AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 39 



fairly high in organic matter this additional aeration was apparently not 

 necessary. 



Timing information 'indicates that early benching is important for 

 early winter production. 



The optimum spacing distance for snapdragons is approximately 

 8x8 inches. This might mean a difference of a good many dollars to a 

 grower, especially if he ships or sells at wholesale. 



W. D. HoLLEY, J. Macfarlane 



Hardiness of Ornamentals 



The winter of 1943-44 proved a good test for hardiness of perennials. 

 Several days of sub-zero weather in Decemljer without a snow cover ap- 

 parently caused an unusual amount of winter injury. Complete notes were 

 taken in June, 1944, on the amount of winter injury to plants in the test 

 gardens. Those plants with slight winter injury will recover this season 

 while those with severe injury will take longer and may be so weakened as 

 to be killed during the winter of 1944-45. 



Korean Box is proving useful as a low hedge plant. It is an ever- 

 green and is quite hardy. 



W. D. HOLLEY. A. F. Ye ACER 



Flower Breeding 



1. Chrysanthemum 



Two new varieties of chrysanthemums developed especially for pot 

 plant culture will be introduced by commercial propagators in 1945. Granite 

 State, a dwarf white, is especially outstanding and is proving valuable as 

 a parent in further work. This variety came as a selection from an F2 

 population from the cross Silver Sheen x White Doty, Chocorua, the Qther 

 member of the pair, is a bronze "mum" that flowers about October 25. 



Two hardy chrysanthemums have been developed to fill a need for 

 early blooming varieties suitable for commercial flower production out-of- 

 doors and will also be introduced in 1945. Nashua, a long-stemmed, red 

 bronze, pompon type, and Sunapee, a gold pompon are both exceptionally 

 hardy. Neither of these varieties was injured during the test winter of 

 1943-44 when three-fourths of all commercial chrysanthemum varieties 

 were killed in the test gardens. Names peculiar to New Hampshire are 

 being used to designate these new varieties. 



2. Carnation 



With the purpose of eventual production of carnations from hybrid 

 seed a number of carnation lines have been selfed for from three to four of 

 the five to eight generations required to purify them. When these pure 

 lines are obtained they will then be used as parents for producing uniform 

 hybrid seed. This propagation of carnations from hybrid seed could go a 

 long way in eliminating disease and insect troubles and in giving vigorous 

 and healthy plants. 



Occasional seedlings of merit are coming from this work. The most 

 promising variety to date has been a maroon-purple which is long-stemmed, 

 vigorous, an excellent novelty color, and has a well-formed bloom that is 



