BREEDING Improved 

 HORTICHTIlllAL PLAITS 



I! 



By A. F. Yeager 



Professor of Horticulture 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW 

 VARIETY OF FRUIT and its introduc- 

 tion after it has been developed re- 

 quires much more time than is neces- 

 sary for vegetable plant breeding. 

 This is because most of the plants 

 n^ust be grov^n several years before 

 they come into bearing from seed. A 

 greater growing space is also re- 

 quired for each fruit plant than for 

 o vegetable plant. For these rea- 

 sons, it is impossible to work with such 

 lorge numbers as is done with vege- 

 table crops This means slower pro- 

 gress with fruit and woody ornament- 

 al plant breeding. 



The groundwork for a real plant- 

 breeding program has now been laid 

 at the University of New Hampshire. 

 Breeding stock has been collected 

 end has reached maturity. Some of 

 the seedling populations are also 

 Hearing their bearing age. There- 

 fore, more rapid progress may be 



expected within the next few years 

 than has been possible during the 

 past ten years. 



This bulletin is the second in a 

 series of two publications which was 

 planned to tell you about some of the 

 accomplishments of the plant-breed- 

 ing program at the New Hampshire 

 Agricultural Experiment Station. It 

 outlines the work under way with 

 fruits and ornamentals, indicates in 

 what direction the work is aimed, and 

 points out what results may be antici- 

 pated. 



The first publication of the series, 

 Station Bulletin 380, is concerned with 

 vegetable plant breeding, and dis- 

 cusses the work with tomatoes, 

 melons, squashes, peppers, peas, egg- 

 plant, popcorn, beans, cabbage, and 

 carrots. It is called "Breeding Im- 

 proved Horticultural Plants. I-Vege- 

 tables." 



