60 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 441 



of these crops emerged. A number of chemicals showed promise as pre-emergence 

 sprays on these crops. 



The new hormone weed killer, 2, 4-D, was most damaging to all vegetable crops 

 except corn. When applied just after the corn was planted, 2, 4-D controlled 

 grassy and broad-leaved weeds without appreciable damage to the corn. When 

 applied after the weeds had started growing, 2, 4-D killed only broad-leaved 

 weeds. 



Breeding Sweet Corn, Peppers, and Field Tomatoes for Massachusetts. 



(William H. Lachman.) 



Sweet Corn. Considerable attention has been paid to the selection of especially 

 early types of sweet corn as well as those that exhibit good flavor and tenderness 

 of pericarp. Several thousand plants were self-pollinated during the year to 

 stabilize the various factors sought within the strains. Several hundred hybrids 

 that were produced from inbreds of this station as well as from several other ex- 

 periment stations have been tested and compared with existent commercial types. 



One of the most outstanding of these hybrids resulted from a cross between 

 Connecticut 27, an inbred out of Whipples Yellow, and Massachusetts 32, an 

 early type of Purdue 39. This hybrid is midseason in maturity and the plants 

 produce an excellent yield of large attractive ears. 



Another hybrid which is especially noteworthy resulted from crossing Con- 

 necticut 3 with Massachusetts 2410-191. For two years this hybrid has matured 

 earlier than any other variety in our trials. The seed is being increased for test 

 on a large scale. 



Considerable attention has been paid to an unusual type of corn called super- 

 sugary. Several strains of this type are approaching uniformity and should 

 provide very sweet types of corn. 



An interchange of breeding material among members of the Northeastern Corn 

 Breeding conference has made a great deal of valuable material available for 

 further breeding work. Several of the strains obtained in this manner combine 

 very well with some of our inbreds, but further testing is necessary before this 

 material can be made available for distribution. 



Peppers. Further selection work has isolated a number of promising strains 

 of peppers but they are not yet sufficiently uniform to send out for trial. One of 

 these is of the Worldbeater type and has very attractive fruit with thick flesh. 

 This appears to be resistant to certain strains of tobacco mosaic. Another 

 strain resembles the variety Merrimac Wonder very much and it is also resistant 

 to some strains of tobacco mosaic. Definite progress is being made in developing 

 strains that are mosaic resistant. 



Tomatoes. A large number of advanced generation selections from crosses 

 among such varieties as Bounty, Earliana, Pennheart, Valiant, Bestal, and Fire- 

 steel have been carried along for several years. Very little work has been ac- 

 complished during the year because of a most severe infestation of late blight. 

 It was clear that none of the selections exhibited any resistance to this disease. 

 A few early fruits escaped the disease to allow for one more generation of selection. 

 Several Fj hybrids were included in the variety trials and a few of these were 

 rather outstanding in yielding ability. Of the hybrids under test, Fordhook 

 Hybrid, performed especially well during the early part of the season. 



