AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 41 



tained in colors from pure white though various shades of pink to scarlet 

 and with various growth habits. 



All graduations of doubleness result in F2 generations from crosses 

 between single and double. The genetic factors causing doul:)leness and 

 flower color are quite complicated, following no known Mendelian pattern. 

 W^ork has been under way during the past two years to determine the 

 method of inheritance of these two factors. 



Colored foliage, another factor under observation, has been crossed on 

 double-flowered, green-foliaged plants and the first generation all have 

 single flowers and colored foliage. The F2 generation should give interest- 

 ing new types with double flowers in several colors and with colored foliage. 



Hybrid seed production is an interesting sidelight to this work. Since 

 double-flowered plants do not produce pollen, it is necesskry to pollenate 

 them by hand with pollen from other types. By selection and tests we 

 have double and semi-double parents that, when crossed, produce plants 

 (70 to 80 per cent) with double flowers. The semi-doul)le parent must be 

 selected carefully because some semi-doubles do not carry the factor for 

 full doubleness. The number of petals in the semi-doubles is no guide in 

 their selection because some of the near-single selections carry a high per- 

 centage of the full double factor. 



W. D. HoLLEY, J. Macfarlane 



Lily of-the- Valley 



Plantings of three strains of lily-of-the-valley were made in April. 

 1942 for the purpose of determining the possibility of producing lily-of- 

 the-valley of a quality suitable for forcing. Various fertilizer treatments 

 were made and other cultural practices worked out. Plantings were har- 

 vested, graded, and 3-year pips were forced during the winter of 1943-44. 



The following conclusions mav be drawn from results of this work : 



1. Lily-of-the-valley of high forcing quality can be grown in a soil 

 and climate such as southeastern New^ Hampshire. 



2. Fertile, well-drained soil such as that used for intensive vegetable 

 growing is suitable for lily-of-the-valley. 



3. Blooms from the pips grown in this experiment were mostly of 

 the two highest grades ; namely select and extra-select. 



4. The selection of proper strains is of great importance. The yield 

 of salable flowers from the best strain grown was about 97 per cent of the 

 pips planted, as compared to about 80 per cent for the expected average of 

 pre-war, European-grown pips. 



W. D. HOLLEY 



PASTURES 



Pasture Management Studies 



Pasture management work involves co-operation with individual 

 farmers. 



Work on 12 of the original 19 farms has been continued. Four new- 

 farms have been added and work on six of the original farms and the four 

 new ones has been expanded to include plans for the roughage production 



