48 Experiment Station Bulletin 345 



Crosses were made between the most promising wild types and the 

 most promising cultivated varieties. Crosses were also made between 

 different promising cultivated sorts. The object is ultimately to obtain 

 a heavy-yielding variety, and one that possesses winter hardiness, drought 

 resistance, good quality, and preferably late maturity. By using wild 

 type in crossing it is hoped to obtain some of these characters in the 

 cultivated fruits. Twenty-five hundred or more seedlings of these crosses 

 are being planted this year. (L. P. Latimer, A. F. Yeager) 



Thinning Strawberry Plants 



The yield from the 1940 bed showed that thinning runner plants 

 with Howard 17 made little appreciable difference in the total yield ob- 

 tained. In 1942 results showed reduced yield over unthinned plants. 

 When only eight runner plants were allowed to set per parent plant, a 

 significant reduction in yield was obtained over the control. Under this 

 treatment the yield was approximately 60 per cent of that obtained in the 

 unthinned rows. (L. P. Latimer) 



Winter Storage of Strawberry Plants 



Plants that had been stored in moss, sawdust, peat, and sand were 

 compared with those transplanted directly from the field in the spring 

 of 19 \ When stored at 32° from November until planting time in 

 May, pc. t proved to be the best medium. The number of runner plants 

 formed during the season was greatest with the peat-stored plants. This 

 was significantly greater than those stored in sawdust or moss, or those 

 formed by plants that were field dug, and significantly better than those 

 stored in sand. The fewest runners were formed on plants that were 

 stored in sphagnum moss. There was little difference in the number of 

 runners formed between field-dug, sawdust, and sand-stored plants. 



Although plants that were stored in peat or transplanted from the 

 field gave the greatest yield, the difference between the yield of these 

 plants and of those stored in sand, sawdust, and moss was not statistically 

 significant. Plants stored with roots bare were dead upon removal from 

 storage. (L. P. Latimer) 



Variety Trials with Strawberries 



Twenty-four varieties of strawberries were compared for yield in 

 1941. Pathfinder was the only variety giving statistically significant 

 values, greater in yield than Howard 17. Dresden yielded next to Path- 

 finder and apparently slightly better than Howard 17. The yield of 

 Frostproof. Sheldon, and Campbell's Early was also good. North Star 

 had the lowest yield of all, yielding but a quarter as much fruit as How- 

 ard 17. The plants of North Star were vigorous and the rows were wide. 

 New York and Narcissa were also poor yielders. Dresden and Pathfinder 

 were the only ones considered worthy for trial as new- varieties by the 

 growers. Variety trials for 1942 included about 12 additional varieties, 

 Cresco alone coming up to Howard 17 in yield or in other qualities. 

 Dresden and Pathfinder again were the two varieties which rivaled 

 Howard 17 in production. (L. P. Latimer) 



