56 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 417 



Md., and involves a cross between Cosbia and Imperial 847. It is a good green 

 color, does not tipburn readily, and is slow bolting. The leaf type of this strain 

 is quite different from most lettuce. The local adaptation value of these two 

 strains can be determined only by large-scale plantings by growers. 



Summer Pascal Celery. The results of a breeding program to improve Summer 

 Pascal celery by selection of single plants have shown that this variety is so 

 homozygous in most characters that the population of the single plants cannot 

 be distinguished from each other. Therefore, any further changes which are 

 desired in this variety must be made by hybridization. 



In anticipation of this, crosses were made between Summer Pascal and Cor- 

 nell No. 19, and the second generation was grown as a spring crop. Prolonged 

 cool weather at setting time caused some seed stalk formation: 100 percent in 

 Cornell No. 19, 30 percent in the hybrid, and none in Summer Pascal. The re- 

 distribution of the various characteristics in the hybrid was such as to provide 

 plants with almost all the desired points, and seed is being obtained for further 

 trials. 



Summer Pascal celery when grown at the Waltham Field Station has been 

 short, with a total height of 20 inches; but the distance from the base to the first 

 joint of the leaf stalk is rather long, 8.3 inches. This compares with Golden Plume 

 which is 22.3 inches tall and 7.11 inches to the first joint. Cornell No. 19 is rather 

 tall, with plants 22.3 inches and 8.6 inches to the first joint. Many of the hybrid 

 plants were 11 to 11.5 inches to the first joint with plants 22 to 23 inches tall. 

 Increasing the length of the stalk without increasing the height of the plant 

 produces heavier celery with a larger percentage edible. 



Rutabaga or Cape Turnip. During the past two years three strains of rutabaga 

 were sent out to selected growers in Bristol and Barnstable Counties for trial. 

 As a result of these trials, growers in Bristol County have selected the No. 1 

 white rutabaga as being more desirable than any variety previously available. 

 In that section there are large plantings of this crop, mostly of the white flesh 

 type. Because of acceptance of the variety in that area, it has been named 

 Bristol White. This variety has foliage similar to Macomber, a white or very 

 light purple shoulder that is unusually smooth, a short neck, and very few roots 

 on the side. The white shoulder and smooth skin are contributing factors for 

 good market appearance. Bristol White was developed as a white shoulder 

 segregate from a green shoulder, white flesh Cape turnip. 



Another strain given trial at the same time as the Bristol White is one having 

 yellow flesh and green shoulder instead of the usual purple. It has been named 

 Waltham Yellow turnip, and is considered of sufficient merit to justify further 

 trial in sections that grow the yellow flesh type. This also is a .segregate out of a 

 White Cape strain. The flesh is a light yellow color and growth is typical of 

 the White Cape turnips. 



DEPARTMENT OF POMOLOGY 

 R. A. Van Meter in Charge 



The Influence of Various Clonal Rootstocks on Apple Varieties. (J. K. Shaw 

 and L. Southwnck.) The stock beds were continued and yielded a fair crop of 

 rooted layers. Most of these were sold to nurserymen for establishing new stock 

 beds. Dwarfing and semi-dwarfing rootstocks are in short supply and there is 

 need for a substantial increase in establishing stock beds. 



