46 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 449 



Excellent hybrids of the Tobin variety have been produced by inter-crossing 

 with other commercial varieties. Local florists have been using these hybrids 

 for two years with fine results. A sufficient quantity of stock seed of Tobin 

 hybrids is being produced at Waltham to supply these growers. 



The Waltham Field Station rust-resistant, pink-flowered strain of snapdragon 

 for garden culture is being tested by approximately fifty home gardeners in the 

 State. These tests are being conducted in cooperation with the Garden Club 

 Federation of Massachusetts. The variety will be named and provisions made 

 for introduction through local seedsmen if performance in these tests is satis- 

 factory. 



Sodium Selenate as a Red Spider ControL (Harold E. White, Waltham.) 

 Carnation plants growing in benches were treated with selenium-bearing phos- 

 phate known in the trade as P-40. Applications were at the rate of 3, 4J^, and 

 6 pounds per 100 square feet of bench area. Two applications of this material 

 were made during the growing season, one in August and a second in November. 



All the treatments at the higher dosages, 43^ and 6 pounds per 100 square feet, 

 gave effective control of red spider from November through June, a period of 8 

 months. Red spider became abundant in May and June on untreated carnation 

 plants and on those receiving the dosage of 3 pounds of P-40 per 100 square feet. 



Ageratum, Lantana, Coleus, and Stevia were grown in 5-inch pots and treated 

 with P-40 at the rate of 34, J^, and 1 teaspoonful per pot. The ]/i teaspoonful 

 dosage did not give effective control over a period of 6 to 8 weeks and the 3^ 

 teaspoonful treatment gave only partial control. The dosage of 1 teaspoonful 

 P-40 per pot gave complete control. 



Neither carnation plants nor potted plants showed harmful effects from treat- 

 ments with P-40, even at the high dosage rate. 



Samples of soil and plant material were taken monthly from the P-40 treated 

 carnation plants for selenium analysis. The analytical work on these samples 

 has not been completed sufficiently for a report at this time. 



It is of interest to note that composted soil used at the Waltham Field Station 

 shows an analysis about 1 to 13^ p.p.m. of selenium. Tests of black swamp 

 peat from the Station farm show that 1 to 2 p.p.m. of selenium occurs in this soil. 

 Soil samples from market garden land near Waltham were taken for further 

 analysis as to presence of selenium. 



This project is being conducted in cooperation with the Department of Agron- 

 omy and the Waltham Field Station entomologists. 



Breeding for Varietal Improvement of Geraniums. (Harold E. White, Wal- 

 tham.) Two seedling geraniums, derived from inbreeding and hybridizing of 

 commercial varieties, have been named and are being introduced in 1948-49. 



The seedling named Dorothy is a cross between Salmon Ideal and Beaute 

 Poitevine. It is a vigorous grower, is salmon pink in color, has large flower trusses, 

 and blooms freely in winter or summer. The flower color does not fade under 

 high temperature conditions of summer. 



The second seedling has been named Annette and was obtained by selfing the 

 variety Salmon Ideal. This variety has bright red flowers, is a vigorous plant, 

 blooms very freely, and retains its flower color under high temperature conditions. 



These new varieties have been compared with commercial varieties at Wal- 

 tham for three years. Stock has been released to the firm of H. J. Borowski & 

 Sons, Inc., Norwood, Massachusetts, for propagation and will be introduced 

 to the trade in the fall of 1948. 



