ANNUAL REPORT, 1942 9 



This gave good control of weeds in all replications, whether done in the fall or in 

 the spring. The combination treatment of chloro-picrin and calcium cyanamid 

 consisted of 2 cc. of chloro-picrin per square foot and one-half pound of calcium 

 cyanamid per square yard of soil surface, applied only in the fall. This treat- 

 ment was not so effective as steaming, but it gave fair control of weeds in most of 

 the replications. 



Onion Breeding. (Hrant M. Yegian.) Tests were made during the season of 

 1942 on the Hubbard farm in Sunderland, Massachusetts, to compare the yields 

 of onions obtained from sets planted Tay machine with yields of onions obtained 

 from sets planted by hand, and to determine the effect that spacing of sets within 

 the row might have on both the yield and size of bulbs produced. 



The sets planted by hand yielded an average of 51 pounds of Number 1 onions 

 per 50-foot row, compared with 33.5 pounds for machine-planted sets with 

 supplementary hand work for checking and respacing. With the machine, the 

 spacing and the yield are not uniform. The number of plants in a 50-foot row 

 varied from 153 to 218, compared with 238 to 264 plants per row in the hand- 

 planted sets. The yield obtained from machine-planted sets varied from 29 to 

 44 pounds compared with 49 to 54.5 pounds from hand-planted sets. Another 

 important factor affecting the yield and the stand of machine-planted sets is the 

 fact that sets are not always placed 'n an upright position. There was a loss of 

 25 percent in yield when sets were placed horizontally in the row by hand, and 

 80 percent when planted bottoms up in the experimental plot at the College. 

 These figures will, of course, varj' from year to year depending on weather condi- 

 tions prevailing soon after the sets are planted. The weather during April and 

 the early part of May this season was very dry and warm, which may account for 

 the poor start made by sets planted horizontally or bottoms up. Although the 

 machine-planted sets did not yield as well as the hand-planted sets, it would seem 

 that .the use of this machine should be encouraged in the Valley because of the 

 saving in labor. Even spacing could be secured by carefully sizing the sets into 

 several grades. 



Spacing of sets in the row had a marked influence on the yield and to some 

 extent on the size of the bulbs. When sets were spaced 2.1 inches, 3.2 inches and 

 4.2 inches apart in the rows, the average yields of Number 1 onions were 51 

 pounds, 40.5 pounds, and 32.5 pounds per 50-foot row, respectively; and the 

 average weight of bulbs was 0.2 pounds, 0.22 pounds, and 0.23 pounds, respec- 

 tively. 



The data covering one year of field experiments on the effect of storage tem- 

 peratures on the keeping quality of bulbs and on the subsequent seed-stalk de- 

 velopment of mother bulbs at uniform weight (40-45 grams) warrant the follow- 

 ing general statement: 



1. Bulbs stored at 32'^F. kept best. Bulbs stored at 45° had 15 percent of 

 sprouting, while those stored at 60° - 70° had 18 percent of sprouting and 5 per- 

 cent of soft rot. 



2. Bulbs stored at 45°F. were the first to send out seed stalks, followed by 

 those stored at 60° - 70°. The bulbs stored at 32° were 7-10 days later than 

 those stored at 45°. 



3. The storage temperature had a marked effect on the number of seed stalks 

 produced. When bulbs were stored at 60° - 70°F., 33 percent of the bulbs had 

 2 seed stalks per bulb; 30 percent, 3 seed stalks; and 25 percent, 4 seed stalks; 

 when stored at 45°, 53 percent of bulbs had 2 seed stalks per bulb; 32 percent, 3 

 seed stalks; and 8 percent, 4 seed stalks; and w^hen stored at 32°, 76 percent of the 

 bulbs had 2 seed stalks per bulb; 17 percent, 3 seed stalks; and 4 percent, 4 seed 

 .stalks. 



