March, 1934] Agricultural Research in N. H. 15 



dently 20 tons of manure per acre produces good cabbage without 

 supplementary fertilizer in years of high rainfall. {Hatch Fund) 



Nitrogen Alone Suits Apple Orchards 



As an average of four seasons G. F. Potter finds that the yield 

 from Mcintosh trees under cultivation has not been increased by the 

 use of a complete 7-8-5 fertilizer as compared to a mixture of nitrate 

 of soda and sulphate of ammonia carrying the same quantity of nitro- 

 gen. 



In the case of a mature Baldwin orchard in sod, the trees receiving 

 the complete fertilizer bearing part of the nitrogen in the form of 

 tankage have definitely yielded less than those getting only nitrogen 

 in the mixture mentioned above. {Hatch Fund) 



Vegetable Breeding Continued 



For several years six different strains of vegetables have been grown 

 in South Carolina and in New Hampshire and the seed selected in 

 each locality and exchanged annually. Some variations have been 

 noted by J. R. Hepler. 



In the case of com the South Carolina selection is about 20 per 

 cent taller than the New Hampshire strain, but the ears are slightly 

 shorter and there is a lower number of rows of kernels per ear. 



The two strains of hull-less popcorn do not seem to differ materially. 

 The strains of Bountiful beans, Des Moines squash, and Bonny Best 

 tomatoes also appear identical. The New Hamphire selection of 

 Emerald Gem muskmelon seems to be greater in size. They weighed 

 1.9 pounds each as against 1.4 for the South Carolina selection. 



As a separate phase of this project, fifth generation selections were 

 grown from a cross of Black Beauty and Dwarf Purple eggplant. Some 

 strains show promise of having fair size combined ^\ith sufficient earli- 

 ness to make them practical under New Hampshire climatic conditions. 

 {Hatch Fund) 



Electric Hotbed Operated in Winter 



The electric hotbed was operated throughout the winter with the 

 thermostat set at 50 degrees F. This kept soil and air above freezing 

 at all times. The kilowatt hour consumption per day for each green- 

 house sash three by six feet is reported by J. R. Hepler as follows: 

 November 3.4, December 3.8, January 3.8, March 3.3, April 2.9, and 

 May 1.8. {Miscellaneous Income) 



Tomatoes Grown in Sand 



Fifty-one Comet variety tomato plants of the Field Station strain 

 were set in sand on January 1, 1933. They were grown on a com- 

 plete nutrient solution of calcium nitrate, potassium phosphate, and 

 magnesium sulphate by J. R. Hepler. An average crop of 7.8 pounds 

 per plant was realized. The tomatoes averaged 3.8 ounces. {Miscel- 

 laneous Income) 



