TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION A B. CONNER, DlRECTOR, College Station, Texas BULLETIN NU. 626 JANUARY 1943 TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION, 1937-1941 by wsmac R. HAWTHORN Division of Horticulture us RA 55?‘! kgncuéturasé?! ?§§§§’T?Y3"f*‘a\!4+f —;§ ~ a U4: @‘3?§92@ AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE 0F TEXAS T. O. \VALTON, President B30 HIZrGM-IJEO a . : 1r chi? .._ . . w v This Bulletin supplements Texas Station Bulletins 508 and 546 by nporting 0n the adaptability of certain vegetable Varieties introduced since the second of those bulletins was published in’1937. It gives in- fcrznation on xarieties previously untested. The combined alphabetical lists in these three bulletins give the complete list of varieties 0n which the Winter Garden Station has publishable information up until the time of this bulletin. With the exception of only a few, any variety men- tioned is reported in full in only one of these three bulletins. This report covers around 200 varietal names representing the follow- ing vegetables: snap and lima beans, beet, carrot, sweet corn, edible eowpea, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, muskmelon, okra, onion, English pea, hot pepper, sweet pepper, paprika pepper, tomato, and Watermelon. Over 600 samples were included in the trials. Not only have the Varie- ties been studied for adaptability, but the characteristics which help to identify them have also been noted. In several instances new varieties excel the older ones, and with some vegetables commercial prefermlflfis for varieties have changed since the time of the last report. CONTENTS Page Introduction 5 Method of Procedure 5 Recommendations and Description of Varieties 6 Bean 6 Beet 8 Carrot 9 Corn, Sweet 11 Cowpea, Edible 13 Cucumber _______________ __ 13 Eggplant _ 16 Lettuce 18 Muskmelon 20 Okra _ 24 Onion 26 Pea, English 28 Pepper, Hot‘ 31 Pepper, Sweet i 31 Pepper, Paprika _ 35 Tomato 38 Watermelon 44 Summary of Promising Varieties 48 Acknowledgments _ 50 Literature Cited 50 TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION, 1937-41 Leslie R. Hawthorn, Horticulturist Substation N0. 19, Winter Haven New, 0r previously untried vegetable varieties, are continually being tested at the Winter Garden Experiment. Station. Since it is impossible with present facilities to test all the varieties and strains listed by all the seedsmen, emphasis is placed on testing the newer varieties of veg- etables commonly grown in the Winter Garden region, as‘ offered by the seedsmen operating in that territory. This procedure is an outcome of the rather wide study of vegetable varieties made by this station from 1930 t0 1936, inclusive. Reports of that work were published in Texas Experiment Station Bulletnis 508 and 546 and covered nearly fifty dif- ferent vegetables, and over 750 different varietal names. The present report is intended to draw attention to some of the promising or un- usual varieties seen in the trials since 1936, and not included in the earlier reports. The information for most of the varieties of eggplants and peppers is based on studies conducted in cooperation with the Bureau of Plant In- dustry of the United States Department of Agriculture. These studies primarily involved the collection of detailed descriptions and measure-" ments, rather than observations on adaptability. However, they are more comprehensive and more detailed than a regular adaptability trial and are an excellent source of information for such a report as this, and hence full use has been made of the data collected. Method of Procedure The procedure of conducting these trials has been much the same as that followed in the previously reported trials (4, 5).1 An effort was Usually one of these was planted at fairly frequent intervals through- out the field. With these varieties for comparison, the behavior of the previously untried varieties could be fairly accurately gauged. All the seasons reported were practically normal for the crops concerned. Recent trials of dwarf snap beans have been omitted pending further obser- vations on the varieties. All the trials except some of those with watermelons‘ were conducted on a Webb fine sandy loam, or closely related soils. Observations on a number of the watermelon varieties are based on trials conducted on Duval fine sand and sandv loams in Frio county. On th-e Webb soils, the vegetables usually received 150 pounds per acre of 11-48-0 fertilizer, made to obtain the samples from original sources whenever possible. In all the trials, well adapted standard varieties were grown as checks. lNumbers in parentheses refer to literature cited. 6 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION while on the Duval soils, the watermelons received 100 pounds per acre of 13.5-34-0 fertilizer placed in the row. RECOMMENDATIONS AND DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES This report covers 17 vegetable crops and around 200 varietal names and is based on a study and comparison of more than 600 samples grown in recent years. The crops and varieties are discussed alphabetically. With the exception of beans, sweet corn, lettuce and onions, of which only a few kinds are mentioned, the varieties have been arranged in tabular form so that a comparison of their more common characteristics can easily be made. Only those vegetables tested since the publication of Texas Bulletin 546 are included here. If one takes‘ Bulletins 508 and 546 with this one, he can easily tell what varieties have been tested at Substation 19 by checking the alphabetical lists (as given in the tables) in all three publications. If a variety cannot be found in any of these three places it means that the Station either had not tested it, or did not have sufficient information on it up to the time of this publication. In some instances, a variety reported upon previously is again men- tioned. This is usually because it has grown in importance, or because there is more information on it. In so far as possible the tables duplicate in form and arrangement the tables published previously so that comparison can also be made with varieties reported in those publications. The varieties selected for dis- cussion in the text include the welLadapted varieties as well as‘ some which, although not adapted, growers are likely to hear about for one reason or another. Perhaps the variety is proving successful in other sections of the country, or has received unusual publicity, and in some cases the variety is discussed in the text because of unusual character- istics, not necessarily desirable, but about which a grower should know. For a discussion of the adaptability of the different vegetable crops the reader is referred to Bulletin 508. As pointed out in that bulletin, some vegetables seem naturally adapted, while others are limited in their adaptability in the extreme South because of one or more factors, such as summer temperatures, winter temperatures, length of day, atmospheric humidity, insects, diseases, and so on. Beans, Phaseolus limensis and P. vulgaris Few trials with beans have been conducted at the Station in recent years, and these have been limited chiefly to varieties previously tried, but being tested again in connection with canning crops investigations". Varieties not reported upon before are: Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder, Morse’s Pole 191 and White Creaseback-—all pole beans; Idaho Refugee, a dwarf snap variety; and Baby Fordhook, a dwarf lima. Baby Fordhook bush lima resembles Henderson in type of vine, but the pods are thicker although usually shorter. This thickness is due to the seeds being plumper than those of Henderson, the characteristic com- TESTS OF VEGETABLE- VARVIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 7 ing from Fordhook, one of the parents of Baby Fordhook. The beans, or seeds have a fine green color and hold it for a long time, thus adding to the appearance and quality of the crop. The variety tends to mature a little later than Henderson, but produces well. Blue Lake pole bean has‘ been outstanding among both pole and dwarf varieties. Pole beans, in general, yield more in the Winter Garden region when grown in the fall, and Blue Lake is no exception. In 1938, when an unsually early killing freeze brought the fall s-eason to an end on November 8, Blue Lake had already produced marketable beans at the rate of over 3% tons per acre. Th-e pods of Blue Lake are straight, slender, round and fleshy, stringless at the marketable stage and of very high quality. It is a popular variety with Pacific Coast canners desiring fine quality packs. All strains of this variety are not,_however, equally adapt-ed. Where a seedsman distinguishes" between an early strain and a late one, the early one should usually be obtained for Winter Garden plantings. Based on the several trials by this‘ Station in the past few years in different seasons and on widely different soils, most strains of Blue Lake pole bean can be highly recommended for the home garden and for canning. The variety is white seeded. Idaho Refugee, a dwarf snap variety, produces fairly well. However, in performance it does not compare with such varieties as Giant String- less Green Pod and Bountiful and related varieties or strains. These are still the most satisfactory for the average grower in this section. It has been observed that the Refugee varieties generally yield better on the heavier more fertile soils, and also better in the more northerly sections of the Winter Garden region, rather than the southerly ones. ‘ Idaho Refugee is listed as being highly resistant to common bean mosaic (3). Kentucky Wonder, a popular pole variety in many sections, also did well in the one season it was tried—spring 1938. The appearance and the quality of the pOdS did not equal that of Blue Lake, however. The pods are long, curved, and usually irregular, lacking the smoothness common in Blue Lake. The variety is prolific and in the home garden would undoubtedly be satisfactory in many cases. Morse’s Pole 191 is a white seed-ed variety, later and less productive than Kentucky Wonder. It is questionable Whether it has a place in the Winter Garden region. White Creaseback pole bean is listed by some seedsmen as synonymous with Blue Lake. However, as grown in variety trials at and near Winter Haven, White Creaseback has appeared to differ from some of the better and especially the earlier strains of that variety in several respects. Although the seeds are white, like those of Blue Lake, the vine is usually larger and more vigorous. The variety also matures later and is" less productive. It usually does not equal Blue Lake in appearance and qual- ity of pod. 8 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Beet, Beta vulgaris No unusual varieties have appeared in the trial of this vegetable. Table 1a. and 1b list the beet varieties previously unreported. Garden beets, in general, are well adapted in this section, and so the choice of a variety depends more on appearance and usefulness than on adaptability. Since the publication of the first report on vegetable varieties, a coopera- tive report on the principal beet varieties based partly on work done at Winter Haven and Weslaco has been published (15). '1'able 1a. Varietal characteristics of beets Chief ‘ Plant Time of ' Variety use Season size reddening in Remarks foliage Asgrow Oanner canning midseason large early Excellent Asgrow Wonder home, market early medium midseason Fine variety Blood Red Ball home, market midseason medium midseason Fine for color Bunching home, market early very small late ‘Fine for color Burpee’s Extra market early small midseason Others better Early Early Model market early medium midseason Others better Long Season home, storage very late large always green Same as Winter Keeper Strawberry Crosby market early medium midseason For special markets Vermiliion Globe market midseason small-med. midseason Good, but others ‘ better Table 1b. Varietal characteristics o1’ beets R-oot ‘ ‘ Interior Variety Shape Depth Diameter Skin ‘ Color ‘Quality 0t color Definition of darker‘ interior ‘ of zoning zones color ‘ l 1 Asgrow Ganner deep oblate‘1%—2% 2%—3 dark ‘indistinct veryddark ‘excellent A re Asgrow Wonder deep oblate 2—~2% Z%—2% mgdiiiim ‘distinct darléd h ‘good 1 ar re IS ‘ i purple l Blood Red Ball globular ‘214—3 214% very dark ‘indistinct dark red ‘excellent Bunching globular ‘1%—-2% 21A,—-2% dark indistinct medium lexcellent ‘ A ‘ dark red Burpee’s Extra globular ‘1194-214 2—2% dark distinct dark red medium Early _ ‘ Early Model globular ‘214—2% 214-2154, dark distinct ‘reddish medium purple Long Season top-shapedf3—4% 21/2-3 dark distinct ‘dark _ ‘medium Lilith l Stéawbterry globular 2%—2% 2%,-—2% light ‘distinct light red ‘medium ros y 1 Verrnillion Globe globular $14-$34 2—21,§ medium s1. indis- ‘dark red good ‘ dark tinct ‘ ‘ *The interior color as a whole de" colors of zones or rings. This column is combination of these characters. pends on the definition of zoning, as well as on widths and a record of the general impression created by the TESTS 01*’ VEGETABLE VARIET 1E5 FOR THE WINTER GAR-DEN REGION 9 Asgrow Canner has been better appearing. than many varieties tried. Its deep oblate shaped root has an excellent interior color, Asgrow Wonder is a good uniform strain of Early Wonder previously described (4). Bunching looks like a good strain of Detroit Dark Red. The interior color of the globular root is excellent. Carrot, Daucus carota The situation with carrots re-main much like it was in 1935 so far as adaptability and varieties are concerned (4). No variety unknown" to this section at that time has become important in commercial plantings Figure 1. Taking notes on a number of carrot varieties and strains. although many samples have been tried (Figure 1). The statement made in Texas Experiment Station Bulletin 508 to the effect that no crop is bet- ter adapted than carrots has been well justifi-ed by the tremendous in- crease of commercial carrot acreage in the Winter Garden Region in recent years. Imperator (Figure 2), because of its greater length, has become the leading commercial variety, replacing Danvers Half Long (Figure 2). Both of these varieties have been previously described. The growing national importance of Imperator is indicated by the inclusion in a recent United States Department of Agriculture “typebook” (16). Tables‘ 2a and 2b list and describe the eight previously untested varieties tried at the Station since the last report on carrots. Danvers Half Long, Red Cored. This strain resembles the old Danvers Half Long in external appearance, but excels it in having good core color. 10 BULLETIN NO. 6-26, TEXAS AGRICULIPURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Supreme Half Long is an excellent variety of the Danvers Half Long type. The core color is very good. In the sample examined 88 per cent of the roots had red cores, and 12 per cent pale red, none were yellow. Strains such as this and the one- above could do much to restoring the popularity of the Danvers Half Long type. Figure 2. Five varieties of carrots. Left to right: Oxheart, Goldenhart, (a strain of Chantenay), Danvers Half Long‘, Morse’s Bunching, and Imperator. Last named is about 8 inches long. Table 2a. Varietal characteristics of carrots Variety Chief Season Foliage Remarks use size Danvers Half Long, market, ship. midseason large ‘Good strain Red-cored Goldinhart home, mkt., can. midseason large Strain of Chantenay Luc Half Long home, mkt., ship. midseason medium Average variety Special Nantes home, mkt., can, early small Flair for Nantes Streamliner market, ship. late small Excellent, except for lateness Sup-reme Half Long market, ship. late small Excellent Table Gem home, market midseason very small Similar to Amsterdam Forcing ‘Touchon home, market early small Similar to Nantes Key: cam-canning; mkt.—-market; ship-shipping. angina...“ .1 IESTS OF VEGETABLE Vr-XRIBYIIBYS FOR THE WINIER GARDEN REGION ll Table 2b. Varietal characteristics of carrots Root Variety | Gore Length, ‘Skin co1or,* Shape in. above I Quality | gro-und S-ize i Color 1 i , l tendency 1 l 1 Danvers Half Longqlong conical ‘fir-Y green medium ‘like flesh good redcored 1 Gofdinhart {medium conical 3434-5-15 lgreen medium llike flesh good Luc Half Long imedium conical _ red mcdium lsome yellow iifair Special Nantes jcylindrical 16-8 éred medium some yellow fair Streamliner llong conical i6-—8 1green tends smalllike flesh Eexcellent Supreme Half Long glong conical i6-—7 ‘green medium like flesh excellent Table Gem ‘cylindrical ;5—6 isome- red small Ilike flesh {good Touchon icylindrical ]6—7 ireddish 1 medium [like flesh ‘good purp e *Skin color below ground orange in all these varieties. Corn (Sweet), Zea mays Since- 1937, trials of sweet corn varieties have not revealed any new sorts, but our optimism concerning some of the new varieties at that time has been well justified. Honey June is still the leading white Figure 3. Corn earworm damage in two varieties of yellow sweet corn. Left: Ioglen; right Bancross. sweet corn. In the earlier report Iogold P.39.I.45 and Iogold P.51.I,45 were both mentioned as highly promising new varieties of yellow sweet corn with considerable resistance to the ravages of the corn earworm. Table 3. Varietal characteristics of cowpeas (edible) Variety Season Pro- ductivity Blue Goose late poor California Blackeye late poor Early WiltiResistant early good Ramshorn Giant Wilt Resistant early good Ramshorn Improved Rice 1am Large Black midseason very good i ‘ver Crowder midseason lgood Pods Peas _ Length, Longitudinal ~ -— f ~— ins. shape l Color, i Number Size green , 7-8 straight-slightly light i11—14 medium curved 7-8 curved light—mediu1n S¢—10' large 5%—7 slightly curved light~1nedium 10—12 medium ti»? straight-slightly light——medium lCL—12 medium curved 6~S slightly curved— light 11-15 small curved T—91A straight-slightly light 12‘—16 medium curved 4%—5-1,§ straight whitish 13-17 small Dried Seed color“ Remarks speckled purple Looks identical with gTaY Gray Orowder white, blaekeye Unsatisfactory white, blackeye Well adapted; prom- ising white, blackeye Well adapted; prom- white black light rose brown i i ising Has similarities to Lady Well adapted; prom- ising Distinct; promising NOLLVJlS tLNilwlllifclXif TVHQJXIOOIHOV SVXELL ‘Q39 'ON NLLEITTHH TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR T‘HE WINTER GARDEN REGION 13 These varieties have been tested several times since then, both in the Winter Garden Region and in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, by the Sta- tion, as Well as by others. They have shown so much promise that both varieties are now available commerially. However, Iogold P.39.I.45 is now known as Ioana, and Iogold P.51.I.45 goes by the name Ioglen (2)- Other varieties tested in recent years are Bancross, Bloomcross, Span- cross and Whipcross. None of these are adapted to South Texas condi- tions, all of them being particularly subject to corn ear worm damage. (Figure 3.) Cowpca (Edible), Vigna sinensis Seven varieties of edible cowpeas previously untried have been grown in recent trials at the Station. All of these are described in Table 3. Cream Crowder is still a popular and satisfactory variety with many growers, although the Blackeye varieties, of course, are also still widely grown. Early Wilt Resist-ant Ramshorn is of the blackeye type of cowpe-a. The regular strain of Ramshorn was described in the first report on varie- ties from this Substation some years ago (4). This early wilt resistant strain of Ramshorn has shown excellent adaptability in trials at Winter Haven. It is early and very productive. Giant \Vilt Resistant Ramshorn under Winter Haven conditions is prac- tically identical with the early strain just mentioned. It is supposed to be larger and somewhat later, and possibly in other sections such differences would be apparent. Like the early strain it is very productive, and should be tried by more growers. Cucumber, Cucumis sativus Among the thirteen varieties of cucumbers grown since the last report on this crop (5), several are worthy of trial by home gardeners as well as commercial growers. All thirteen varieties are described in Tables 4a and 4b and several have been singled out for discussion below. No new pickling variety has appeared to dispose the popular National Pickle and the Chicago Pickling, although the new variety, Mincu, with its white spines is rather unique and should probably be tried by growers interested in pickles. Among the slicing varieties, those having longer and darker green fruits are still increasing in popularity, so that whereas five years ago varieties such as Colorado, A and C, and similar sorts were in the trial stage of production in South Texas, they are now much more firmly established. There are now so many varieties and strains of this general type being offered in numerous seed catalogs, that a grower would .do well to try such varieties on a small scale at first before depending en- tirely on them. l-l BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION l Table 4a.. Varietal characteristics of cucumbers Fruit (mature slicing size) f i exterior ‘ Variety Chief use Season l Spine Size 0f Stripes i color i seed General l——~————~———* i cavity cofor i 3 i color i Length* ' Burrell’s Pickling home, plck- early yellowish yellow l B medium _ ling green i i Grow Quick pickling very early medium yellow %—% B medium green ' 1 l Mandarin home late medium paie green 1/{1-1/3 W ism., med green : MIDCU ‘pickling very early medum pale green % W very large _ _ green ‘ M15510“ b01118‘, ship- ‘late med. dk. pale green 1/8~1/; W small _ Ding ‘ green ‘ i i P1119 0f Delaware 1101116, ShiD- iearly dk. , v. pale green 1/3—% i W imedfum nine i dk. j i ~ green i Puerto Rico 39 home ivery early dark pale grsen l ____ __ i W ______ __ i green l Ryan Pickle ihome, pick- leariy yellowish yellow 1/z~% l B farge _ ' ling i green i Simon's Perfection home, sh’p- early dark pale green ‘1/3-15 W medium i ping f green , Special Dark Greenihome, ship~ imidseason dk., v. ‘pale green %—-% W medium ping l dk. l i i green i i i Sunnybrook lhcme, ship- midseason v. dk. pa'e green J4 l W medium i ping green i l l SuprJme Green ihome, ships early t. med. ipale green ‘1/3-1/2 l W medium _ i Ding l éircen . l i | '1 a-‘IDHYQT ihome, ship- imids-eason dark ipafe green 175 W medium l ping l green ‘ i i Whte Wonder lnovelty iTate m‘d- .\h'te ____ O W medium a season i ~ l *Length of stripe in pronortfon to fr haf of the length of the fruit from the tip. nit length; e.g. 1/2, means that the str'pe extends one- Key: B-black; dk.——dark; lt.—light; med.—medium; sm.—small; v.——very; W-white. Table 4b. Varietal characteristics of cucumbers Fruit (mature slicing size) Variety Length x great- ~ i Remarks est diameter, Longitudinal i Base Tip inches shape i shape shape BurrelPs Pickling 51/_>—-61/2x21/4—~2% v. sl. convex ‘blunt semi-blunt Disappointing Grow Quick 4%——54%xfl1£,,—21/2 sl. convex blunt semi-blunt Disappointing Mandarin 6%-—8 x 2 sides parallel lsemi-blunt semi-blunt Chinese type; ‘ _ good quality Mincu 31/2-415 x 1—-1% convex ‘semi-blunt semi-blunt Productive Mission 9~10l x 2 sides parallel isemi-blunt semi-blunt Slender, attrac- I tive PrideofDela- syé-mxm-M sl. convex ‘semi-blunt semi-blunt Color attractive ware Puerto Rico 39 61/z—71/2 v. sl. convex isemi-blunt semi-blunt iAttraetive Ryan Pickle 5-6 x 1%—1% v. sl. convex lblunt blunt ‘Disappointing Sim0n’s Perfec- 7-9 x 21/;—21;§ sides parallel isemi-blunt semi-blunt Attractive tio-n ~ Special Dark 615-914» x 2% sides parallel lsemi-blunt semi-blunt Attractive Green Sunnybrook 715-8175 x 2-214 sides parallel lsemi-blunt semi-blunt Attractive Supreme Green 7~8x 2% v. sl. convex isemi-blunt semi-blunt Appearance dis- i appointing Taxpayer T—8 x 214-2715 sl. convex isemi-blunt semi-blunt Yield disappoint- ‘ l ing White Wonder 4134-6 x 2% sl. convex iblunt semi-blunt Novelty. Yields i well Key: sl.-slight; v .-—Vr‘.l'y . - m.» tau. 'I‘}:‘.>.'l'S OE VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER» GARDEN REGION 15 Figure 4. Pour varieties of Cucumbers. Left to right: Mission, Straight 8, C1ark’s Special, and Mincu. Straight 8 and C1ark’s Special were described in previous reports, but are included here for cQmPaIiSOn- Mission ranges 9 to 10 inches in length. Mincu is an unusual little cucumber introduced by the Minnesota Ex- periment Station in 1937 (7). It is suitable for pickling but unlike most pickling varieties has White spines. It has high productivity. Mincu is certainly Worthy of trial. Mission (Figure 4.) This is another of the long dark green varieties. In trials at Winter Haven it tended to be even longer than Colorado and more slender. Although it does not» have the darkest of green colors, the relative shortness of its stripes tend to create the impression of a solid green color. 16 BULLETIN NO. G26, TFEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Puerto Rico 39. This cucumber was developed for resistance t0 downy mildew at the University Experiment Station at Puerto Rico. In trials at Winter Haven, as well as at seve-ral other substations in Texas, it has shown considerable promise as a very early prolific cucumber. It has also exhibited the claimed resistance to downy mildew. The fruit ranges from 6% to 7% inches long, is well shaped, and has an attractive dark green color. The color is not, however, as dark as in some of the new varieties mentioned above. Although the variety has not been grown in Texas, outside of the Experiment Station, it is given this much space here because of its possible potential value. Should it become gener- ally available, it should certainly be given wider trial. Special Dark Green is another new variety indicating the trend to long and well colored fruits. Like Mission it is worthy of trial. Eggplant, Solanum melongc-na In 1935, when this crop was last reported upon, only two varieties were mentioned. The crop then suffered every year from a serious handi- cap in the form of eggplant yellows. The Station has since discovered Figure 5. Fruits of two varieties of Eggplant. Approx- imately X 1/6. Upper! Black. Beauty; lower: Pt. Myers. and developed a simple, cheap method for controlling the yellows thus removing the only serious drawback to eggplant culture in this section Table 5. Varietal characteristics of eggplants Plant Fruit Variety Chief Season 0t use maturity Remarks Habit Size Shape‘ Length Width Weight Skin (ins.) (ins.) (lbs.) color l i "W f” fin‘ W‘ Black Beauty mkt., ship. midseason spread. medium egg shaped 51/2-71/2 3-5 %1/g—2 blackish Good all around egg- . purple plant Black King home early spread. small-med. egg shaped 3-5 2-3 ‘14-1/2 practically N0 commercial use l lack Florida High Bush mkt., ship. late sl- spread large long egg 5-71/2 3-5 %—11/2 dk- reddish Fort Myers is better j purple Fort Myers mkt., ship. late sl. spread. large long egg ‘51/2-8. 31/4-515 33-2 blackish Excels Fla. High Bush I . purple Kilgore Special mkt., ship. late sl. spread. large long egg l5-7% 3-5 J/z-ll/z dk. reddish Fla. High Bush type _ _ i purple Killes Special mkt., ship. midseason spread. medium egg shaped 451/2171/2 3-5‘ ‘la-QM; dark purple Not as good as Black l Beauty Long Purple home early erect small-med. long club 5-8 2-3 il/l-iig blackish Distinct, early, useful i purple Manatee Special mkt., ship. late sl. spread. large p long egg 5-7% 3-5 ‘l1/2-l% dk. reddish Does not excel others l purple of type New Hampshire home v. early v. spread. small egg shaped 3-51/2 21/2-41/2 14-154 dark purple Distinct, early, useful Hybrid New York mkt., ship. midseason spread. medium egg shaped 51/2-71/2 3-5. 1/2-21/4 dk. reddish Similar to Black Improved purple Beauty Supreme High mkt., ship. late spread. large long egg 5-71/2 3-5 15-114 dk. reddish Does not excel Fort Bush a purple Myers Key: dk.-dark; mkt.,-market; ship-shipping; sl.-slight; spread-spreading; v.-vcry. LI NOIOEIH NEICIHVO “HELDNIM EIHJ. H01 SIHLLHIHVA EITHVLEPOHA nIO SLSELL 18 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION (11, 12, 13). General observations would indicate that most, if not all, varieties of eggplants are well adapted to the Winter Garden Region, and the choice of a variety depends chiefly on the growers’ purpose in raising the crop. Table 5 includes all the varieties thus far tested at the Station. This Table as Well as the written descriptions below are based on obser- vations made in the cooperative trials of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture. Black Beauty (Figure 5) is probably still the most useful and desir- able variety chiefly because of the appearance of its fruit. Good stocks of this are early, prolific, and their fruits with their dark purple color (almost black) are uniformly attractive. Black King is an unusual variety, having very small, dark purple fruits. Except as a curiosity, however, it hardly has a place in the Winter Garden Region. Fort Dlyens (Figure 5) can be recommended as an improvement over Florida High Bush. It has the same type of upright plant, although often more vigorous, and the fruits tend to be more uniform in shape, darker and more evenly colored. New Hampshire Hybrid, developed by the New Hampshire Experiment Station, is outstanding as an early variety producing an abundance of moderately small fruits of the general shape of Black Beauty. They have a fairly dark purple color too. In spite of its productivity, and distinct- ness its small size is against it for commercial production, but home. gardeners might well try it out. Lettuce, Lactuca sativa Since 1935, commercial interest in lettuce has increased in the Winter Garden region. Early in the 1930’s several crops of Cos or Romaine lettuce had been grown successfully, but in recent years larger acreages of one or more of the Imperial strains of the New York type of lettuce have been planted by a number of growers in several fairly widely sepa- rated localities of the area. All of these Imperial strains have be-en developed by the United States Department of Agriculture for resistance to brown blight (10). The Station conducted several trials of a limited number of these strains, as well as observed trials and commercial plant- ings conducted in other localities by various growers. No detailed de- scriptions of the strains were made, because as indicated above, they were all essentially strains of the New York variety as described previ- ously (4). The following observations and comments are intended to give a brief characterization of each strain indicating its good and poor points. Inmperial 44 is one of the most dependable strains of New York lettuce so far tested in the Winter Garden region. Its chief assets are: uni- formity of size and maturity, firmness of head, and tardiness in bolting TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 19 even in early fall and spring plantings. Its drawbacks are a tendency towards small size, and possibly a somewhat coarse or “ribby” appear- ance. The small size can be serious but it need not be an insurmountable handicap in commercial plantings since it can be overcome to a great ex- tent by planting the crop on the heavier, more fertile soils, by fertilizing, and especially by proper spacing. Plants should not be closer than 14 inches in the row, and a space of 16 inches is not too much. In home gardens, size is not normally so important a consideration. The con- sistently good performance of Imperial 44, especially in its tardiness to bolt, is in line with the findings of the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Stat;on (14), as well as those of the Florida Station (1). The tests at the latter Station were conducted in comparable s-easons and under cli- matic conditions similar to those at Winter Haven, and their results also emphasize the value of proper spacing. Considering all points, Imperial 44 1s probably the best of the New York type strains for commercial pro- duction in the Winter Garden region. impcrlal 152. Next to Imperial 44, No. 152 is probably the most de- pendable. It has the distinct advantage of usually being larger than No. 44, in addition to being nearly as uniform in s ze, time of maturity and firmness of head. Compared to some strains it seems to grow especially well in spring maturing crops, although it will still bolt e-arlier than Imperial 44. Imperial 152 has also shown promise in Florida (1). It should be tried more widely. Imperial 615 would be among‘ the best, on the basis of size, if it were only more dependable in performance. It is exceptionally vigorous and forms very large heads. These, however, may not always be firm, and if subjected to rainy weather near harvest time may open up and become entirely unmarketable. At its best, Imperial 615 could hardly be ex- celled by any of the strains discussed here, but the uncertainty of not knowing ahead of time whether the season is going to be favorable or not, makes the production of this strain more hazardous than any of the others. There has, however, been at least one successful commercial planting of No. 615 in the Winter Garden region, and this strain should probably be tested further and by more growers before it is completely discarded. Plantings in late October and through the first three weeks of November are on the average likely to be more successful than plant- ings earlier or later than that period. Imperial 847 is a fairly dependable strain, usually consistently larger than No. 152 (and thus No. 44, too), and this is a distinct advantage. It seems especially adapted to fall plantings. Imperial 847 does not have the uniformity of maturity exhibited by Imperial 44 or even Im- perial 152, but in fall plantings this is not as serious as it might be be- cause the weather around harvest time does not particularly favor bolt- ing. It may mean that more cuttings are necessary. 20 BULLETIN NO. 6-26, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Imperial 850 has not been tried at the station but in well conducted trials by the American Refrigerator Transit Company, during the 1941-42 season, it appeared to be very similar in appearance and performance to N0. 847. Along with Imperial strains No. 152, No. 847 and No. 615, it is listed as among those which in Florida are “in some respects preferable to Imperial No. 44 under suitable Weather conditions” (1). New Yoi'k'1\lo. 12 is the least desirable of the strains tested. Its chief drawback, and a serious one, is its susceptibility to freezing injury. In November 1940, a temperature of 29° F. caused some leaf injury in New York No. 12 at the Station, Without the slightest sign of injury in other strains, New York No. 12 was likewise injured by similar low tempera- tures in other localities Within the Winter Garden region. In view of the hazard of low temperature during the winter months, the fact that there are strains which giv-e an all around better performance than No. 12 irrespective of low temperatures, it would seem“ as though this strain might be omitted from the list of better adapted strains. Muskmelon, Oucumis melo The muskmelon is a popular vegetable and hence new varieties and new names are fairly common. Since 1937 Seed Breeders because of its earliness has become the variety most commonly planted in spring, while Figure 6. A fruit of Mildew Resistant 45-variety of muskmelon. Fruit normally range 5% to 6 inches long. TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 21 Mildew Resistant No. 45 because of its disease resistance, and Arizona Nugget because of its small size are the varieties most likely to be planted by commercial growers for summer or fall crops. Seed Breeders was described earlier as New Seed Breeders (5), and has justified the Sta- tion’s opinion of it at that time. Mildew Resistant N0. 45 (Figure 6) was described at the same time under the names Powdery Mildew Resist- ant No. 45 and Imperial 45. Although the first of these two names was the one under which it was originally introduced (9,20), at the present time it is frequently referred to briefly as No. 45 by cantaloupe growers. More recently some seedsmen have practically eliminated the ribs in the strains handled by them, thus removing the chief defect listed in the earlier report. Commercial growers now complain that No. 45 tends to run too large in this section. This has tended to increase the popularity of Seed Breeders which has smaller fruit. In all Stationrtrials in which this latter variety has been included it has been consistently productive during the first several pickings. Seed Breeders, however, has no resist- ance to either powdery mildew or downy mildew. ln fact, of the varieties listed only Mildew Resistant Nos. 1 an 45 show resistance to the disease. Tables 6a and 6b list and describe the varieties reported upon for the first time from this Station. The edible qualities of muskmelons and cantaloupes are easily affected by weather conditions. The crop is “temperamental.” People's tastes Table 6a. Varietal characteristics of muskmelons Variety 1 Chief Season -------------- -— Remarks use Thickness Color Arizona Nugget ‘shipping midseason thick salmon Small, but good Cooper's Swect- home, market early thick salmon Productive. heart worth trying Cuban Castillizin lhome late midseason medium white Redstant to 5 ' downy mildew Early May ‘home, market early thick salmon Productive, i quality fair Globe of Gold Lhome, market early midseascn thick deep salmon Attractive; l, productive Grscn Flcshcd lhome |early midseason thick pale green Resistant t0 Rocky Dew , . downy mildew ldeal ‘home, shipping early thick deep salmon Attractive: l Hale’s Best type Ki]g0re’s Hummerlmarktit early thick salmon Only fair LaFayette T __________ __ midseason thick deep salmon Crackls very bad y Mildew Resistant ‘market early midseason very thick deep salmon Others better No. 1 " Old Ironsides lhome, shipping early midseason thick salmon Quality improves i ~ ~ with storage, l good Orange Fleshetl ‘home - early midseason thick salmon ‘ Resistant to Rocky Dew downy mildew Queen of Colorado home, market early midseason thick salmon [Tnnroductive Six Three lhome, shipping early midseason very thick salmon Hale’s Best type Wayside Market yhome, market midseason thick salmon Attractive, but unproductive l Table 6b. Varietal charactestics of muskmelons huit- (exterio-r) Variety _ Length x diameter Weight, Shape Color Netting Ribs Rind (inches) pounds I Arizona Nugget 4%—5J,4 x 414—4% 11/g—-2‘1/g oval golden fawn medium slight tough Cooper’s Sweetheart 4-4974 x 4—4% 114—21/2 globular golden fawn medium very slight med. tough Cuban Castillian 5-614 x 5‘—5.1/z| 2\—4 globular to oval yellow very slight very slight tough Early May 51A~6x 414-415 2-—3 oval golden fawn ‘medium pract. ab. med. tough Globe of Gold fr-Sx 5—51/2 21/g—31/g globular very pale green jmedium none tough cream Green Fleshed Rocky Ford ($54-$15 x 5%-—6 3%—5 elliptical yellow very slight prominent soft-med. Ideal 5%;—6 X5 ____ _- short oval to golden fawn heavy pract. ab. tough oval ' Kilgore’s Hummer 4%—5% x 415-5 2-3 globular golden fawn medium pract. ab. med.—-tough LaFaf/ette 4%—5% X 494-514 21/4—314 globular grew-cream none prominent med. tough Mildew Resistant No. 1 5%-—6x 4%,—514 21/2—3% oval golden fawn medium slight tough Old Ironsides 6~—7%, x 4:34-45 $14-49; long oval grey—-eream ‘heavy slight very tough Orange Fleshed Rocky Dew 734-8): 51@—-5% 4»—5%, elliptical yellow [very slight prominent soft-med. Queen of Colorado 6——6% x 4%—5v1,§ 3373-5 oval greyfl creamy {heavy slight tough ye ow i v Six Three 5—6x 414-5151 2%——3%, short oval to golden fawn medium pract. ab. med. tough Wayside Market 7%——8% x 6%—-7% oval grey medium [pract. ab. tough \ 5175-7 Kev: ab.—absent; med.—medium; pract.-practically. NOLLVLS LNEIWIHEIJXH TVHOJTIQOIHBV SVXELL 9939 'OI\T NLLHTTQH TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 23 vary too, and so it is not always easy to give ratings on quality with which all will agree. However, since quality is so important, reference to it has been included in the following discussion, and it is hoped this w.ll be» helpful. Arizona Nugget is the only one of the 15 varieties listed in Tables 6a and 6b that has been grown, so far as is known, on a commercial scale in the Winter Garden area. Because of its small size, productivity and attractive appearance, it pleases growers who dislike the large size Mil- dew Resistant No. 45. It is also smalle-r than Seed Breeders, and this ex- plains its popularity in summer and fall when earliness is less important. Like Seed Breeders, however, Arizona Nugget is also susceptible to both powdery and downy mildew. The variety came originally as the name suggests from Arizona. It has a small cavity, thick flesh, and high quality. Coopers Sweetheart might well be tried in a small way by growers who want to keep up with the latest developments. This variety introduced in Florida in recent years has produced well in Station tests, and had a high percentage of marketable fruit. The fruit is globular to oval in shape, with a fine medium heavy netting, and it practically lacks ribs. There is a resemblance to Hale’s Be:t. It is likely to have a high but pleasing flavor. Globe of Gold wh"le unlike any commercial type handled at present in the Winter Garden region is well worthy of trial, at least in the home garden. The fruit is globular with a very pale green cream exterior color. The netting is fairly heavy, and the fruit lacks ribs entirely. The interior is characterized by a thick, deep salmon colored flesh the quality of which is well above normal. Green-Fleshed Rocky Dew (Figure 7) attracts attention because of its resistance to downy mildew, but the elliptical shaped fruit with its prominent ribs is not suitable for commercial production in the Winter Garden section. It also tends to crack. In the home garden this variety might well serve a good purpose. Its quality is fair to good, although some may feel its flavor is too musky. La Fayette was very disappointing in station trials, because it cracked so badly. Mildew Resistant No. 1 is very similar to Mildew Resistant 45. Under some conditions it may be a little later, and it is reported that it tends to exceed No. 45 in size of fruit. In the Station trials, however, this was not true. Old Ironsides is one of so-called “white skinned” melons, in that the skin is very pale colored. The fruits are oval in shape and the pale gray cream skin is covered with a heavy. tough and rather coarse netting. 24 BULLETIN NO. 626-, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STIXLYPION Figure 7. A fruit of the Green fleshed. Rocky Dew variety of musk- melcn. Fruit normally ranges 6%» to 8 inches long. These characteristics together with the» thick-fleshed interior and the tendency for the fruits to ripen to full flavor very slowly give the fruit a solidity which make the name “Old Ironsides” quite appropriate. Even afterthe fruit is picked 0n the full slip, it should be stored for several days before being cut, as it is rarely, if ever, ready for eating at that time. This is an unusual characteristic in a cantaloupe, and should recommend the variety for trial as a shipping melon. Although, being slightly ribbed, it lacks the smoothness of outline possessed by some varie- ties, Old Ironsides is nevertheless well worth trying in both home and commercial trials. Orange-Fleshed Rocky Dew is an orange-fleshed edition of Green- Fleshed Rocky Dew. The flesh color is, of course, more attractive to most growers. Queen of Colorado, although an attractive cantaloupe, is too late, under Winter Garden conditions, and the fruit is too large, except possibly for the home garden. ' Okra, Hibiscus esculentus In 1937 a fairly extensive collection of the available varieties of okra was grown, in order to supplement the rather meager information on this vegetable given previously (4). This has been supplemented with Table 7. Varietal characteristics of Okra Plant Pods Variety Red colora- Remarks Heighth tion in stems Length, Cross section Pubesencc Color and petioles inches shape (green) Clemson Spineless medium sl.—med. 7~8 7 to fl-sided soft medium Very uniform; productive Cuban medium rare 3~4 8-sided harsh dark Pods plump Dwarf Long Podded Green dwarf sl.—med. 5-6 s-sided harsh dark French Market medium none 3-4 circular soft medium Pods very slightly ridged Kargefs dwarf sl.—1ned. 6~8= 6 to 7~siderl harsh dark Lady Finger Velvet medium rare 6~8 circular soft very pale Similar to White Velvet ’ whitish Landreth’s Dwarf Stalked medium sl.—med. 4-5 6 to 9~sided medium medium Low Bearing Long Green medium sl.—med. 6—8 6 to 7-sided harsh dark Similar to Perkins New Orleans Market medium sl.—med. 3~4 él~sided soft dark Perkins Mammoth Long Pod medium medium 7~—S‘ 6 to 7-sided harsh dark Dependable Perkins Mammoth Pod Long Green medium medium 6—8 6 to 7-sided harsh dark Dependable White Velvet tall rare ‘ 6*8 ciicular soft very pale Productive; attractive whitish Key: med.—medium; sL-slight. 93 NOIBEFH NEIGHVE) HEILNIM EIHJl H05 SEILLEIIHVA EITHVIEIBEIA JO SLSELL 26 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION observations on smaller plantings since then. Table 7 lists all the okra varieties ever tried at Substation 19. Clemson Spineless. This variety was developed by the South Carolina Experiment Station, and is one of the most uniiorm varieties being grown today. Although 1n appearance, the pods resemble Perkins Mammoth Long Pod, the pubescence is sparse and soft, that is, the variety is spine- less. As grown at Winter Haven it has shown considerable productivity. Clemson Spineless seems to be a distinct improvement over some of the older varieties, and should be tried more widely. White Velvet is an old standard variety, but is one of the most satisfac- tory to grow. The pods are 6 to 8 inches long, circular in cross section, and spineless, although the soft pubescence is heavier than in Clemson Spineless. The productivity of White Velvet is good. Onion, Allium cepa The biggest development in Texas onion production has been the rather spectacular increase in commercial acreage planted to the Early Grano or Babosa variety in the last two or three years. This variety has become outstanding in South Texas, because» of its high productivity, its freedom from splits, doubles, and seeders, and its ability to stand up to thrips. Early Grano was described in Texas Bulletin 508 in 1935 (4), when it was almost unknown in Texas outside of the Station. It took several years to get into commercial production. Because of its growing import- ance it was included in the varieties described in theUnited States De- partment of Agriculture “onion type book” and Babosa was listed as a synonym of it (17). In shape and color, Early Grano or Babosa is a top shaped, yellow globe (Figure 8), but unlike any other globe-shaped onion so far tried, it bulbs at approximately the same time in South Texas as the Bermuda varieties. Chemical analysis of bulbs grown at Winter Haven, Texas, has shown Early Grano to be milder than either Yellow Bermuda or Crystal Wax (19). Continued testing of this new onion variety at the Station has con- firmed the earlier conclusion that it has very definite promise under south Texas conditions. However, one note of Warning should be made. It has definitely been established that Early Grano or Babosa is more sus- ceptible to the pink root disease than are the Bermuda varieties (8). This means that growers will have to be especially careful to avoid plant- ing this variety in pink-root infested soil. Crystal Grano is a white type of Early Grano developed in California (20). The present strain is not very well adapted to Winter Garden conditions, because it is not yet fixed in its length-of-day requirements. While in general these are evidently longer than those for Early Grano, making the variety later, they vary sufficiently, so far as individual bulbs are concerned, to make the variety uneven in time of maturity. TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 27 _ >_ __ - - -- )1- .- ‘ »,‘, lllik'— Figure 8. An Early Grano bu_1b. At its best such a. bulb is over 3 inches in dmmeter. The bulbs which mature properly however, are very attractive. Selec- tion towards an earlier, more uniform maturing strain for Texas is under way at the Station, and there are good reasons to believe that within several years such an improvement can be attained. The foliage of Crystal Grano lacks entirely any bluish cast, having a glossy gr-een foliage often associated with resistance to thrips. Early White Globe is not as early as perhaps the name would imply, although it is decidedly earlier than Sweet Spanish which does not ma- ture before late June or early July and then not always satisfactorily (4), and, of course, much earlier than all the northern varieties which do 28 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT S'l‘A'l‘l0N not bulb at all in the far South. Whereas Early Grano usually matures in late April, Early White Globe is rarely ready before May 15 or later and even then tends t0 mature somewhat unevenly. From observations on Station trials as well as on commercial plantings it appears as though the variety is perhaps‘ better adapted to the heavier soils. The foliage has a distinct bluish cast which distinguishes the variety from Crystal Grano. Early White Globe is perhaps worthy of further trial by com- mercial growers, as small commercial crops of it have been fairly suc- cessfully grown, but those growers primarily interested in early crops should go cautiously. ' White Grano is another white type of Early Grano developed like Early Grano itself at the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station. White Grano differs from Crystal Grano in having a darker green foliage, even less glossy green than Early Grano. It does not however have the bluish cast present in Early White Globe and thus" differs distinctly from that variety. Some bulbs of White Grano are likely to have a faint fawnish color, rarely, if ever, seen in Crystal Grano. In season and in uneveness of the time of maturity White Grano resembles Crystal Grano, and hence is not perf-ectly adapted to the Winter Garden region. With several seedsmen, and various" research workers, in both the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the State experiment Stations working on types of all these earlier maturing White Globe varieties, better and earlier strains will undoubtedly become available. A Pea (English), Pisum sativum This crop is still a very minor one in the Winter Garden region; con- sequently, little time has been spent in trying the extremely larger num- ber of varieties available. In the season of 1937-38, a limited number of varieties known to be suitable in the canning and quick freezing in- dustries were grown in a time of planting test (Table 8). Table 8. English pea varieties—days from planting to maturity i Planting date Variety ;Sept. isl Oct. 1 i Oct. 19 Jan. 1s 1 Frb. s; Feb. 15 Ace i 4o 45 7s 58 i 4s 46 Canner King 77 117 114 71 66‘ (i5 Chief 66 95 114 68 , (i2 63 Climax S0 9.3 114 69 ‘ G5 6-4 Early Harvest 44 45 73 55 45 45 Early Perfcctah 80 119' 114 74 66 65 Glacier 60 5O i 49 Mardelah 44 45 73 55 , 45 ] 45 Pride G6 95 105 66 z 59 ~ 62 Teton 65 i 43 ‘ 49 Thomas Laxton 48 48 73 59 l 45 i 49 Wisconsin Early Sweet 41 45 73 55 ‘ 45 g 45 Among the data collected from this test, perhaps the most interest- ing were those showing the number of days required by each of the varie- Table 9a.. Varietal characteristics of English peas inches color, green dried peas,“ Remarks Variety Chief use Seasonl Height,“ Foliage Color of (seeds) . i I . . AC8 canning ‘early 14 lt.~n1ed. green k air 63111191’ King canning lmidseason 16 lt.—med. green Attractive; unproductive Chief canning unidseason 22 medium green Attractive: unproductive Climax canning émidseason 22 medium green Unproductive Early Harvest canning iearly 23- medium green Useful Early Perfectah canning ilat} midseason 17 dark green Good pods; fairly productive Glacier home, mkt., iearIy 17 medium cream—green Very like Thomas Laxton freezing Mardelah canning early 16 medium greien Promising Pride home, mkt., midseason 14 dark green Productive; good pods canning Teton mkt., ean., midseason 16 medium cream—green Pods noticeabfy large freezin Thomas Laxton all purpgses‘ early 16 medium cream—green Dependable Wisconsin Early Sweet canning early 16 medium grvPn Plfllnifiing lRelative terms given here; the actual number of days to first picking vary greatly with time of planting; see text and Table 8. 2This varies somewhat with time of planting. 3All varieties listed in this table had wrinkled seeds, indicating high sugar content. 4Home, market, shipping, canning and freezing, Key: can.—-canning; lt.—light; med.—medium: mkt-market. T'he heights given here are those for the planting 0t‘ February 3’, 1938. 53 NOIOEIH NHCIHVO HELLNIAA HILL ‘H01 SEILLEIIHVA EITSIVLEIOEIA JO QJSHL 30 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT" STrUPION ties to reach edible maturity when planted on different dates (Table 8). Not all varieties responded alike. For example, Thomas Laxton planted September 18 was ready to harvest in 48 days; planted October 1 (13 days later), it was again ready to harvest in 48 days, but Chief planted on those same dates took 66 days in the first planting and 95 days (prac- tically a month more) in the second. Both varieties in the third plant- ing matured considerably slower than they did in the second. Of course, it is actually such factors as air and soil t-emperatures, length of day, r-elative humidity and possibly other factors, associated with one period of growth which cause these changes in the rate of growth. Whatever the factor or factors are, however, it remains a fact that the number of days‘ required for edible maturity as given in most seed catalogs means little unless the time of planting and location are known. As most of such figures are based on spring planted trials in the north, they are often misleading to South Texas growers. Descriptions of the varieties are given in Table 9a and 9b. Table 9b. Varietal characteristics of English peas Pods Variety Length X l Breadth, Shape End Color No. of Size of inches shape peas pea Ace 2—2% x 1,5 straight blunt light i 4—6 small Canner King 2434-31,; X % sl. curved semi-blunt medium 4—7 large Chief 2%—31,§ X % str.—sl. curved semiblunt light 5—8 medium Climax 2—3 X 1/2 sl. curved blunt light 5-8 medium Early Harvest 178-214 x lé straight blunt light 4——6 small Early Perfectah 21/2—S X $§ sl. curved semi-blunt medium ____ medium Glacier avg-m x % str.—sl. curved blunt ____ __ 4—5 medium Mardelah ;‘—2% X y; str.—sl. curved blunt light 4—6 medium Pride 2%—3% X 5/8 straight semi-blunt dark 6—9 medium Teton 2!%—3% X 1%, straight blunt ____ __ 4-—6 large Thomas Lawton 214-2431 X e4; straight blunt dark 4——6 medium Wisconsin Early 1-"94-214 x V, straight semi-blunt light 4-6 small Sweet Key: sl.-—slightly; strn-straight. Mardelah is a promising early variety. market use, but might be acceptable in some home gardens. The pods are rather small for The variety was especially developed for canning. ' , Pride is a productive mid-season variety, with larger, more attractive pods than Mardelah. Home gardeners should try this variety. Thomas Laxton. The strains of this nationally popular variety tried at the Station since the first report on peas in 1935 (4) have been some- what more productive than those on which that report was based; How- ever, under Winter Haven conditions it does not equal Pride in yielding capacity. In a section Where killing frosts can sometimes occur in the fall before harvest time, Thomas Laxton has an advantage over Pride in earliness". Canners report that the variety is well suited to the quick freezing process. TESTS UF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 31 Wisconsin Early Sweet is another of the early maturing, small podded varieties having fair to good productivity. Pepper (Hot), Capsicum frutescens Since the brief report in Texas Station Bulletin 508, most of the varie- ties of hot peppers have been studied in greater detail in a series of co- operative tests with the United States Bureau of Plant Industry. The characteristics of these varieties are given in Table 10. Although some of the varieites are similar, nearly all are distinct from each other on some characteristic. There are thus numerous possibilities for the grower who likes hot peppers, for all are well adapted. Choice of a variety de- pends on the preferences of the grower, and the purpose for which he is growing it, so no attempt to discuss individual varieties has been made. Pepper (Sweet), Capsicum frutescens The Station has also cooperated with the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, in testing varieties of sweet peppers over a period of years. Like the hot peppers, the sweet peppers are well adapted, although as a class they are more likely to set fruit poorly during the summer when temperatures are high, and relative humidity often low. Some of the more important varieties were covered in Bulletin 508 but because of the extensive trials‘ since then, California Wonder and Worldbeater are discussed again below, although they have not been re-described in Table 11 which gives the chief characteristics of the varieties recently tested. California Wonder (Figure 9) is still the most important variety com- mercially in the Winter Garden area. After all these years of testing, however, it can be safely said that it is not the best adapted. That does not necessarily mean that growers should change to some other variety as there is no question but that California Wonder satisfies the require- ments of many markets as few other varieties do. California Wonder, however, noticeably fails to set fruit when temperatures are still high and the relative humidity of th-e air still comparatively low. This means that in the fall season it is among the latest to come into full bearing. The plants of this variety-—at least under Station conditions—have also always been among the slowest to adapt themselves to field conditions following transplanting. Florida Giant is similar to California Wonder, having both the ad» vantages and disadvantages of that variety. Neapolitan (Figure 10) is highly recommended for the home graden, although one would probably not want to depend on this variety alone. It is one of the earliest sweet peppers to set fruit, being only slightly affected by hot weather. Once started bearing, the plants continue to produce profusely throughout the season. The fruits are somewhat conical, 3 to 31/2 inches long and 1 to 1% inches wide at stem end, and Table 10. Varietal characteristics of peppers (hot) Plant Fruit Chief Season Variety use of N0. of Immature maturity Habit Sliz-e Position Shape Length cells* colorl Flavor Flesh (ins.) Range:Mode (green) thickness Anaheim Chili Culinary late Illvd- QTBCt lflfg0 pendant long conic 31/z—7 2-312 medium pungent thin Bullnose culinary midseason sl. spread. smallAmed. pendant blocky 11/2-—2;% 3~4A4 medium mildly medium . pungent Floral Gem pickling Gfifly Spreading IIl9d~~1arge pendant conical 11/8—-1% 2-333 light pungent thin yellowish Green Mexican Pickling pickling late sLspread. large pendant conical 11/z—2% 2~3z3 dark very thin pungent Hungarian Wax culinary v. early spreading medium pendant conical fll/r-GVZ 2-3:“ light mildly thin-med. , ' ‘ yellowish pungent Long Red Cayenne canning, early sl-spreild- large pendant cylindro- 1%-3-1/_, 2-342 dark pungent thin Dick- conic J ling, . drying Long Thick Cayenne [canning, early sLspread. large pendant cylindro- 2%—5% 2—3:2 medium pungent thin Dick- conic ling, ‘ _ _ _ drying , Mexican Chili chili very late erect large pendant conical ‘2-4 3—3':3 dark very thin powder , pungent Red Cherry pickling late erect large erect oblate %—% ' 3~3t3 medium very thin l pungent Red Chili pickling, late sl. spread. large erect conical %—11/2 l 2—2:2 yellowish very very thin sauce , pungent Small Red Cayenne pickling, late erect large erect conical l%~2 i 2-212 medium very thin sauce <1 pungent Sport ____ _- very late erect large erect conical l/r-llé 2-2:2 dark very thin ; pungent Tabasco pickling, very late erect v. large erect conical 1/2-11/2 i 2—2:2 light very very thin sauce yellowish . pungent a l i *When pod is cut in cross section, it appears to contain cells, the boundaries of which are the outside walls, the placenta, and radial walls which may or may not be completely formed. lobes may be inaccurat 8. lAll varieties listed are red at maturity, Key: medi-qnedium: sl ~slight; v.—-very. These cells often correspond to lobes which can be seen externally, but a count based on the Z2 NOLLVLS LNIWIHERIXII TVHHJIIOOIHOV SVXELL ‘O89 'ON NLLEITIQH I i Plant Fruit Chief i Season i Variety use of l l No. of Immaturc| Remarks maturity Habit l Size Position Shape Length eellst color Flesh i ‘ (ins) R-ange-zMorle (green) thickness Bloomsdale Giant home midseasonIspreading medium pendant blocky :§_41,; 3~4;4 medium medium Fair llloomsdale home early spreading medium pendant blocky 2%—4 3‘—4:- medium mcdinm Fair Wonder _ Florida Giant home, ‘late {erect medium semi- blocky 2%——4 3-414 dark thick Similar to Califor- market l pendant nia Wonder Golden Dawn home late erect medium pendant blocky 2*~—2‘1/z 3——4:_ medium thin Yellow when mature Golden Queen home late erect medium pendant blocky 21/2~f51/4 3~4:_ medium thin Yellow when mature Harris Earliest home early sl. spread- medium pendant broad 11/2.»~2 3—4;_ medium thin Fruit too small ing heart -[ Harris Wonde-r home late erect medium ‘emi- blocky 2%—31/2 3~4:_ medium medium Fair, but late pendant Imperial Collosal home, early semi-erect medium pendant bloeky- 3-31/1 3-4:_ medium thin Good market tapering King of the home early spreading medium pendant blocky- Ijil/4—4_ 3—4i:4 medium thin Fair North tapering Neapolitan home very spreading small semi- tapering 2154-31/2 3—4:3 yellowish thin Excellent for home early erect garden Oakview Wonder home, late sl. spread- medium pendant blocky 2191-4 3-4:4 dark thick Similar to Califor- market ing nia Wonder Squash (or home early spreading large semi- oblate 1—2 4-—4:4 dark thi-ek Excellent for home Tomato) erect garden Sunnybrook home early ispreading large semi- oblate 1-2 4—4:4 dark thick Excellent for home l erect garden Waltham Beauty home early ierect medium erect broad 1%—2% 3~3iz3 dark medium Fair heart ‘ Windsor A home early erect medium pendant tapering 2%—31A 3—4:3 medium medium F'air Yellow Sweet home ....._..- erect small erect tapering 1%,—-2%t 31-4: yellowi thin— Fair medium PAPRIKA ‘TYPES Dennes Special paprika earfy spreading medium semi- conical '2.—21@ 3—3:3 dark medium Probably best of pendant paprikas Dina paprika early spreading medium pendant conical 2——4 3-323 dark ‘medium Probably next best Kalinkov paprika early spreading medium semi- blocky z%-3% ____ _- medium 'medium Later than two pendant above Spanish Strain paprika late semi-erect medium pendant blocky- 5-6 3-4:3 medium medium Too late tapering r Tomato-Shaped paprika midseason spreading small semi- oblate 1-—2 4-424 dark medium- Pungency a draw- pendant thick back itAll varieties listed are supposed to lack pungency; iWhen pod is cut in cross section, it appears to co which may or may not be completely formed. lobes may be inaccurate. IActually yellow, not yellow-green. Tomato-Shaped Paprika was an exception being slightly pungent. ntain cells, the boundaries of which are the outside walls, the p-lacenta, and radial walls These cells often eorres pond to lobes which can be seen externally, but a count based on the £8 NOIOEIH NEICIHVO HELLNTAA ZIH-Il ‘HOE SEILLEIIHVA EITFIVLEIEJEIA JO SLSELL 34 BULLETIN NO. 6-26, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Figure 9. California Wonder. light yellowish green in color in the green market state. Like most pep- pers they are a bright red later. Oakview Wonder is still another variety somewhat on the order of California Wonder. It has however slightly longer fruits. In some localities it is reported as" earlier than California Wonder. The size, uniformity, and appearnance of the fruit make the variety worthy of trial by those growing this type. Squash, sometimes called Tomato pepper, is excellently adapted. It is also a fine home garden variety. The fruit has the shape of a small, flat tomato. The flesh is usually very thick, thus differing from Neapoli- tan which has thin flesh. The Squash variety is prolific, and exceeds Neapolitan in yield, although later. TESTS OF VEGETlABIE VARIETIES FOP THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 35 Figure 10. Neapolitan. The fruit nor- mally ranges from 2E; to 3g i inches long. Worldbeater (Figure 11), as mentioned in the report of 1935 (4), is better adapted than California Wonder. Although it is already grown to some extent in the Winter Garden region, its adaptability and its fairly wide acceptance in the trade should warrant wider commercial production of this variety. Pepper (Paprika), Capsicum frutescens During 1940 five varieties and strains of paprika pepper were tried at the Station (See Table 11). All grew well. In type of plant and foliage they resemble sweet peppers more than a hot type, but in shape of fruit they might be tentatively classified as eith-er sweet or hot de-_ 36 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT S'I‘A'I‘I()N Figure 11. Worldbeater is better adapted to Winter Garden than is California Wonder. pending on the variety. The type reported as being the most acceptable to the trade resembles in fruit shape a hot variety rather than a sweet one, but in flavor of flesh, placenta and seeds it would, of course, def- initely classify with the sweet. A good paprika should not have any pungency at all. Dennes Special (Figure 12) so far as is known represents the type of paprika most desired by manufacturers. The fruit is conical in shape and around 2 to 21/2 inches long. It has a pleasantly mild, sweet flavor when red ripe. lt is a heavy producer. TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR» THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 5:7 Dini (Figure 12) resembles Dennes Special more than any of the other paprika varieties listed in Table 11. Its fruits are the same shape, but often longer, ranging from 2 to 4 inches in length. Figure 12. Pour varieties of paprika pepper, Left to right (above): Dennes Special, Dini; (below): Kalinkov, Tomato Shaped. Kalinkov (Figure 12) is later than the tWo varieties just described and has fruit which can be characterized as having the shape of a slightly tapered California Wonder. The variety is not as prolific as either Den- nes Sp-ecial or Dini. Spanish has the largest fruits of all the Paprika varieties listed in Table 11. Shaped somewhat like the fruit of Ruby King, they are 5 to 6 38 BULLETIN NO. 6'26, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION inches long, and 1% to 214 inches wide at the base. This variety is so lat-e that it is unadapted to Winter Garden conditions, at least when planted for a fall crop. Tomato-shaped Paprika (Figure 12) has fruits of about the same size and shape as the Squash or Tomato pepper. These are slightly pungent. This characteristic makes the variety undesirable for use in the manu- facture of the best quality paprika pepper. Tomato, Lycoperiricu-m esculentum Since the publication of Bulletin 546 (5), tomatoes, especially the fall crop, have continued to increase in commercial importance in the Winter Garden region. New varieties of tomatoes continue to appear in many parts of the country Where they have been developed. Many of these are similar to each other, as well as to older varieties, not only in appearance but, according to some comprehensive studies in Michigan (18), also in historical background and breeding. Because of the importance of toma- toes, and the ever increasing number of new varieties the Station has given more attention to variety trials of this crop than to any other. Every fall there has been a trial, and quite often there has been one in Table 12a. Varietal characteristics of tomatoes i l l Chief usel Season l Plant Variety Foliage ‘Leaf color l size density l (green) l l l Bloomsdale Early No. 2 market, early ____ __ . _ _ _ . _ _ _ . _ _ -- canning l Bloomsdale Midseason shipping midseason l ____ __ l . _ _ . . _ _ _ _ _ -_ Bloomsdale Self "Topper market, midseason l ____ __ - . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ canning l Bounty home early ismall lopen lmedium‘ Cardinal market, early lmedium lslight medium canning midseason l l Cleo shipping late large dense .medium Danmark home first early lsmall lopen medium Early Sensation home first early lsmall open lmedium Fruit Tomato home midseason lmedium ‘medium jmedium Gloriana home first early lmedium lslight lmedium Harkness home early llarge medium medium Illinois Pride market, late ‘large ldense ,medium canning ' ‘ ' Louisiana Dixie home midseason lmedium lmedium light Morse’s 133~6 market, late lmedium l ____ _- l .... _- . l mnmng l I l . . 0'30 de Venado lhome early lmedium medium medum , l midseason l Pan America jshipping (late large idense light Pearson "home, midseason medium medium medium market Red Heart home early medium slight medium midseason Riverside home midseason llarge dense medium San Marzano lpaste late lmedium .... _- medium Table Talk home late medium medium medium Tangerine home, late medium medium medium l novelty Valiant home, early lmedium slight medium l market l Wasatch Beauty home lmidseason l l TEoTS OF VEGF/IABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WI-IVIER GARDEN REGION 39 Table 12b. Varietal characteristics of tomatoes 1 Fruit Variety ; ‘ l Remarks l Size, Shape Color* i Cell ounce-s i | No. l l . . Bloomsdale Early No. 2'13%—-l% oblate ired 4—7 Fair; some puffing Bloomsdale Midseason ‘31/2-41/2 ideep oblate 1'90 Bloomsdale Self Topper j3-1/g—4~1/g deep oblatered 4—7 Attractive, but others more suited 4—6 Some puffing; many irregu- la . i \ r Bounty 4-5» iglobe red i 5~8 Much puffing Cardinal l41/4—~5% ‘oblate red l 5-8" T00 many irregular Cleo j31/;—4% ‘deep oblatelred 4-5 Too many irregular; also l puffy Danmark ‘1%—21/; iglobe ired 3—7 Uniform. Very productive Early Sensation 21/r;<;% ‘fattened lred 7—12- Small Earliana type Fruit Tomato ‘2%—3i% lglobe ipink i 4—9 Many puffy; also irregular Gloriana l3%—4i% ld8€p oblate red 5—12 Many irre-gular fruits Harkness 32114-31/2 loblate red l 3P6 Productive, but lacks uni- ‘ l formity Illinois Pride ¢414—514 oblate red 6-9‘ Many cat faces Louisiana Dixie 14-51%; ioblate pink i 5—10= Too much puffing Morses 133-6 i4——5i ‘iglobe red 4-9 Too many irregular fruits Ojo de Venado %—%_ ‘oblate pink 2-7 Prolific; not commercial type Pan America ii-z’) globe red 4—S Too late; some puffing Pearson 114E314 Ydeep oblate red l --__ Productive Red Heart i£%—3i% jglobe red 4-6 Distinct. Too small for _ _ l _ ‘a y \ commercial use Riverside 414—e% deep oblatercd 5~6 Some puffing San Marzano ____ -_ long red 2 Nearly devoid of juice- Table Talk Si%—~l% globe red 4—7 Fairly attractive; too late Tangerine 3-4 iglobc red 4-—8 Puffy. Tends orange red Valiant 4—5 lglobe red 4-7 Fairly productive Wasatch Beauty ‘3%-—l% ltdeep oblate red > 5-8 Fairly productive l i i “The varieties have been simply classified according to the commonly used terms—pink, red (scarlet), and yellow. ~ the spring too. In addition to these there have been some special tests during the summer in an effort to find a variety adapted to the un- favorable conditions at that time. Tables 12a and 12b list the varieties grown in spring and fall trials and not reported upon previously. Table 13 lists those grown especially in summer trials. Seedlessness is a com- mon characteristic of all fruits of any variety producing during the sum- mer, With the exception of Red Cherry. With this variety s-eedlessness is more likely to be an exception rather than the rule. Fruits of all summer varieties including Red Cherry are normally smaller during the most adverse portion of the summer. Bison (Figure 13) is one of very few varieties brought in from the North that will produce fruit during the summer. It Was developed by the North Dakota Experiment Station (23). The fruits of Bison tend to be larger than those of Summerset (see Table 13), but are often very rough and irregular. The red colorlof maturity also develops unevenly under South Texas conditions. Combined with these drawbacks is the additional one of a very small determinate plant. This last characteristic leaves the fruit unprotected and subject to sunscald, a likely trouble dur- ing the summers in the Winter Garden region. Although obviously not 40 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Table 13. Varietal characteristics of tomatoes adapted to summer conditionsi‘ Fruit Variety Plant Av. RQITIHIRS growth weight of fruit, Shape Colon‘ Ce-ll No. ouncesi Allred det. 1.12 oblate red 6-—10 Low productivity. Unsat- isfactory. Bison det. .99 deep oblate red 5-11 Sets well, but many draw- backs: sec text Farthest North det. .16 globe red 2—3 Sets well, but plant AND fruits too small Golden Bison det. 74 flattened yellow 4-10 Sets well, but many draw- I backs: see text Porter indet. .42‘ deep globe pink 2 Popular summer sort, but small Red Cherry indst. .08 globe red ‘.2 Most prolific, but fruit t very small Red River indet. .74 deep oblate red 5-7 Low productivity. Unsat- i‘ isfactory Summerset indet. .80 deep oblate red 3—5 New. Developed especially for thc summer *In addition to the eight varieties listed, the following varieties were also tested under sum- mer conditions, but failed to produce fruit in sufficient quantity, if at all, for a description to be made: Blair Forcing, Globelle, Hi1l’s Earliana, Lloyd Forcing, LongCalyx Forcing, Pink Heart, Prairiana, surest Forcing, and Urbana. Tlilfiflllg the most adverse portion of the summer. Fruit of all varieties is larger in cooler wea er. IThe varieties have bee-n simply classified according to the commonly used terms-pink, red (scarlet), and yellow. Key: det-dcterminate; indet.——indeterrninate. an ideal variety, home gardeners would do well to try Bison because at best there are still so few varieties which will set fruit at all during the summer. Golden Bison is a yellow fruited strain of Bison, in which such charac- teristics as roughness of fruit and uneveness" of color tend to show up still more. Farthest North. As grown at Winter Haven, this variety has the small- est determinate plant of any named variety offered in the seed trade. It sets well, but the fruit although averaging twice the size of Red Cherry by weight (See Table 13) is actually still so small as compared to Bison and Summerset, that it does not pay to grow the variety. Porter (Figure 13), developed especially for Texas and the Southwest by a Texas Seedsman, sets fruits under summer conditions in which ordinary varieties fail to set any at all. In summer trials at Winter Haven, however, it has never shown the productivity of Summerset, al- though in spring and fall trials it has been exceptionally productive. Unpublished reports from other localities in Texas and Oklahoma in- dicate great productivity. Porter probably is at its best under conditions a little less severe than those normally encountered at Winter Haven dur- TESTS 0F VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 41 ing the summer. The fruit has the shape of a plum, is pink in color, and is about five times the size of Red Cherry by Weight. Rutgers was included in the 1937 report on vegetable varieties (5). The tremendous increase in importance of this variety both nationally and in South Texas Warrants a re-evaluation. On the» basis of Station trials in recent years, Rutgers still can not be recommended as ideal for the Winter Garden region. As previously reported it tends to be too Figure 13. Pour varieties of tomatoes that set well in the summer: First ('60P) row: Red Cherry; second row: Summerset; third row: Bison; fourth row: Porter. late. In all Station trials it has failed to equal Stokesdale in productivity, and has even failed to equal that vareity in shape and size of fruit too. Rutgers has proved to be a better variety than Marglobe, and it has also apparently given more satisfactory yields on the heavier darker soils than it has on lighter sandy soils. Thus growers in South Texas have benefited by its introduction, but anyone observing it season after s-eason in the comparative trials of varieties at Winter Haven would never give it a top rating for adaptability and usefulness. 42 BULLETIN NO. 6-26, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT S'l“i~\'l‘l()l\' Stokesdale was also included in the 1937 report on vegetable varieties (5). Like Rutgers it has also gained much in national importance since then and has become a particularly valuable variety in South Texas, al- though it is not grown on so large an acreage as Rutgers. On the basis of Station tests Stokesdale deserves much yvitler tr.a1. Although it has rarely exceeded Bonny Best in yield, it has approathed that variety more closely than any other at YVinter Haven in its (‘ajjacity to produce. In the Figure 14. Summerset tomato, about natural size. fall of 1940 Stokesdale from several sources exceeded by wide margins the marketable yields of varieties like Rutgers, Prtchard, and Marglobe. Again, in the fall of 1941 in a replicated randomized block test, Stokes- dale outyielded Rutgers, Master Marglobe and Grothen’s Globe by a significantly wide margin. The» acre yields‘ in pounds of marketable fruit were as follows: Stoke-sdale, 19,794; Grothen’s Globe, 11,076; Crown Picked Rutgers, 10,386; ordinary Rutgers, 9,878; and Master Marglobe, 6,513. Technically, it might be state-d that the F value as derived by an 'l‘E§TS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER. GARDEN REGION 43 analysis of variances according to the method suggested by Snedecor (21) was 24.62, when all that was needed for significance at the 1 percent level was 6.42. A difference in yield between varieties t0 be valid had t0 exceed 3065 pounds per acre. The difference between Stokesdale and the variety with the next highest yield was 8718 pounds, exceeding this mini- mum by a ‘wide margin. Unlike Bonny Best, Stokesdale combines with its productiveness some of the desirable shipping qualities found in such a variety as Marglobe. For example, the majority of Stokesdale fruits Figure 15. A plant of Summerset tomato producing fruit in mid-August at ‘Winter Haven. Notice number and. size of fruit. c are truly globular. By actual count in several seasons, Stokesdale has had higher percentages of globular fruit thansuch a well shaped variety as Master Marglobe. Most of the fruit too has the solidity desirable for packing and shipping. To obtain maximum size_in Stokesdale, as With any other variety, the plant should, of course, be adequately fertilized. Summerset (Figures 14 and 15) developed at Substation No. 19 spe- cifically for summer condtions has already been described (6). The fruit I5 44 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION of Summerset, while not always as large as that of Bison, is smoother and more evenly shaped, and more uniform in size. The red color of the ripe fruit develops evenly all over. The vine is indeterminate in habit, with a moderately dense growth, (and thus protects the fruit. Like any of these summer tomatoes, Summerset is a small tomato as compared with varieties such as Stokesdale and Rutgers, but even so it is a great improvement over Red Cherry, exceeding it by seven to ten times in size. Favorable reports have been received on Summerset from many localities in Texas and Oklahoma. Anywhere there is difficulty in getting tomatoes to set fruit in the summer, Summerset and varieties such as Bison and Porter should be tried. It should be remembered, too, that although Summerset has been reported—and probably correctly so—as drought r-esistant, it was developed under irrigated conditions and like all varie- ties produces best when supplied with adequate soil moisture and fer- tility. Watermelon, Citrullus vulgaris Since the last report on this crop in 1937 (5), a fairly large number of new varieties and names have been tried (Tables 14a and 14b). The general picture with watermelons in the Winter Garden region is about the same as it has been for the» past ten years or so, except that Tom Watson is much less popular now than formerly with commercial grow- ers. Cletex or Spotted Watson has taken its place, and recently Florida Giant, better known in the Winter Garden as Black Diamond has come to take the place of Cletex with some growers, Black Diamond is the same as -Florida Giant under which name it was grown at the Station. See below and also Table-s 14a and 14b. Cletex has been popular in recent years with commercial growers around Pearsall and Dilley. The fruit is cylindrical, and the exterior color is a medium green, mottled or spotted irregularly with a lighter green. The rind is tough. The flesh is dark pink, and white hearts are much less common than with old strains of Tom Watson. Early Kansas will please some home gardeners as an early melon of fair quality. It is one of the early melons worth trying. Florida Giant, frequently grown as Black Diamond, is rapidly gaining in popularity with commercial growers in the Winter Garden region. This variety is also very similar to Clara Lee (Tables 14a and 14b). It has large fruit, globular or short oval, similar to Stone Mountain in shape. In weight it is among the heaviest. The rind is fairly tough, and a very dark green in color. The flesh has a deep red color. In recent Station trials, this fine interior color has been maintained more consistently than nearly any other variety. Although for some markets it may be less desirable than Cletex, in the opinion of a number of growers it is a much better melon than that variety. TESTS OF VEGETABLE VAR-IETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 45 Table 14a. Varietal characteristics of watermelons Fruit Variety Chief use Season roductivity interior, Seed color flesh color Baby Delight home midseason unproductive pink light brown Blue Banner ______ -_ midseason unproductive red w 'te Blue Rind Watson shipping midseason med. produc- deep red brown tive Carolina Bradford home, ship. midseason med. produc- pink white tive Clara Lee home, ship. midseason med. produc- red dark brown tive ‘ Cletex shipping midseason med. produc- ‘dark pink light brown ; tive Oole’s Early ‘home very early med. produc- pale pink black tive Out Red Tom Watson shipping midseason productive deep red brown Early Arizona home early productive red brown Early Canada home very early med. produc- red brown tive Early Kansas home very early med. produc- dark pink brown tive Florida Giant home, ship. _midseason productive red brown Golden Cream home early med. produc- golden white tive yellow Golden Sweet home early productive golden white yellow Improved Kleckley Sweet home, midseason med. produc- dark pink white No. 6 market tive Jackson home midseason med. produc- pink white tive John Smith home midseason unproductive light yellow white, black ‘ margin Leesburg home, ship. ‘midseason med. produc- deep red white tive .Luscious Golden Sweet home ‘yearly med. produc- golden white tive yellow New Winter home midseason med..produc- pink black tive Northern Sweet home early productive red light brown, dark brown tip Panmure All Heart home midseason med. produc- pink brown tive Perfection ‘home ‘early med. produc- ‘dark pink white, brown g tive margin Queen of Parker home ‘midseason med. produc- deep yellow black tive Ribault shipping midseason med. produc- dark pink white, brown ‘ tive ‘p Royal Golden ' novelty lmidseason unproductive dark pink light brown Spotted Watson shipping imidseason med. produc- dark pink light brown , tive State Fair home, ship. imidseason med. produc- red white tive Striped Klondike home midseason unproductive red black Sugar Stick shipping midseason productive pink black Sunnybrook shipping midseason med. produc- red light brown tive Tendersweet home midseason med. produc- deep yellow white, black tive margin Texas Sweet home, midseason unproductive red black market * Yellow Watson home, midseason med. produc- ‘pinkish brown market tive yellow I Key: med.—medium; ship.—-shipping. Leesburg was introduce-d by the Florida Experiment Station in 1936 as a wilt-resistant variety (23,22). This characteristic is important when- Table 14b. Varietal characteristics of watermelons Fruit Variety i Length x diameter Weight, Shape Color Rind Remarks (inches) pounds Baby Delight 6x 01/2 5-7 globular dark green medium tough T00 small for most Blue Banner l6—20 x 815-9 18-31 long cylindrical dark green Illedillln $011311 Sillllbllrlls Blue Rind Watson 19%—21 x 8-9 20-36 long cylindrical dark blue green tough Attractive flesh Carolina Bradford Clara Lee Cletex Cole's Early Cut Red Tom Watson Early Arizona Early Canada Early Kansas Florida Giant Golden Cream Golden Sweet Improved Kleckley Sweet 1N0. 6 Jackson John Smith Leesburg Luscious Golden Sweet Lew W nter Noithern Sweet Panmure Al Heart Perfection Cue:n of Parker Rlbault Royal Gofdrn Spotted Watson State Fair Striped Klondike 14-16 x 11-12% 2-8-50 16-20 x 81/2—10‘ 23-43 11-12: x s 16-20 20-22% x 8—-g1/g 18-30 8-12 x 8-9 11-15 10-11 x s 11-10 11-14 x 10-13 20-40 14-16 x 11-12% 1 23-50 12-15 x al/z 14-25 14-13 x a 14-251 13-14% x 11 17-30 15-171/2 x 7 i 13-17 10-111/2 x ell/g-n 1 17-30 16-17 x 71/2-9 1 20-24 14-18 x s 1 21-32 :11/2-10 x 91 ; 13-17 7-10 x o ‘ 12-10 17-20 x 7-8 15-23 13-10 x 8-21/2 ‘ 1-2-21 13-14 x 111,@-12 1 311-40 s-zo- x 311/2-0 1-30 e-nm x 0115-10 1 11-25 10-20 x 514-10 1 23-13 12-131 x 11 2.7-3.2 14-10 x 8-10 15-28 long cylindrical short oval cylindrical oval cylindrical short oval oval short oval short oval 1oblong Oblong long oval long oval iglobular 1long oval ob‘ong 1gl0bular 1globular Long oval l ‘oblong 1short oval ioblong ‘globular ‘cylindrical short oval 1long oval medium green dark green medium green: mottled ‘striped; light 1 and dark green ldark green very dark green very light green ‘medium gree-n; 1‘ light striped 1dark green 1very dark green 1very dark green 1medium green 1medium green ‘medium green; light stripe dark green very dark green ETPY dark gn en medium green; ‘ dark stripe dark green dark green: medium stripe medium green dark green med um green; mottled 1medium green ‘medium green; light stripe med.um tough medium tough tough medium tough tough thin , tender tender medium tough medium tough medium tough medium tough medium tough tender tender tough 1neo1u1n tough tough 111111111111 tough tender medium tough tough tough tough tough medium tough medium tough Similar to Alabama Sweet Similar to Florida Giant Better than Tom Watson Unadapte-d Attractive flesh Attractive Fair Fine for early type Very good; also known as Black Diamond Good Good Fair Only fair Cracks badly Sunburns, but wilt resistant Sunbuins easily uniform Fine for early home use 0n.y far Only fair lAttraetive; distinct Fair Foliage yellow. Novelty ldent.cal with Cletex Good No advantage over Klondike 9T7 NOLLVLS LNHWIHEIJXEI TVHIIJKEIIOIHOV SVXEICL ‘Q89 ‘ON NLLEYITQH Sugar Stick Sunnybrook Tendersweet Texas Sweet Yellow Watson 20—-23 X 8% 14-—19 X S|;@-—9 171;§~—23 X 10——11 16-18 x 10\—10% 20~28 15-35 cylindrical long long oval oblong cylindrical light green grey medium green; light stripe medium green; light stripe dark green tough tough tender to medium medium tough tough Fair A resemblance to Thurmond Gray Fine yellow fleshed melon Attractive )Good Key: lt.—light; med.——medium. Li’ NOIQEIH NEIGHVO ‘HELLNIAA HHJ] ‘H01 SHLLEITHVA HTHVkI-IHQHA JO SLSHL 48 BULLETIN NO. 626. TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION ever wilt is a problem. As grown at Winter Haven the ‘variety has tended to sunburn too much, but aside from this has been fairly satisfactory. Northern Sweet is another early maturing melon well worth trying in the home garden. It is quite productive and if conditions are at all favorable usually has good interior color. Spotted; Watson. Identical with Cletex; see above. iTendersweet is an excellent yellow fleshed melon well worth growing in the home garden. The flesh, in addition to having a good yellow color, usually entirely lacks fiber thus giving the fruit a high quality. Summary of Promising Varieties A number of varieties introduced in recent years have proved better adapted and more valuable than the older varieties-previously recom- ‘mended. In some instances, fairly new varieties suggested in previous reports as‘ worthy of further trial, have justified those t-entative predic- tions of their possible value and are now commonly grown in the Winter Garden region. A summary oflthe latest recommendations follows: Bean: To the varieties previously recommended——Henderson and Jack- son Wonder (home garden only) dwarf lima beans; and Giant Stringless‘ Green Pod, Burpee’s Stringless Green Pod, Bountiful dwarf snap beans—-Blue Lake pole snap bean can now be added. Beet: Variety still a matter of preference, as all are excellently adapted. Carrot: All varieties are excellenty adapted, but Imperator is now the leading commercial variety. Sweet Corn: Honey June is still the leading white sweet corn. Among the yellow sorts, Ioana and Ioglen both reported und-er breeding numbers in 1937, are now available from several sources in the trade, because of their popularity. Edible Cowpea: Cream Crowder is still the most satisfactory variety obtainable locally. However, both Early Wilt Resistant Ramshorn, and Giant Wilt Restistant Ramshorn have shown up in recent trials as fine, very productive varieties of the Blackeye type. Cucumber: The long fruited, darker green varieties are definitely more popular than they were even five years ago. It is still impossible to say which of these is best, but such varieties as Colorado, A and C and similar sorts are much more firmly established than formerly with commercial growers. Mission and Special Dark Green have shown promise in recent trials. Eggplant: A good strain of Black Beauty is one of the most desirable and useful of varieties. For those who prefer the Florida High Bush type, Fort Myers is highly recommended and is to be pre- ferred to most strains of the old Florida High Bush. New Hampshire Hybrid is suggested as an early, small fruited, productive variety for home gardens. TESTS OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN REGION 49 ' / Lettuce: All varieties adapted. Within the New York type, recent tests indicate that the following strains are among the most promising and probably in the order given: Imperial 44, Imperial 152, and Imperial 847. Muskmelon: Seed Breeders, (Powdery) Mildew Resistant No. 45 and Arizona Nugget are now the leading commercial varieties grown. Coopers Sweetheart has shown commercial possibilities. These are all suitable for the home garden also, and for that purpose the non- commercial varieties Green-Fleshed Rocky Dew and Orange-Fleshed Rocky Dew are also suggested because of their resistance to downy mildew. Okra: White Velvet still recommended. The new variety Clemson Spine- less is also recommended because of its uniformity and productivity. Onion: The Bermuda varieties are still the most important commer- cially. However, Early Grano or Babosa has also become important in South Texas‘. N0 variety representing a white type of Early Grano is completely satisfactory as yet. English Pea: Tests indicate that time of planting greatly affects the number of days required from planting to edible maturity. To the varieties previously recommended—Little Marvel, Nott’s Excelsior, Laxton’s Progress, Horsford Market Garden—can be added Pride and Thomas Laxton. Peppers, Hot: Variety still a matter of preference; all equally adapted. Peppers, Sweet: California Wond-er still leads commercially. However, on basis of extensive observations Worldbeater is considered better adapted. For the home garden Neapolitan and Squash are also recommended. Pepper, Paprika: Desirable varieties are well adapted. Dennes Special is most satisfactory, and Dini is a good second choice. Tomato: For spring and fall commercial seasons, Stokesdale is first recommendation, although Rutger’s' is now being grown fairly satis- factorily in many commercial plantings. For the summer, Summer- set and Bison both set well, but the former especially developed for South Texas, has a large indeterminate vine which affords protection -to a comparatively small but smooth fruit, while the latter has a small determinate vine giving little or no protection to fruits which are rather small and in addition usually rough and unevenly colored. Porter is also suggested for summer but it does not equal Summer- set and Bison under all conditions. Watermelon: Cletex is now as important commercially as Tom Watson used to be. Florida Giant, better known in the Winter Garden as Black Diamond, is highly recommended, and is gaining increasing popularity with growers‘. Early Kansas and Northern Sweet are among the best of the very early varieties suitable for the home garden. Tendersweet is an excellent yellow fleshed variety. 50 BULLETIN NO. 626, TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT‘ STATION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks are due Dr. Roy Magruder of the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, for his suggestions and constructive criticism of the tables and text dealing with eggplants and peppers. The writer also appreciates the help and suggestions extended by Mr. F. P. Witt- man, Horticulturist 0f the American Refrigerator Transit Company, in connection with that portion of the bulletin covering lettuce. Acknowledgment is also due the numerous seedsmen and others who generously supplied samples for the trials. LITERATURE CITED 1. Beckenbach, J.CR., F. S. Jamison, R. W. Ruprecht, and F. S. Andrews, 1941. Crisp-head lettuce in Florida. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 365. 2. Haber, E. S., 1940. Sweet corn hybrids. Iowa Agr.. Exp. Sta. Bu1_ P15 (New series). 3. Haskell, R. J., and V. R. Boswell, 1940. Disease resistant varieties of vegetables for the home garden. U.S,D.A. Leaflet 203. 4. Hawthorn, Leslie R., 1935. Vegetable varieties for the Winter Garden region of Texas. Tex. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 508. 5. Hawthorn, Leslie R_, 1937. Fur-ther tests of vegetable varieties for the Winter Garden region. Tex. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 546. 6. Hawthorn, Leslie R., 1941. Summerset. a new tomato for Texas’ summers. Tex. Agr, Exp. Sta. Progress Report 732. 7. Hutchins, A. E., 1937. The Mincu, a new pickling cucumber. Minnesota Horticulturist, September. 8. Ivanoff, S. S., 1941. Breeding onions for disease resistance. 54th Annual Repont of Texas. Agr. Exp, Sta.., p. 181. 9. Jagger, I. C. and G. W. Scott, 1937. Development of powdery mildew re- sistant cantaloupe No. 45. U.S.D.A. Circ. 441. 10. Jagger, I. C., T. W. Whitaker, J. J_ Uselman, and W. M. Owen, 1941. The Imperial strains of lettuce. U.S.D.A. Circ. 596. 11. Janes, M. J., 1937. Eggplant yellows control. 50th Annual Report of Tex. Agr. Exp. Sta., p. 303. 12. Jones, S. E_, 1938. Eggplant yellows. 51st Annual Report of Texas Agr. Exp. Sta., p. 262. ' 13. Jones, S. E. and M. J. Janes, 1936. Eggplant yellows. 49th Annual Report of Texas Agr. Exp. Sta., p. 326. 14. Knott, J. E., E. M. Anderson and R. D. Sweet, 1939. Problems in the pro- -i13l1(i3ti0I]14 of Iceberg lettuce in New York. Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. u _ 7 . 15. Magruder, Roy, et al, 1940. Descriptions of types of principal American varieties of red garden beets. U.S.D.A. Misc. Pub. 374. 16. Magruder, Roy, et al, 1940. Descriptions of types of principal American varieties of orange-fleshed carrots. U_S.D.A. Misc. Pub. 361. 17. Magruder, Roy, et al, 1941. Descriptions of types of principal American varieties of onions. U.S.D.A. Misc. Pub. 435. 18. lzvlorrison, Gordon, 1938. Tomato varieties. Mich. Agr. Exp. Sta. Spec. Bul. 90. 19. Platenius, Hans, and J. E. Knott, 1941. Factors affecting onion pungency. Jour. Agr. Res. Vol. 62, No, 6, pp. 271-380. 20. Porter, D. R., H. A. Jones, and G. N. Davis, 1941. Newly developed vege- table varieties for use in California, Calif. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 646. 21. Snedecor, George W., 1934. Calculation and Interpretation of Analysis of Variance and Covariance. Ames, Iowa. 22. Walker, M. N., 1936. A wilt-resistant watermelon for Florida. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 288. 23. Yeager, A. F.. 1933. Tomato breeding. N, Dak. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 276.