88 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 378 



made. Selected plants were also saved to supply the immediate need for 

 stock seed. 



Attempts to speed the breeding program by sending plants to Puerto 

 Rico to to be grown there failed because of heart-burn in the plants 

 which became so severe they died. 



Tomatoes. Growers of trellis and greenhouse tomatoes have used and ap- 

 preciated the two strains of tomatoes (Waltham Forcing and Trellis No. 

 22) developed at the Field Station. Many have expressed a desire that 

 we continue our work and attempt to remove the two or three undesirable 

 characters they contain. In this connection, crosses were made in the 

 greenhouse using Waltham Forcing, Trellis No. 22, and Early Trellis as 

 one parent and Marglobe, Early Rutgers, and Michigan State Forcing as 

 the other. These hybrids were grown last season in comparison with 

 many strains of Comet of local seedsmen and, of course, the parents of 

 tlie crosses. The hybrids showed pronounced hybrid vigor, producing 

 more early fruit and a greater total yield. The hybrid vigor was so pro- 

 nounced, and growers' comments about them so enthusiastic, that an at- 

 tempt will be made to produce a small amount of hybrid seed for growers' 

 trials. The large percentage of No. 1 fruits produced by our strains of 

 tomatoes was also exhibited by the hybrids. Under intensive cultivation 

 where the value of an acre of tomatoes is very high, the expenditure of 

 $10 to $25 per acre for seed that will increase production from 15 to 25 

 percent would be within the reach of many of our growers. 



Selections were made from the hybrid material to carry on the breeding 

 program as originally started. 



Rutabaga or Cape Turnip. The improvement program with Cape turnip 

 was not greatly furthered during the year because the selected turnip 

 plants failed to set seed in the greenhouse, and because what crop was 

 planted outside was almost completely destroyed by cabbage maggot. 

 Seed from other selected roots of the year before will be used for next 

 year's crop. 



Hutchinson Carrot. The improvement of the color and core of the Hutch- 

 inson carrot by hybridization is becoming more important as local con- 

 sumers become more accustomed during the winter to carrots from other 

 producing areas. The varieties used in other areas are not suited to our 

 soil and are very susceptible to carrot blight. 



The third generation of a cross between the Hutchinson and a Red 

 Turkish carrot was grown this past fall and several lines were selected 

 that were quite uniform and desirable. The biennial nature of carrots 

 makes the breeding program slow. 



Selection within the Hutchinson carrot to improve the strain has also 

 been continued. 



The supply of stock seed of the Field Station strain of Hutchinson car- 

 rot was replenished. The demand for this stock seed has been so great 

 that it has been necessary to limit the c]uantity to 1 ^/^ pounds per seeds- 

 man. 



Waltham Beauty Pepper. During the year a comparison was made between 

 open-pollinated selections and the same plant self-pollinated in the green- 

 house. While the characteristics of the population did not differ greatly 

 and crossing in the field might not be visible, tliere was no detectable 

 difference in the two lots of seed. Very few of tiie iiybrids have shown 

 the fruit setting ability of tlie Waltham Beauty and not shown the uii- 



