ANNUAL REPORT, 1945-46 13 



Among the thirty-six experimental double crosses there were two especially 

 good mid-season hybrids. These are being tested further prior to their release 

 to the farmers. 



The results of yield tests on three rates of planting on three different dates 

 were not very reliable. Excessive rainfall in the spring and poor drainage of the 

 field where the test was carried on caused wide discrepancies among the replicates. 



A set of fifty-five early maturing single crosses was made here last year in 

 cooperation with the northeastern corn breeding program. These are being 

 tested for their general adaptability in the northeastern region. 



Onion Breeding. (Hrant M. Yegian.) In 1945 a number of male-sterile Early 

 Yellow Globe and Ebenezer crosses supplied by Dr. H. A. Jones of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture were tested. Some of this material was very 

 promising, particularly one backcross which made a vigorous growth, was of 

 nonbolting globe type, and had exceptionally uniform skin color and bulb shape. 

 A number of bulbs of male-sterile lines have been planted in isolated plots and 

 are being pollinated with selected strains of Ebenezer lines in order to determine 

 the relative combining ability of the various strains and lines used. The resulting 

 hybrids will be tested to ascertain their adaptability in the Connecticut Valley. 



Preliminary evidence tends to show that application of borax at the rate of 

 30 to 50 pounds per acre on set-producing fields may have subsequent beneficial 

 effect on the keeping quality of the stored onions. Most onion soils have a pH 

 value of 6.0 to 6.5, which is maintained by the application of one to two tons of 

 limestone per acre, every two or three years. Since boron starvation occurs more 

 frequently on heavily limed soils than on acid soils, it seems advisable to apply 

 sufficient borax to safeguard against this difficulty. 



Various fungicidal chemicals, Fermate, Puratized N 5 E, Isothan Z-15, Wet- 

 table No. 604, Wettable Spergon, and Dithane D 14, were tested for the control 

 of storage rot of onions. Preharvest spraying of plants — three applications at 

 weekly intervals prior to pulling — dipping the bulbs from unsprayed plants, soon 

 after they were harvested, in concentrations recommended by the manufacturers 

 of these chemicals, did not give any control of rot in storage. The best and most 

 weekly intervals prior to pulling — or dipping the bulbs from unsprayed plants, 

 soon after they are harvested, in concentrations recommended by the manufac- 

 turers of these chemicals, did not give any control of rot in storage. The most 

 practical method known for reducing losses in storage is to store only sound 

 onions in cold storage under controlled conditions at 32°-35° F. and low hu- 

 midity. 



Pasture Renovation Experiments. (Wm. G. Colby.) Work was begun in 

 1943 in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Agriculture Regional Pasture 

 Laboratory in State College, Pennsylvania, for the purpose of studying practical 

 methods of renovating depleted or "runout" pasture land by tilling, fertilizing, 

 and reseeding. Experiments were laid out on fields which differed widely in 

 topography, character of native vegetation, degree and nature of stoniness, and 

 soil drainage relationships. This was done intentionally; for, as the work pro- 

 gressed, it became increasingly obvious that different conditions may require 

 widely varying methods of procedure to secure the most effective results. Fol- 

 lowing is a summary of some of the observations which have been made during 

 the course of these experiments. 



Degree of Stoniness. It is doubtful whether attempts should be made to reno- 

 vate stony land until most of the surface stones, six inches in diameter or larger, 

 have been removed. If many stones of this size or larger are exposed, it is ex- 

 tremely difficult to work up a seedbed. If a bog harrow is used, for example, 

 the machine tends to bounce from rock to rock and in so doing loses much of its 

 effectiveness as a tillage instrument. Repeated working of the land is necessary 

 to secure a satisfactory seedbed. Excessive wear is caused not only on the har- 



