/tv X -J,
HIGHLIGHTS
ofAGRICULTURL
AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH
Vol. 1, No. 1 SUMMER 1954
lot Md 1&Je - What Plant and Animal Breeding Mean to the Farmer . . . Better
Sired Replacements . . . New White Clover in the Making . . . Crop Testing Program . . .
Vegetable Breeding . . . Auburn White Leghorn Strain . . . Trees and Their Seedlings
S E R V I N G A L L f A L A B A M A
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT
STATION SYSTEM
of the
ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
I /
~//~ a
4~
Puat ad AAmal Beeding -
WHAT IT MEANS TO THE 
FARMER
CHAS. F. SIMMONS
Associate Director
THE AVERAGE BUYER of improved
seed or strains of animals little real-
izes the years of research required
for their development!
Improvements in breeds or varie-
ties are seldom accidental. They re-
sult from patient and planned efforts
of breeders. In most instances it is
necessary to produce and test thou
sands of individuals through dozens
of generations before the desired
characteristics can be fixed in an im-
proved breed or variety.
Development of good hybrid corn
varieties is an example. Over a great
number of centuries, corn was devel-
oped by selection from a wild plant
to one of economic importance. The
mechanics by which improvement
was made were not understood since
the principles of genetics necessary
for all controlled plant and animal
breeding were not discovered until
about 1860. Even then, importance
of these discoveries were not appre-
ciated and as a result were not wide-
ly publicized until about 1900.
Following rediscovery of the prin-
ciples of genetics, plant breeders be-
gan inbreeding corn. Single-corn
hybrids were then developed, which
outyielded the best open-pollinated
varieties. 
From a practical 
stand-
point, however, these single-corn hy-
brids had little value because of the
difficulty and cost of producing seed.
It wasn't until about 1916 that
plant breeders discovered how to
maintain the vigor and yielding abili-
ty that came from crossing inbred
lines and at the same time produce
sufficient seed to make the process
practical. While this discovery made
hybrid corn a more likely possibility,
many years of inbreeding, crossing,
and testing were necessary before
hybrid corn could be recommended
generally for commercial planting.
In fact, about 30 years work by many
geneticists and plant breeders oc-
curred between the time inbreeding
was begun and the time suitable hy-
brid varieties became available for
farm planting. Within another 23
years, or by 1953, hybrid seed corn
was used to plant over 86% of the to-
tal corn acreage of the United States.
Even today with available knowl-
edge of corn breeding, it takes about
10 years for a breeder to develop a
good hybrid from open-pollinated va-
rieties. Inbreeding open-pollinated
varieties to eliminate weak charac-
ters usually requires 5 to 6 years.
After inbred lines are developed,
suitable single and double crosses
must be made and tested. This also
requires 5 to 6 years. During this
period, the corn breeder will handle
thousands of lines and crosses, most
of which will be discarded because
of weaknesses that show up in the
testing. Thus, a tremendous amount
of time and work go into developing
a hybrid before release to farmers.
The basic principles of breeding
are about the same with both plants
and animals. However, the methods
used may vary greatly. The breeder
and associates may have to spend
many years in laboratory studies be-
fore any progress from a practical
standpoint becomes evident.
Much of the resources of the API
Agricultural Experiment Station is
directed toward improvement of
both animals and plants. Specific
work in poultry, beef and dairy cat-
tle, and hogs is underway in animal
breeding. Crop breeding is being
done with cotton, corn, white clover,
sericea and other legumes, grain sor-
ghum, and vegetable crops. Plans
also include research in forest tree
breeding.
Resulting from this research in
plant and animal breeding have been
such improved strains as the Auburn
White Leghorn; Auburn reseeding
crimson clover; Plains, Auburn 56,
and many of the older wilt-resistant
strains of cotton; and Combine Sa-
grain, a grain sorghum variety re-
leased to 
farmers 
this year.
Our New Report -
HIGHLIGHTS of AGRICULTURAL 
RESEARCH
To Friends of Alabama Agriculture:
Down through the years, the ad-
ministration and staff of your Agri-
cultural 
Experiment 
Station have
understood that agricultural research
for research's sake alone is not
enough; that, to be meaningful, re-
search results must be brought to the
attention of farmers and others who
can use them. Many means are used
by your Experiment Station for this
purpose. Scientific bulletins, circu-
lars, leaflets, and articles are pub-
lished. Newspapers, farm magazine,
and radio stories are released. Or-
ganized groups of farmers and busi-
ness men are encouraged to visit the
various units of the Experiment Sta-
tion System, accompanied by county
agents, vocational agricultural teach-
ers, or other professional workers.
Each of these devices is useful, yet
each has its limitations. Bulletins
and the other types of publications
mentioned usually deal with the re-
sults of a single type of experiment.
Visits to a substation or other re-
search unit are valuable since the
techniques of visual education can
be brought into play, but even they
are limited in scope.
In our search for even more ef-
fective ways of bringing our research
activities to the attention of Ala-
bama's farm leadership, we con-
cluded that a magazine that would
from time to time present the high-
lights of our broad agricultural re-
search program was needed. To fill
this need, we have started a new
publication, "H I G H L I G H T S of
Argicultural Research." We take
great pleasure in sending you a copy
of the first issue. It is our earnest
hope that this publication will con-
tribute materially to the advance-
ment of Alabama Agriculture.
Sincerely yours,
E. V. Smith,
Dean and Director
BETTER SIRED REPLACEMENTS
K. M. AUTREY
Head, Dairy
Husbandry Dept.
INEEDED IN \iAi XAi \( \S thait
~it I i I I Iw Iar 7 \c r IIIjc ii
I lOX', (X r. t oitjiiiii g"riXtl) wXill I
I iaiiipcril 1)( t IIse \1;ilxo na dlrX
in(1i wXithi ( iiXX 5aX tiii~ii(r 3) 510
p)1(mil of i milk alIi iiall\ are emimpet4
i I I XXr iih sii l t ti' I s V i 1 i t I
If diairviiig iii tIhis State' is tii timf-
putt suct-(55f ilkh XX itll that ill tijo so-
ilairs' tattle iuiti (2 )bltaiiiiig sId-
liil rccX d A 1tp111(m) t1 iXX1 to Al Id lio
sircs.
Production Recards
I'roijetilji rteiiros ( 1)11!A ) (4 tilt
( dleg 10)0 jrti at k 111)lllll ttil At lOX al-
ii 1)3 stiirX of 1111111 tut' ic3jt rtti -is iAs
c~aaitX tii pr(ii i ,roc Ct 3 )0 p. al lit
(A lo euictiis, ujli cc juc)t S, ti IrI ist
ai lillihl iti tm call cos5ts I Ii ciiXX
groupedtt accoirtding to) 1953 prouii-
tion aX trairts art summrized inl the
tab~le ibtIowX.
Based of) tli se ret irts, a tlairX -
man w, Xithi tjigt 11) ((10-puiit c-iXX 5
its iictl miilk as utc XX illt XXith 20
I'ltl)u It ()\
1.1)11P
1I1o (1(1 ).
1600I1).
.S2 12
596
816
Fi I-
20:
4A:00 poiild prilliittrs (first (rroll p.
(iiit1 iiXX 5ms total Xi)!)))c ( t 1 juAi
XXwm111lit be i prtliiceti at 36"' ltss f ,ou I
aill t iists XXid 011 c ) an 8_'1: ~ 301) ii
t ipfarOel toi 892() Ijuut ahouut thuc
simic aiiioi it ofI imilk h)ilt ipioldi tcol
b\X )O iiX ~iilim)4t X .
Sire Testing Important
I itits ill siltttii o sire s for I lerdij
of Black ie. A Xom 1tI3j ersev 1)1111 thlat
luoket ooii l paper lult.aX ei1)3tu
7,4:31) pounids uof' ik ( maitiji( bi)
or 641) poutiids less tlil thetir dams.
1Iilis 5111 XX dee( (cr-case pruiOliitiuin
ilit her 1 (1 f' ii iatiit, t ( ,\ a\ caX *IA3i
mi-c~r tima 6,.501)101 is of miilk
1) Hi it i)\s .\11)5 i Ni I llit 51115 1(\
S1 44
:1:33
I W1
6 1:1
S 16
2S I
110)
The cows above ore representative of the
first three groups reported in table at
bottom of page. Cow at left is typical of
4,300-pound group; center, 7,600-pouiid
group; young cow at right, 10,600-pound
group.
Black heifer, shown with her dam, is a
daughter of Inko, an outstanding Holstein
bull. As a second-calf heifer, she produced
11,830 pounds milk and 467 pounds fat.
This production exceeds that of her dam
by 2,440 pounds milk, 102 pounds fat.
Anut!lc ijj jjstat icc (lii litcrs ()
Idii it .1lsiX Imll.,I aira-c 8,700
pol) its ()I milk mid 41 's nds (,f
fat. or ISO1 iiioj t iii ids mjilk ,jii(I 25
jjH1mv pumillts fat thll~j tliii tkjijs.
S.01to 9Jl0001 
1
oijjitls ill iujilk (jujai
tiliv liisi5).
Ihdsis) :3,.301) mjjrc polilids of ijijik andj~
I1 if) m illit ill 1 ()f fa tt thlli thoir.
lcr sc\ damijs (7,3)1 Ipioiilil aX tra,1(,).
I'llis showsX titi rapidl pI(i r that
to) tr-afsiflit a hli-1r I\X ] of' prIodlue
tioji thai) a j1crsey bull1. Ill this Cast,
mlilk produictionl wXas iiot uix sharply
ititreast(I ibiit IAka trajisinittcd al
\(,I-\ 1i "l 1lX ti of fit proiictiiill, his
itidex lbtiiiCy 1:3,951 pounds of milk
itl .564 piiiilds of1 f'at.
'I'l(lteil(I records show \(1 airvil1(1k
call af ford toi payX 81,000 tio s1:51)
tees for 5trX ice of a1 pros 1( sire.
iFhes alsii511 \ XXlm IIX dli IX l callt
ill affoiirt to ils( O )3il(l(a lull is.
Sec~eeot ?leat' i ee4f 9 Veaug
AUBURN STRAIN WHITE LEGHORN
FRED MOULTRIE, D. F. KING, and G. J. COTTIER
Department of Poultry Husbandry
Li
1111  
1155( IIIu till I 15114 11',' 5(lopin(g tht(, Aubulrn Strain that is
fromn dise'ases inakc tIl) (lil' of thet 1n1w 55 all knoiiosI and praised for
tolughest proilitins of poiiltrymneii. its abl~lity to resist cIoloilioll l~ollltrS%
Such diseases ats lelncosis (f owl pa- tliscast's and for its high cgg t piodlic-
ris 'sis ) calilliot he conltrolled uex eli hs tioo. This strainis iiS\ 1(55\teilv 1
pr('selt (las vacciinationi aiitl 1111 r istti ill \mlinla. 11 m'(i'(li br i stock
tion pir)grali5. aliso has i)t't'l I sippe~I(d to 20(1 oilci
)lict of tihe practical alnsw5crs is states alid to I fircl('lgl colliltrit's.
breeudinig strains resistailt to disease. Production Up, Mortality Down
Til- API' Agriclitural Experiieiit Duimiilg tii(' I , I'-all of thlis wvoik
Station wvas 011' oIf' the first to ('stal) tlt': l osses5t' of Illicllil'i Auburnll
fish this fact. produicing the( I,)\ na Strini pulit'ts tndeir se's rc exposure
tionlliv knIow XV Il)I~ Strini \%,hit, ill til'a Liing houise' ias b' 1c( r('
liloril. (Ilhil Irloll S9'( in 19:35 to 1'5' i
Started 18 Years Ago I 952. (Sc' chart. ) 'Most (If this dirop)
lginiilg in) 19:35, tile i'o(iitr\ I )(' ill illolrtaiitv wsas (i1(1 ao itcc-rt'as( ill
partintlit solught to del's ( it~ strzllll iIl'icos 55 wichti kilied abhout t\\o
resistanlt to h'eitosis tlil No. I catist thlirdis (of tlit ilirls houI~sed ill 19'1)
now%. Ill this ikrt'('(ilg prograill a- 1952. Alonlg w5itil tis greatilpls'
e'gg produ1 lct ion . sillown1 a sharp inlcrease' ill eggt pro
By 1943, tieath losse's ill tihe new'5 tilctiol (Sc ('cihart. ) In 19:35, the
stralin front i(IK (sis I it(i bee'n grt'atls flock ~la'raugt': 1)1lx 634 egg.s pr~ ihirdi
r(tIceti. hit' prl Igriin \%,is tilell I o I1 s 5(d. Dli It' o~st~v to ilicrease inl
ibro(Ic(nl't to in clude11 bretdinilg for livisahilityx tilt' flock 1111w avetrages a
resistance(1 to all iother conno 111 11 lis- little' 115 r 200O c'igs per ibirti 1101setl.
east's aint disorder's. It is tilt Ofpillioll of soillt' polliltrs
svert' ulse t' s foloildaltioll stoc(k ill ti'- disci'15( ill (lilt' localtion art' not4 re'sist-
FPer
i 00
Death losses in Auburn Strain were reduced from 89%/ in 1935 to 15%/ in 1952, while
egg production was increased from 64 to over 200 eggs per bird housed.
allit ill anoiltheri. Ill 191s, hi ceiling
stock was e'xchangedi withl the New
Yo rk A griclturl Experinient Sta-
sistanit stralins. iT'e puIrpose' wasl to
tes5t bolthl strains at the txv,' stationls
att tilt' 5(11111 tulle. Ptestilts of this
tt'st intdicatted thlat the stralins (leveli
oljt'( att bht t Stilj Il weslre re'sistanlt
stril~il lidt Ilwll IrI' i pt'r birti ill
Out-Performs Others
B~cflre re'lease of the .\Iillil
Strainl tol politrxnel, :3 y'ears (If per-
fc'rinllilce tcsts swere colndulctetd at
\IliIbrll. coilairillg till straini with
1-1 Ill tilt leadlingl. I tgLI-hri strainis ill
Alalllali (111( til l' ilitt'ti States.
1)1 n-ilgL tihis 3-star perillt, the An-
bu Irn Strain exce'llt'd aii stralins tested,
lillsii, I )27 be~i~'tt'r liisaili ts' ii the
las\ iilL, house5 thlan tilt (15 (rage (If the
14 strailns tcsttd. I'llt' Aiilburn Strain
also e'xcll'(d tile av5erage' (If the other
strainls i)v 49 eggs per puilltt housed.
Sint' rtlt'ast' ill 1948, 3 18,000
ilatcin i I eggs olf till Ai li rii Strain
CHANCES ARE BETTER WITH
HIGH-PRODUCING LAYERS
(Jreatt'r tile, nillletr (If eggs pro-
duceti per ibirtd, tilt btter ar(' sour
chan~ces o~f 111(k iil a prolfit.
Ill a study oIf 1:3(0 coii ercial egg-
p~rodtucing farnis ill Alahama, 23
flocks avseraginlg il'ss tha~n 150 eggs
per las'er fost 1W per ditzen.
A groiip IIf 5:3 fiocks averaging 179
t'ggs per hell rctllril(' is profit of 4o0
pc(r toitl tor a ilbor itilorne of 95'
''ie highest protlucig group, over
200) eggs per laser. retulrned to own-
e'rs at 14' p~rofit per dotzen, or an ir-
toillc tof S21106 petr houlr (of lablor.
Of the (64 Wh'ite Le.tghotrn flocks in
thlt stud~y, 22 wietrt' (If tile Anihlrll
Strainl anid had the lowest death
Biillctill 290, "(:lsts anltittlrns to
(:)111nt'reiai Egg P'roducers," report-
ill .111111.
NEW ALABAMA WHITE CLOVER
Itaw e ffte Nma4
haNe a 5tstnd ofi vigorous whbite
clove(r plants, yo onmust plant seed (if
at X arietX adapi
1
ted to Alanita. 0th-
('rXXise, cost of' preparing land, fer-
tiliillt, and( planlting4 may lie
p):rtially or titaIX lost.
WXhite cIoX er sceI look alike re,
gardless of source or X aritty. TliaX
miay prduce plants adaptcl ti) ALI
bamla gi owsitig conditionls; then again
they maXy lbe almiost wotrtliless. [his
Xwide ralige Xwas clearlX shownl in
tests last Xear at the AN~ Agricuiltural
L"'lperillicent Stations% Plant Bre-eding"
Uit near Tallassee.
So-called "Whites" Tested
A small plot XX as seededI to (, c'
of, 100( different sallipl('s f ront (eal-
ers' slillicis taken ilii se\ eral stat(es.
Of thiese. 37 X ('re taggeCd and heCing
sold ats "x014ite or XX lute I )itcb do-
X en fromt Lollisiaia." ( )nl\' I iXT 1)()
(111(1( plantts that iade gootolf
ixcellelit groiiX . A\few wee (com0
plete failures andl the remnainder
range,(d betwXeen ite tw~o extremnes
(Fig. 1). Ihestilts of this test e'1ila-
size nieed( for reliable seecl slipIli(' of
Xwhite' (ItiX I adaltpted to \Iahm al
cond i tionls.
New Variety in the Making
Already underX'as is at dotibehar-
recled progralil for (l('X elopiil( ig
superior X\-hit(, cloX('r and( for estal)-
I isliilI g reliable seedl sources of1
adalptedl varieties. Thel( Experimen(1t
Station is no\\,' ill its third X\ear (if de-
P. B. GIBSON
Associate Plant Breeder
A,
FIG. 1. Above: Portion of plots on which
samples from dealer supplies were tested.
Below: Four of the dealer-seed test plots
showing good to very poor growth.
Xelopilig1 NxXIiat lalit breeders call at
wi tlcitic X arietN-puitt jog together
Or ilitercrossilig a ititoher of' superior
pare cit lit les. First planlt selections
XX re tmadl ill suinier of 1952. Aboit
20) sllperiilr lilies selcted frot 10,000
plants ate being" tested for utse in a
fuiture X ttlitic X ariet\
Fig.ure 2 dliagratms the( fiX-c step
process of deX eclopiti g, and producingl
seed of at Synuthetic X anitV. The first
thiree Steps ilix ol\e the platit blreedler,
I , BREEDER SEED IV REGISTERED SEED
Parent Lines A X X XXX C XXXXX 4,1
Propagated C X X xXX 
A XX XX X
Vegetatively D Xxx X a x xxx x
IMlFOUNDATION SED YCERTIFIED SEED
L E 
'~ djeede, er sup - 'i 
F, n
FIG. 2. Procedure of developing and producing seed of a synthetic variety.
tested in small plots, from which the top
lines are selected to go into the final
synthetic variety.
I i Ile tl (Iit laSt txxr 
) atr(, S ItIperI.'iSed 
byV
the \lihatna ( l'0o) lliproxvtn('itt As-
' ociatio1. 'Thl f irst step recltires sex -
11II X (11N of sclcctinlig stlperior plants
ion source miirseries. These planits
t('I~ tutul Ohtilitaille(IbN I\' X t'gtaix ('
0ItO igtiltl and( (lesitilatedl as lities,
I hich are critical l\ tested uni der \ a-
liiies aro, 5slectedl as paretit line's for
IRN (V ariety ( Fig. :3)
Ilt step 2. Ipaltit line plants are
LI rowl it iIf isolatedl I ici( Plants of
(,Wl line are set at tatdo ihl1so thiat
platits (If onec line wXill cross wXith
thotse tof all tother parctit linies. 'ii s,
;I (X arjietX is -SVx ttesii d" Or
formiedl ltv compo)iting the parent
lities. Seed liarX (stt d front thts iso-
I at(d ariiea arc huldk ed, atndt are class i-
fied its b~reeder seed.(
it step 3, fountdation seed are pro-
(hi. (d that is the( breeder seed are
fililtiplied h)X planting breeder Seed
in a fiel isolated fromt other Xwhite
clNer.
In steps 4 allid 5, foundation seed
are( incIreasedl through two genera-
tions byX cooperating farm er- groovers
tunder stiper\ ioll of the(, Crop Tmri
proN(uit Associtioni. The last step
results ill certified seed for sale( to
\labalia farmecrs.
Tite par ent lilies used in this seed
prodtictioti prograin correspond1 to
the in bred lines uisedl in prodlucing a
bX'brid corn variety. As wVith at hy-
brid corn X arietxy, the clover variety
canl be producedi as long as the par-_
el it lines are maintainedi.
Since the Alabama Station as x et
lias liii X arictXy to release. Xwe muist
(l(])il iill X irieties (le\ehlpd else-
Xwhire. The Louisiana Ag4ricultural
Exilerilnent Station has released the
patrent lines of its La. S- w Xhite
tlIm~er for seed production in Ala-
b)i i. Seed groXers in) the State XiIl
be in a positionl to supply farmers
with certified seed o~f this X :IrieX.
ROP, VAETY T NRemtO om
CROP VARIETY TESTING PROGRAM
HOWARD T. ROGERS, Head
Dept. of Agronomy and Soils
IT WAS A COLD DAY in November
1950, that put the bite on non-hardy
varieties of alfalfa under test at Au-
burn and the Substations and Experi-
ment Fields throughout the State.
Unfortunately, many Alabama farm-
ers had planted some of the un-
adapted varieties of alfalfa and lost
their stands as a result of not plant-
ing those recommended. This ex-
perience not only cost the farmer
but discouraged the use of a crop
that has been called the "queen of
the forages" in other sections of the
United States.
Scope of Testing Program
Variety testing is one of the oldest
types of research conducted by the
API Agricultural Experiment Station.
The scope of this work in 1953 is
shown in the table. Nearly 200 tests
were conducted last year at various
locations, ranging from the Tennes-
see Valley and Sand Mountain on the
north to the Gulf Coast on the south,
and from Auburn on the east to
Aliceville and Winfield on the west.
These tests included 14 on fiber
crops, 43 on grain crops, 19 on oil
crops, 116 on forages, and 2 on sugar.
S Techniques Vary
Variety testing requires various
techniques depending on nature of
crop and type of information sought.
Generally, new crop varieties are not
recommended until they have per-
formed satisfactorily for 3 years. To-
tal yield is only one of the factors
that must be measured. In addition
to yield, records of disease and insect
damage, lodging, quality of fiber,
forage or seed, cold and drought re-
sistance, and suitability for machine
harvesting must be used in determin-
ing the worth of varieties under test.
The forages are perhaps the most dif-
ficult of all crops to evaluate. With
these crops, yields must be taken sev-
eral times during the season since
length of growth period as well as
palatability and feeding value are of-
ten more important than total pro-
duction.
SCOPE OF FIELD CROP VARIETY TESTS IN ALABAMA, 1953
CROPS 
NUMBER 
OF
LOCATIONS
Fiber
Cotton
Bamboo
Grain
Corn
Small grains
Grain sorghum
Oil
Peanuts
Soybeans
Flax
Sugar
Cane
Sorghum
13
1
15
16
12
1
4
1
1
CROPS 
NUMBER OF
LOCATIONS
Forage
Legumes:
Alfalfa
Crimson clover
Lupine
Sericea
Vetches
White clover
Grasses:
Bahia
Bermuda
Brome
Dallis
6
1
3
3
1
38
183
2*
18
13
CROPS NUMBER OF
LOCATIONS
Forage
Grasses:
Millet 3
Napier 1
Orchard 13
Reed canary 13
Rescue 4
Ryegrass 13
Small grains 16
Sudangrass 3
Sweet sorghum 1
Tall fescue 18
Turf 1
* One test compares coastal and common Bermudas in grazing paddocks.
Value of Variety Tests
The value of variety tests can be
seen by looking at corn yields in the
State. About 50 per cent of Ala-
bama's corn acreage (1,110,000 acres)
was planted to hybrid seed in 1953.
The Station's corn variety tests show
that the best adapted hybrids yield
about 20% more corn than open-polli-
nated corns or poorly adapted hy-
brids. Thus, the use of recommended
hybrids in 1953 on the other half of
the acreage would have increased
corn yields by 3 to 4 million bushels.
The use of adapted varieties of other
crops will produce yield increases
fully as great as that of corn.
Why Tests at Different Locations
Figure 1 shows the units of the Ex-
periment Station System where field
crop varieties are tested. Also shown
are the three geographic areas desig-
nated as northern, central, and south-
ern Alabama.
Crop varieties frequently have
small geographic, climatic, and soil
areas of adaptation. Combine Sa-
grain, for instance, is a new variety
of grain sorghum that is superior to
other varieties in central and south-
ern Alabama, but doesn't mature
early enough for planting in North-
ern Alabama. Certain cotton varie-
ties are superior for northern
Alabama, but cannot be used in
southern portion of State because of
susceptibility to wilt.
Finally, the objectives of variety
testing change with new 
develop-.
ments in agriculture. Mechanization,
for instance, brought out the need
for upright cotton, short-stalked
corn, weather-resistant peanuts, and
soybeans with pods well above
ground level. Thus, variety testing
is a continuing job needed to assist
Alabama farmers in obtaining effici-
ent production in a progressive ag-
riculture.
FIG. 1. Locations where crop variety tests
are carried on.
Like other agricultural crops, trees
inherit good and bad characteristics
from their parents-chips off the old
blocks!
Forestry research results indicate
that yields of forests grown from
seed of selected parents can double
or even triple those grown from in-
ferior sources.
Most forests have been established
by natural regeneration, with little
attention given to quality of seed
source. To pay attention to quality
of seed trees has become increasingly
important in natural regeneration
and particularly in reforestation.
For years, woodlot owners have
recognized differences in tree quali-
ties in natural stands. They cut and
sold the best trees to increase their
immediate cash returns. They did
not make use of their observations to
improve their new growing stock.
This practice has led to decline in
tree quality in our second-growth.
Most commercially important tree
species are wind-pollinated. While
various methods are used to select
both parents for seed production in
TREES CAN BE NO BETTER THAN THEIR PARENTS
experimental work, the large sup-
plies of tree seed needed for natural
regeneration or for raising seedlings
in tree nurseries must come from
wind-pollinated flowers. Only one
parent tree is known when these seed
are used. However, it has been ex-
perimentally proved that selection of
even one parent results in big im-
provement.
To select trees to remain in a tim-
ber stand as seed producers or for
seed collection, here are certain de-
sirable characteristics to look for: (1)
rapid growth in height and diameter;
(2) straightness of trunk and small
taper; (3) absence of forking; (4)
relatively narrow crown with small
branches; (5) absence of old branches
and evidence of good, natural prun-
ing; (6) evidence of resistance to
disease and insect attacks; and (7)
in turpentine region, high gum
yield. These and many other char-
acteristics are in large measure trans-
mitted to the next generation.
Most of Alabama's 20-odd million
VEGETABLE VARIETIES for ALABAMA CONDITIONS
C. L. ISBELL, Horticulturist
Not too long ago Alabama garden-
ers and truck growers depended al-
most entirely on seed of varieties
developed for other sections of the
country. It was not uncommon for
these varieties to practically fail be-
cause they were not adapted to Ala-
bama conditions. About the only
varieties that could be depended on
were those that had been selected as
outstanding by individual gardners
handed down through the years.
Recognizing the need for varieties
better adapted to Alabama condit-
ions, the API Agricultural Experi-
ment Station several years ago
started a vegetable variety improve-
ment program at Auburn. The Sta-
tion has worked toward improvement
of varieties of snap beans, cabbage,
collards, cow peas, kale, lettuce,
okra, onions, peppers, pumpkins, to-
matoes, sweet corn, and watermel-
ons. Improved varieties of some of
these already have been released and
considerable progress has been made
with others.
Some Of these improved varieties
have been developed from numerous
selections of home-grown vegetable
seed collected from gardens and
farms throughout the State, and from
foreign countries. Many others are
being used in the breeding phase of
the program, some lines of which are
now in the 14th generation.
The three phases of Auburn's veg-
etable variety development program
are (1) selection and testing of
farmer-improved strains', (2) selec-
tion and testing of foreign strains,
and (3) breeding new varieties.
Varieties of vegetables developed
for other sections are not generally
capable of producing good yields of
high quality under southern condit-
tions. Therefore, farmers and gar-
deners by necessity have saved
vegetable seed from strains that have
done well. Many of these strains are
obtained by the Station and tested.
If found desirable they are improved,
seed of which are increased on a
small scale, given a descriptive name,
and released to seed producers for
multiplication.
G. I. GARIN and JACK MAY
Department of Forestry
acres in forests has been and will be
reseeded naturally. If seed trees of
high quality are selected, this acre-
age will produce increasing yields of
wood products. When seed for grow-
ing seedlings in tree nurseries are
collected from superior parents, good
planting stock will be made available
for establishing new forest planta-
tions. To insure good planting stock,
landowners are encouraged to sup-
ply their own seed from selected
trees. Custom growing of planting
stock is done by state nurseries.
Seedlings grown from seed supplied
by a landowner are raised separate-
ly and furnished the owner.
Alabama's future as one of the
leading states in timber production
and processing depends on constant
improvement of forest practices. One
phase of this goal is selection of good
parent trees for natural regeneration
and reforestation. It is good com-
mon sense and good forestry.
Varieties found unsuited in the
tests but having certain favorable
qualities are crossed with other va-
rieties to combine a number of de-
sirable characteristics in new strains.
These new varieties, likewise, are
named, and small amounts of seed
are produced and released for seed
increase.
A large number of small samples
of seed of various kinds of vegetables
from foreign countries are grown on
a small scale. The behavior of these
is noted to determine if they have
promise in their present form. If
found to have outstanding charac-
teristics, they are used in developing
new varieties.
Development of new varieties
through breeding involves carefully
controlled experiments. Many gen-
erations of crosses and back-crosses
are made-to create one or more varie-
ties possessing special qualities de-
sired by the consumer. When you
plant an Auburn-developed' or im-
proved vegetable variety, you may
be sure that it has been tried and
that it has stood the test.
Editor's Note: The Experiment Station
has no seed or plants of the new varieties
for distribution.
HIGHLIGHTS
of
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Published by
Agricultural Experiment Station
of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute
Auburn, Alabama
E. V. -SMITH --------
CHAS. F. SIMMONS
COYT WILSON -----------
KENNETH B. Roy ....
J. OLAN COOPER ......
-Director
Assoc. Director
--------- Asst. Director
- --------------- E ditor
--------- Assoc. Editor
Item aa,47c6md4
PUBLICATIONS
Listed here are timely and new
publications reporting research by
the Agricultural Experiment Station:
CIR. 116. Single-Deck Cages for
Laying Hens explains the manage-
ment of layers in individual cages,
and advantages and disadvantages
of system. (Revision of Cir. 110.)
LEAFLET 33. Aids to Planning
an Artificial Curing System for Hay
gives requirements for hay drying,
equipment needed, air distribution
system, cost of drying, and effect on
quality.
LEAFLET 41. Storing Shelled
Corn in Alabama tells what is neces-
sary for safe storage, and gives
results of farm-size storage experi-
ments.
LEAFLET 43. Chemical Control
of Cherokee Rose, Alder, and Cer-
tain Other Pasture Weeds explains
what chemicals are effective, mix-
tures to use, and when to apply.
LEAFLET 44. Suggestions for
Improving Farm Woodlots tells how
to rid stands of undesirable tree
species by girdling and poisoning.
Free copies may be obtained from
your county agent or by writing the
Agricultural Experiment Station, Au-
burn, Ala.
Cooperation Speeds Up
NEW CORN HYBRIDS -to FARMERS
F. S. McCAIN
Associate Plant Breeder
The speed with which adapted hy-
brid corn varieties have been devel-
oped is a story of cooperation that
has meant increased yields to south-
ern farmers.
Ten years ago there was not a
single hybrid in tests at the API Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station that
would qualify as being well suited to
Alabama conditions. It was not until
1947 that the Alabama Station in-
cluded a few hybrids in its variety
recommendations.
If it had not been for the collec-
tive action of state experiment sta-
tion and USDA plant breeders, the
story of hybrid corn would have
been much different. We would not
have had the wide usage of hybrids
and the resulting profits if each in-
dividual corn breeder had tried to
carry on his program without outside
help from others. Relatively few of
of the outstanding hybrids today are
the direct result of any one corn
breeding program.
In contrast to the Corn Belt where
more than 90% of the corn acreage
is planted to hybrids, there is slightly
more than half of the corn acreage in
the Southeastern or Cotton Belt
States planted to hybrids. This big
difference is understandable when it
is recalled that hybrids were being
planted in the Corn Belt more than
15 years prior to the time adapted
hybrids became available in the
South. Actually, the South has made
great strides in the use'of hybrids in
a relatively short period of time. A
cooperative organization known as
the Southern Corn Improvement
Conference has played a big part in
overall advances in production by
making available to farmers hybrids
adapted to southern conditions.
The Southern Corn Improvement
Conference is an organization of the
USDA and state experiment station
corn breeders from Oklahoma, Ar-
kansas, Texas, Louisiana, Missis-
sippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama
Virginia, North Carolina, South Car-
olina, Georgia, and Florida. A free
interchange of breeding material in
addition to cooperative testing pro-
grams between these states has led
to most of the better adapted south-
ern hybrids. Dixie 18, for example,
is one of the most widely used by-
brids in the Southeast today. This
hybrid was developed at the Georgia
Coastal Plain Experiment Station,
but that station is responsible for
only one of the inbred lines used in
Dixie 18. Two of the inbred lines
were developed in Florida and one
in Louisiana. If it had not been for
the Southern Corn Improvement
Conference and the resulting coop-
erative work between corn breeders,
Dixie 18 probably would never have
been developed.
This cooperative work goes further
than the mere exchange of breeding
material. Drouths during the last 2
or 3 summers have made the produc-
tion of foundation seed of some of
the more widely used hybrids most
difficult. Fortunately, foundation
seed have been produced in some
states when production failed else-
where. A mutual understanding be-
tween states has led to a fairly equal
distribution of available foundation
seed to all states. This has enabled
hybrid seed producers in all states to
continue their production of adapted
hybrids and thus make them avail-
able to farmers.
The Southern Corn Improvement
Conference is dedicated to a con-
tinuing cooperative program from
which will come better hybrids of
tomorrow.
PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID
PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300
FREE Bulletin or Report of Progress
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
of the ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
E. V. Smith, Director
Auburn, Alabama
Permit No. 1132-6/54.8M