ANNUAL REPORT, 1942 47 



Jellies and carbonated beverages were successfully prepared using levulinic 

 acid. Tests in bread and other bakery products indicate that levulinic acid is 

 at best only weakly mycostatic. 



Dextrose Investigations. (\V. B. Esselen, Jr., H. Fram, and A. S. Levine.) 

 It was found that sucrose and dextrose had similar effects on the thermal resis- 

 tance of microorganisms ccmmonK- associated with the spoilage of acid food 

 products. 



DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE 

 R. A. Van Meter in Charge 



Nursery culture. (C. J. Gilgut.) In the commercial culture of ornamental 

 plants interest has been confined almost entirely to the production of esthetic 

 effects. During the early stages in the development of a research program with 

 plants in this class, it was necessary to devote much attention to the study of 

 their habits to learn their response to cultural practices. While the results may 

 not have contributed anything sufficiently conclusive to justify recommendations 

 for use in commercial production, the\- have unquestionably prepared the way 

 for the development of a sound research program which is gradually being 

 formulated. 



DEPARTMENT OF OLERICULTURE 

 G. B. Snyder in Charge 



Variety Studies. (W. H. Lachman and G. B. Sn\der.) The 1942 season was 

 very favorable to the growing of vegetables and furnished excellent opportunity 

 for testing some of the newer strains. Tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, Pascal 

 celery, and beans were given special consideration. While nothing significantly 

 conclusive resulted from these tests, information has been gained concerning 

 habits and cultural response that will serve in evaluating the merits of the several 

 varieties and strains included in this stud\-. 



Asparagus Investigations. (Robert E. Young, Waltham.) In the asparagus 

 breeding plots, yields from selected strains were 60 percent higher than last year. 

 The increase in production was quite uniform for all strains, even though the 

 best produced just twice as much asparagus per plant as the poorest. This 

 poorest strain was commercial Mary Washington, indicating that with the proper 

 selection of parent material the yield can be greatly increased. The order of 

 yield of these strains has followed fairly closely the average yield of the parent 

 plants. 



Although the yield was so much higher, the average size of spear showed only 

 slight increase, and this did not seem to be correlated with yield or size of spear 

 in previous years. 



A division of the spears, during harvest, into four different sizes showed that 

 the percentage of both small and large spears has remained quite constant for 

 all strains for all years and that the change has been a decrease in the medium size 

 and an increase in the very large. The percentage of very large spears varied 

 from 53 percent for the highest yielding strain to 25 percent for the lowest yield- 

 ing; so the best strain from the standpoint of yield was the best from the stand- 

 point of quality also. 



