AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 53 



are best adapted to that locality. Local strains of beans were also planted 

 and compared with standard varieties. During the summer of 1943, a to- 

 tal of 239 strains were planted. Varieties which appear to be particularly 

 good include Early Chatham Tomato, Sugar and Gold and Spancross 

 Sweet Corn. Wyoming Wonder Peas, Sulfur Dry Beans, Brilliant Hor- 

 ticultural Bean, Stringless Green Pod String Beans, Kentucky Wonder 

 Wax and Italian Pole Beans, White Runner as a Lima bean substitute. 

 Agate Soybean. Early Prolific Summer Spuash, Buttercup W^inter Squash, 

 ^larketeer Cucumber, and Tender Sweet Carrot. It is realized that fur- 

 ther trials are needed before definite conclusions can be made, but it is felt 

 that these results make a fairly astisfactory basis for recommendations as 

 to varieties for the present. 



H. C. Clapp 



Variety Trials at Durham 



Variety trials at Durham are limited to the testing of new varieties 

 in comparison with plants used in breeding work and to the comparing of 

 newer varieties from other localities with those under development at the 

 Agricultural Experiment Station to determine whether or not the work 

 should be continued. 



Vegetable Breeding 



White Mountain W^atermelon, the result of breeding work in Dur- 

 ham, has proven popular. It is a small oval watermelon, about the size of 

 a large muskmelon, and will ripen under favorable conditions in about 65 

 days from seed. The flesh is red. and it has brown seed and a thin rind. 

 Continued work is being done with this type of melon to produce a strain 

 which will have black seed, red flesh, and fewer seeds than the present 

 W'hite Mountain variety. 



Extremely early varieties of muskmelons of high quality are ready 

 for distribution for trial. These are of two types, one of Honey Rock type 

 and another, somewhat earlier, round, thick-fleshed, and particularly 

 characterized by perfect flowers ; hence it has the possibility of greater 

 earliness than ordinary varieties. 



A. F. Yeager 



A single plant selection in a large pepper variety trial plot, in 1941. 

 made from Charter Oak developed by the Connecticut Experiment Station, 

 and inbred and tested for two years out-of-doors, carried through tw^o gene- 

 rations indoors. Under limited testing in the field, it has shown unusual 

 promise in the hands of growers in that it produces good-quality peppers 

 in abundance in years when most other varieties fail to set fruit. It is a 

 medium early variety of the Wonder type. It has been named Merrimack 

 Wonder. 



A selection from a California Wonder made tetraploid by seed treat- 

 ment with colchicine is also being continued. Fruits of this pepper are 

 very large and early, but probably not quite as productive as Merrimack 

 Wonder. 



A dwarf early variety of pea is being distributed for testing this year. 



