ANNUAL REPORT, 1945-46 57 



varieties the percentage of set was: Waltham Forcing, 65; Trellis No. 22, 51; 

 percentage basis this variation was from 19 to 65 percent. For the different 

 varieties the percentage of set was: Waltham Forcing, 65; Trellis No. 22,51; 

 commercial Comet, 44; Stokesdale, 33; Valiant, 33; Marglobe, 41 ; Mass. A 13, 45. 

 The most promising selections from the breeding work set fruit as follows: 

 Selection 1, 36 percent; Selection 2, 36 percent; and Selection 3, 49 percent. The 

 extreme importance of a good set of fruit on the first hand or cluster can be 

 realized from the fact that the first fruit brought 24 cents per pound while later 

 in the season the price went down to 4 cents. 



Yield data from the selections indicate that none of the strains is superior in 

 early yield to either Trellis No. 22 or Waltham Forcing. Selections 1 and 3 pro- 

 duced the greatest total yield. There was less cracking in all three selections than 

 in Trellis No. 22 but more than in Waltham Forcing. Further testing of these 

 selections is necessary to determine whether any are superior to those now being 

 grown. 



In the trials of new varieties grown without trellis. Red Cloud from Nebraska 

 Agricultural Experiment Station was outstanding in the production of early 

 fruit. It produced twice as many early No. 1 fruits as any other variety except 

 Pennheart. Red Cloud produces fruit of size and shape more acceptable to the 

 Boston market than Pennheart. Very few of the fruits crack or sunscald. Its 

 disadvantages are poor color and lack of firmness compared with the trellis type 

 tomato. Both Red Cloud and Pennheart are determinate varieties and cannot 

 be grown on trellis. Of the trellising type tomatoes which were grown flat, 

 Waltham Forcing produced the most early No. 1 fruits. 



Weed Control in Vegetable Crops. (William H. Lachman.) The search for 

 selective weed killers for vegetable crops has been continued. Sinox and Dow 

 Selective Weed Killer belong to a group of chemicals known as dinitro com- 

 pounds and these have been found valuable for killing weeds in peas, corn, and 

 onions. In tests on the Experiment Station plots, these compounds were very 

 effective in killing broad-leaved weeds but were of little value against grasses. 

 More often than not they caused damage to the crops, depending upon the 

 intricate combinations of weather conditions. On several occasions Sinox gave 

 very good weed control in plantings of sweet corn with little crop damage, but 

 in a number of other tests the corn leaves were scorched badly by the spray. 



The new hormone weed killer, 2, 4-D, was also used in sweet corn but caused 

 severe epinasty of the corn leaves. Almost all of the broad-leaved weeds were 

 controlled satisfactorily, but the grassy weeds were unhanned. 



A 2 percent solution of sulfuric acid killed manj^ broad-leaved weeds in plant- 

 ings of seedling onions but had little effect on grasses. The corrosive action of 

 the acid on metal and clothing and its hazardous nature in general preclude the 

 use of this method of weed control. 



Frequently asparagus growers have difficulty eliminating weeds from their 

 fields, particularly after the cutting season is over. A very potent weedicide 

 Dow Contact Weed Killer, was found to be especially good for this purpose. The 

 spray should be directed down around the basal stalks of the asparagus plants 

 for it kills the leaves or fern-like portion of the plant if these are wet by the spray. 



The use of Stoddard Solvent as a weed killer in fields of carrots and parsnips 

 was widely accepted by vegetable growers during 1945. Approximately 500 

 acres were treated in this manner and the growers were agreed that this was an 

 ideal method of weed control since less labor was required, it was cheaper, and 

 the job was done more quickly. 



Stoddard Solvent is best applied when the weeds are small, since the weeds are 

 more easily killed when young and the crop is benefited by early weed removal. 



