60 CONTROL SERIES No. 77 



It is believed that it seedlings in the laboratory germinator that show infec- 

 tion by organisms arising from the particular kernels concerned are considered 

 abnormal, then the normal germination readings in the laboratory can be 

 expected to represent a fair index of the germinating ability of the corresponding 

 lots in the field. If the seedling diseases are not taken into account in the 

 laboratory counts, the total emergence and normal germination in the field 

 are likely to be considerably lower than might be expected from the laboratory 

 readings. 



Type and Variety Studies of Sweet Corn 



Conducted in Conjunction with the Department of Vegetable Gardening 

 Grant B. Snyder 



The field trials of sweet corn for 1934 included 300 lots, consisting of 125 

 different named sorts from 90 sources. The seed was obtained in all cases from 

 the seed firm or grower. In conducting the trials every effort was made to 

 maintain as uniform conditions as possible and to evaluate the plant and ear 

 characteristics on a fair basis. Detailed records were taken of each lot as to 

 plant, ear, and kernel characters as well as maturity periods. Kernel toughness 

 was also studied for a few of the more important commercial sorts. 



In general the sorts included were true in type for the variety designated 

 by the seedsman. 



Golden Gem by S. D. Woodruff resembled Spanish Golden as in the trials 

 of 1933. 



Golden Sunshine was divided into two rather defmite groups. The strains 

 from Alex. Forbes Seed Co., Joseph Breck & Sons Corp., Hart Seed Co., S. D. 

 Woodruff & Sons, and F. H. Woodruff & Sons bore ears resembling Golden 

 Early Market somewhat more than original Sunshine. The variation, however, 

 was not sufficient to pl-event their inclusion within the variety range for Golden 

 Sunshine. 



Golden Bantam strains were uniformly eight-rowed, and any lots of Golden 

 Bantam type having more than eight rows were generally designated as 

 different from true Golden Bantam by the seedsman. 



Hybrid Sweet Corns, which were first produced for their resistance to 

 Stewart's disease, performed well, all of the named sorts being high yielding 

 and very uniform, with Top Cross Bantam, Golden Cross Bantam, and Red 

 Green of excellent eating quality. Some of the unnamed sorts in the trials 

 have since been named, and it would appear that even in years when Stewart's 

 disease is not serious, hybrid sweet corns will be of considerable importance 

 due to their uniformity of ear characters and high yielding ability. 



Type and Variety Studies of Vegetables 



Conducted in Conjunction with the Department of Vegetable Gardening 

 Grant B. Snyder 



Most small home gardeners buy their vegetable seeds from the neighbor- 

 hood store in packet or bulk lots. They find that in a fair percentage of cases 

 seed purchased from such sources are quite variable in germination and the 

 resulting plants are variable in type and performance. With this in mind the 

 Department of Vegetable Gardening cooperated with the Seed Laboratory in 

 checking packet and bulk seed stock which was purchased on the open market 

 from various sources by state inspectors. 



Specifically, the project was undertaken to check the various lots on trueness 

 to name and actual performance in the field. The sorts planted in the field 

 trials included 139 lots of the following vegetables: beans, beets, carrots, cu- 

 cumbers, lettuce, onions, parsnips, radish, spinach, squash, and turnips. 



in general, the various sorts ran fairly true to the name printed on the seed 

 packet. The carrots were very much off type, and there were some misnamed 

 in the lettuce and spinach lots. 



