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- Author or Editor: Thomas W. Whitaker x
Abstract
The common name for botanical varieties and cultivars of Cucumis melo L. is muskmelon. This term includes those forms with both edible and inedible fruits. In the United States the word “cantaloupe” has been applied to cultivars belonging to C. melo var. reticulatus Naud. The fruits of var. reticulatus are medium in size, the surface is netted, and has shallow vein tracts. The flesh is usually salmon colored, but it may vary from green to deep salmon-orange. The vines usually bear andromonoecious flowers, and the fruit generally separates from the stem when mature (slips). Most cultivars grown for commercial purposes in this country belong to C. melo var. reticulatus. The name “cantaloupe” has become firmly imbedded in American culture to indicate these medium-sized, netted melons found in season on shelves of nearly every grocery store and supermarket in the country. For this reason, little can be done to correct its usage except to point out that “cantaloupe” is a misnomer.
Abstract
This report is concerned with the uses, geographic distribution, and some specific ecological aspects of a group of crops with such common names as squash, pumpkins, gourds, cymlings, marrows, and cushaws. Taxonomically these crops all fall within the genus Cucurbita, and of course are in the family Cucurbitaceae. The Cucurbitaceae is essentially a tropical family. Comparatively few species are endemic to temperate areas and none are frost hardy. Surprisingly, some of the cultivated species of this family appear to be better adapted to temperate areas than to the areas in which they are presumably endemic.
Abstract
A comprehensive study of new introductions of shade and ornamental trees adapted to the North Central United States has been underway at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, since 1966. Goal of the IO-year research effort is to evaluate characteristics of each cultivar, paying special attention to identifying the suitability of each for planting in urban and suburban environments, along street and highway right-of-ways, and under utility lines.
Abstract
The tragic and sudden death of J. T. Rosa, Jr. occurred at a comparatively early age in the midst of what surely was to be his most productive years. He left behind him, however, a legacy of more completed, and more seminal research than most of us are likely to accomplish, should we be lucky enough to survive the hazards of modern day living to reach the biblical age of three score and ten. As I am one of the few people (living) who knew Professor Rosa from the vantage point of a student, I wish to record my recollections of this inspiring teacher and productive scientist. In completing this task, I have had the assistance of three individuals: V. R. Boswell, H. A. Jones and Gilbert W. Scott. Dr. Jones was a colleague, and Drs. Boswell and Scott were students of Dr. Rosa and worked under his supervision.
Abstract
Thomas Wallace Whitaker was born August 13, 1905 at Monrovia, California. He married Mary Summerville (now deceased) of White Post, Virginia in 1931. He has a son, Thomas Jr., who works in insurance investments; a daughter, Beverly Rodgers, who teaches English and Spanish literature; and 5 grandchildren.
Abstract
The period I have been asked to review has been a momentous and exciting one for Plant Breeding and Genetics. It spans the interval between the rediscovery of Mendel's classical work and the rise of molecular genetics. During this period the status of plant breeders has changed from that of a bumbling busybody, or poorman's Burbank, to that of one of the most influential and important groups of people in our Society, with the fate of hungry peoples of the world resting upon the success of their endeavors. The plant breeder's image as a factor in the world of human affairs has recently received much favorable public recognition with the initiation of the Green Revolution and the award of the Nobel Prize for Peace to Norman Borlaug.
Abstract
Fresh vegetables from the West Coast of Mexico are a significant factor in filling the bins of markets and supermarkets of the U.S. from October to June. The most important crops involved in this operation are: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplant, green beans, squash, cantaloupes and watermelons with asparagus, sweet corn, sugar peas, and perhaps other vegetables available in lesser volume.
Abstract
Production of commercial lettuce Lactuca sativa L. is plagued by a wide range of diseases and insects not yet controlled or only imperfectly controlled. These include the viral, virus-like, and mycoplasma diseases such as lettuce mosaic, cucumber mosaic, broad bean wilt, western yellows, big vein, and aster yellows; the fungal diseases—downy mildew and sclerotinia drop; and such insect pests as cabbage looper, beet army worm, white flies, and several species of aphids.
Abstract
For several years the Executive Committee and members of ASHS have discussed the movement of housing developments and industry on to our best agricultural land and how this trend can be slowed or stopped. We have watched this development in New Jersey for many years and, as you know, we are in an area about as densely populated as any place in the world. Developers and industry want the fertile relatively level agricultural land and will pay a premium for it because of its good drainage, fertile top soil and relatively low cost of shifting and leveling the soil.
Abstract
No one will deny that there are problems with the traditional methods of publishing the results of scientific research, and, in fact of all forms of printed communication. These concerns and problems cover a wide range of issues from the increasing cost of publishing a paper in many journals, including our own, to the sheer mass of accumulating journals, periodicals and reference books on our library shelves. The present membership fees have probably placed a burden on some individuals, and the page charges, whether paid by the individual member or through his department’s budget have been a matter of concern. It could be argued that the high page charges should induce or encourage authors to be more concise in their writing. Experience, however, indicates that this does not necessarily follow.