Apples were commercially im- 

 portant in the state, and thus one long- 

 term project was breeding resistance 

 to apple scab. Blueberries, also im- 

 portant commercially in New Hamp- 

 shire, were bred for hardiness and 

 early fruiting. Meader crossed low bush 

 with high bush blueberries to produce 

 a half-high plant less susceptible to 

 winter damage. Several new varieties 

 of strawberries and raspberries were 

 bred and released by the department. 



Meader collected seeds of the wild 

 species of Chrysanthemum [Chrysan- 

 themum sibiricum) in the mountains 

 of Korea in 1947 and from this mate- 

 rial some 15 new varieties of hardy, 

 colorful plants have been produced. 

 Extending the flowering season and 

 originating new colors was the focus 

 of lilac breeding, continued by O. M. 

 Rogers following Yeager's retirement, 

 and new varieties were created. Risley 

 bred new varieties of roses and Mo- 

 narda (bee balm). Pike, who worked 

 with rhododendrons and azaleas, se- 



lected them for superior form, and 

 hybridized them for new colors, late 

 blooming and hardiness. 



On an experimental farm in Coos 

 county, Latimer tested newer varieties 

 of tree fruits — pears, apples, plums, 

 cherries — over an eight-year period to 

 determine which ones showed winter 

 injury and damage. He also worked 

 out best culture methods for the 

 'Durham' raspberry and for pear pro- 

 duction. R. Eggert investigated fertil- 

 izers and cover crops for apples and J. 

 L. Pearson developed a method for 

 propagation of late-blooming lilacs 

 from softwood cuttings. 



At the time of his retirement from 

 the university in 1958, Yeager had 

 been the recipient of several awards 

 for his contributions to plant breeding 

 including, the Stevenson Memorial 

 Medal, Manitoba, Canada; the Award 

 of Merit from the Vegetable Grower's 

 Association of America; the Wilder 

 Medal of the American Pomological 

 Society; and in 1956 election to mem- 



The first casaba melon variety to mature in New Hampshire 



39 



