mmu Improved 



HORTICIILTllRil PIASTS 



By A. F. Yeager 



Professor of Horticulture 



THE PLANT-BREEDING PROGRAM 

 •at the Agricultural Experiment Station 

 is an important activity in the Uni- 

 versity of New Hampshire's Depart- 

 ment of Horticulture. So far, little 

 has been printed (except in com- 

 mercial nursery and seed catalogues 

 and in short, widely scattered notes) 

 about the tangible results of the pro- 

 gram. 



This is the first of a series of two 

 publications which were planned to 

 tell you about some of the accom- 

 plishments of the plant-breeding pro- 

 gram. It is concerned with vegta- 

 bles. The second publication dis- 

 cusses fruits, nuts, and ornamentals. 



This series presents the accomplish- 

 ments of the plant-breeding program 

 as a unit. And where some progress 

 has been made, it outlines the breed- 

 ing program with crops, even though 

 no named varieties have yet been in- 

 troduced. 



The development of a new plant 

 variety (which may require a period 

 of years) involves the efforts of many 

 people. The plant-breeding program 

 at the New Hampshire Agricultural 

 Experiment Station is one of team- 

 work. The author directed and car- 

 ried out the program with the aid 

 of the following persons: J. R. Hepler, 

 who did most of the work connected 

 with the production of the New 

 Hampshire hybrid eggplant and con- 

 ducted a variety trial of peppers 

 from which Merrimack Wonder start- 

 ed on its way; E. M. Meader, who 

 was responsible for the original 

 crosses from which Brilliant and Flash 



Horticultural beans and Popinjay pop- 

 corn were developed; W. D. Holley, 

 who led the work in flower breeding 

 and also began the breeding work 

 with Lima beans; L. P. Latimer, who 

 has done the major work in straw- 

 berry breeding; and W. W. Smith, 

 who selected and crossed blueberries. 



During the past eight years many 

 University students have participated 

 in crossing and self-pollinating plants. 

 They have also kept records and eval- 

 uated finished products. Workmen at 

 the greenhouses and the University 

 farm have contributed valuable sug- 

 gestions for carrying on the program. 

 The Home Economics Department has 

 made cooking tests and Dr. Helen Pur- 

 ington of the Department of Agricul- 

 tural and Biological Chemistry made 

 many analyses which have been tised 

 in making selections. 



The University greenhouses have 

 provided excellent facilities for the 

 acceleration of the plant-breeding 

 program. The production of a new 

 vegetable variety which is to be pro- 

 pagated by seed normally requires 

 seven generations of self-pollinated 

 plants to purify it. But this time may 

 be materially shortened if one gener- 

 ation of the crop is raised in the 

 field with the second and third gener- 

 ations raised in the greenhouse dur- 

 ing the first and second halves of the 

 winter. It is possible to follow this 

 procedure with many crops, thus re- 

 ducing the time for rounding out the 

 seven generations of experimental 

 plants from seven to a little more 

 than two years. 



