherwise of the same charac- 

 ter as Type No. 2. Most yellow-fleshed turnips have a dark purple shoulder. 



The t3'pe of soil at the Field Station is such that a good turnip crop is not 

 assured each year and if further work is needed it should be done in the turnip 

 sections such as Bristol County. 



Wyman Crosby Beet. There seems to be a definite correlation between speed 

 of growth and color in beets. The larger roots of the Wyman Crosby strain of 

 beet always seem to be of poor color, while the small roots are usually a dark red 

 color. Twenty-five different selections of single and mass roots were grown and 

 several proved to be very uniform and somewhat of a compromise in that they 

 were of dark color and medium speed of growth. It will require time to build up 

 sufficient seed to try these out. on a large scale. 



Greenhouse Cucumbers. About 30 different strains and varieties were grown 

 for self-pollination in the field. Some of the strains are approaching sufficient 

 uniformity to permit the hybridization program, to be undertaken. Some ex- 

 perimental hybrids tried during the year have been outstanding in yield. The 

 past year's crops have shown that there is a large difference in the vigor of the 

 various lots under trial. Only about 40 percent of the self-pollinated blossoms 

 set fruit, and further study will be made of the methods of pollination and also 

 the effect of homozygous conditions of fruit setting. 



Green Sprouting Broccoli. Both the spring and fall crop have afforded an op- 

 portunity to make selections of the crosses made during the winter in the green- 

 house. Crosses were made between several quite widely different types. The 



