60 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 449 



Factors Influencing the Rapidity of Growth of Nursery Stock. (C. J. Gilgut, 

 Waltham.) 



Rhododendron Leaf Bud Cutlings. Leaf bud cuttings of Rhododendron roseum 

 elegans taken in November rooted 87 percent by May, of which 58 percent had 

 very good roots; 16 percent good, and 13 percent fair. Lined out in the field, 

 these plants have grown to fine salable 2-foot plants in three years. Best rooting 

 was of cuttings from firm current wood treated with Hormodin No. 2 powder and 

 placed in horticultural peat moss or Sanisoil (shredded redwood bark). Care 

 was taken that the peat moss was kept moist but not wet. Other highly desirable 

 varieties of named evergreen rhododendrons did not root well under combinations 

 of conditions and treatments tried. 



Effect of pH, Nitrogeji, Phosphorus and Potassium on Growth of Yews. The 

 preliminary work was carried on in pots in the greenhouse and treatments were 

 as reported in 1947. This year the same treatments were given plants in the 

 field. As yet there are no clear-cut results. 



DEPARTMENT OF OLERICULTURE 

 G. B. Snyder in Charge 



Asparagus Investigations. (Robert E. Young, Waltham.) The year's results 

 with the second generation lines of asparagus breeding material showed a con- 

 tinuation of the biennial bearing effect reported in 1946. The crop was very 

 poor, being 25 percent below that of the previous year but only 6 percent below 

 that of 1945. The relationship between the selected strain and the commercial 

 strain remains the same as previously reported. No rust appeared on any of the 

 plants. 



The nineteen strains and varieties of asparagus that make up the third genera- 

 tion planting were cut for the first time for two weeks in 1947. Although the 

 cutting period was short, the yield, comparatively considered, was good. The 

 best strain produced .36 pounds of asparagus per plant. The yield of the two 

 commercial strains was only half of this. There was a similar range in the size of 

 spears, from 19 to 28 per pound. While the highest yielding strain happened to 

 be the one producing the largest spears, in general there did not seem to be a very 

 close relationship between size of spears and yield. The strains which produced 

 small spears came from parents that had a record for high jaeld but small spears. 



There existed a good relationship between the number of stalks produced in 

 the summer and the number of spears harvested. The relationship between the 

 stalk counts and weight of spears was not as good as in previous crops. 



Only 14 plants died during the year as compared with 46 the previous year. 

 Some strains still have 100 percent plants while others have lost as many as 15 

 percent. This seems to be an hereditary character. 



Vegetable Breeding for Improvement of Quality. (Robert E. Young, Waltham.) 

 During the j-ear breeding work was conducted with broccoli, celery. New York 

 type lettuce, greenhouse tomatoes, trellis and field tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, 

 and Butternut squash. Progress has been made in the development of strains 

 of lettuce and cabbage better adapted to local use. Work was along the lines 

 previously indicated, but new developments are not conclusive enough to war- 

 rant detailed report at this time. 



