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specialist. Yeager, however, was less positive about the potential of improvement, as even the popular national variety with cold resistance at the time, the
Earliana, did not reach fruiting early enough for the especially early frosts that occur in the state. An attempt on his part in the 1920s resulted in a hybrid cross of the Earliana with the Sunrise tomato from England; the new resultant variety was named Red River and opened for cultivation in 1925. It was not good enough for what Yeager was desiring, however, and multiple further cultivars would be released, including the Agassiz and the Early Jumbo.
371:
This made it unsellable due to that feature generally implying unripeness in other watermelons, which would put off customers from purchasing it. He ultimately triumphed in 1950 in making the New
Hampshire Midget cultivar, which was a hybrid cross of the Dakota Sweet from Russia and the Favorite Honey from Japan. It was described as being sweet and having a small rind that made disposal easy. The New Hampshire Midget went on to be entered into the
307:
to send out to farmers for testing in the 1925 season. It took another year until 1926 when he had worked out some additional negative traits from the cultivar, allowing him to then officially announce the new
Sunshine variety of sweet corn. The farmer testing that year proved successful, and the cultivar was listed in the seed catalog for 1927 published by Oscar H. Will & Company.
370:
Yeager's early work at the
University of New Hampshire starting from 1936 focused on producing minuscule "midget" watermelons for easier public consumption. The first success was the creation of the White Mountain cultivar in 1943, but it had the unfortunate additional trait of producing white seeds.
319:
It was not until 1929 and his production of the Bison tomato that Yeager decided he had made a satisfactory early-growing tomato. It was officially released that same year. In a comparative study he conducted in 1931 against 26 other cultivars, the Bison tomato produced 50 percent more fruit than the
407:
The agricultural experiment stations and their researchers were tasked with releasing periodic bulletins on farming and horticultural practices and methodologies, either generally or for specific crops. This was also true for Yeager and the station at North Dakota State
University. Some of the first
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that was better than even the Golden Bantam, the most popular variety at the time. Making attempts at hybridization with Gill's Early Market variety, he finally succeeded in creating a worthwhile enough cross in 1923, though had to go through another round of replantings to have enough seed in 1924
361:
instead in 1922 and worked until 1925 with the cultivar
Quality. He failed, however, to find more than a single desirable trait and found out that even that single one was due to an accidental hybridization with the Essex Hybrid cultivar. This difference interested him though, and he abandoned his
344:
in tomatoes. He was able to create the
Doublerich cultivar with double the vitamin C than other tomatoes during his time at the university, but it was not released for farmers until 1947, after he had left his position there. He also worked on cultivars that are more ornamental in nature, with the
251:
Both the
President, John West, and Dean, Archibald Minard, of the university tried to convince Yeager to return to his position with his full research space and funding provided and protected against future decreases. They even went so far as to make a newspaper editorial appeal calling for Langer
324:
produced at the time that grew fruit on the end of each vine, there was criticism of the cultivar by other scientists that claimed the hardier variety would not be necessary or wanted outside of the colder states. This would be upended throughout the 1930s though as determinate tomatoes became a
315:
At the same time as his corn research, Yeager was doing research into tomatoes and how to extend Werner's work in creating a tomato, which is normally a warm-weather fruit that requires large amounts of sunlight, that could grow successfully in North Dakota without requiring the involvement of a
226:
had been developed. The main focus of his research during this time period was developing crop cultivars resistant to early snap frosts, droughts, and lengthy cold temperatures, which were all conditions important to farmers in the state. He determined that frosts were of the greatest concern in
247:
ties, due to them having been criticizing the state budget cuts and Langer's other demands of the university. In a matter of days in July and August of that year, seven faculty were removed from their positions and replaced with loyalists to Langer and the state government. While Yeager was not
362:
other squash research to focus on this new hybrid, creating a new cultivar in 1927 called the
Buttercup squash. He was convinced of its improvement over the general Hubbard cultivar after his final testing in 1931, and he eventually released the Buttercup for general farming in 1932.
252:
and the Board of
Administration to also support Yeager's reinstatement, but they did not respond and Yeager refused to return to his faculty job. Multiple other universities and organizations sent him their own job offers, but Yeager instead applied to and received an offer at
230:
By 1934, Yeager was promoted to the position of head of the Horticulture and Forestry Department at the university. Additionally, he founded the local Fargo Garden Society and was active in the North Dakota Horticultural Society as its secretary. The onset of the 1930s and the
436:
The Canada-based Stevenson Memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Yeager in 1954 for his horticultural achievements. The 1956 Robinson Gold Medal was also awarded to him for the same accomplishments. Lastly he was, in 1957, given the highest award of the
262:, debasing the university for the lack of support of its employees and of allowing "some politician" to hold sway over its activities. Yeager remained at Michigan State for several years, before taking a Horticultural Department head position at the
221:
as a horticulturalist in 1919, along with becoming a part of the college's Experiment Station (NDAES). He served in this position until 1937, during which he was frequently an article writer for the horticultural bulletin publication whenever a new
33:
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golden rind consistent and to have other traits that allowed the melon to grow within 70 days. The Golden Midget was first released for public consumption in 1952, and by April 1953 more than 2,000 acres (8.1 km) in
345:
Window Box cultivar being released in 1945 that featured a small 18 inches (460 mm) in height, a single fruiting stem, and bunches of tomatoes that were each between 1 and 2 inches (25 and 51 mm) in diameter.
419:
that same year. These general topic bulletins would lead to ones on the plants he had been breeding, with one on his Sunshine Sweet Corn and also his Buttercup Squash. A broader, but focused bulletin titled
584:
248:
affected by this incident, he was concerned about the ongoing budget cuts to scientific research and what had happened among the faculty, resulting in him resigning on September 30, 1937.
357:
thanks to their high nutrient levels, but determined that the growing season of North Dakota was too short for any hybrid cultivar or other trait improvement to overcome. So he turned to
479:
Throughout his academic work, he became friends with several other notable individuals, including the owner of the Bismarck seed company George Will, the "Flower Lady of North Dakota"
424:
was published in 1925 and covered all the necessities for obtaining and planting various fruit trees and bushes in the state and how to arrange a fruit garden. Another bulletin called
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were devoted to growing the cultivar. It was especially popular for its small size, which led to it being referred to as a "refrigerator" or "ice box" watermelon.
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other cultivars by the endpoint. By 1933, the Bison tomato had become the most planted tomato cultivar in the region. Due to the tomato being one of the few
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Yeager was married to his wife, Arline, and they had a daughter named Mary. They also had a son in 1928 named Albert Jr. He died at his home in
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killing crop fields and so sought to make cultivars of tomatoes and corn with higher resistance to sudden extreme lower temperatures.
1035:
970:
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saw funds for the university and Yeager's research diminish, limiting his productive output and removing his research assistants. A
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from 1914 to 1915 before completing his graduate level degree. From 1916 to 1918, he taught classes in horticulture and pomology at
158:
239:
between the university and the state government came to a head in 1937 in an incident called "the purge", where the state governor
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to create a new watermelon cultivar named the Golden Midget, which was a hybrid made by crossing the New Hampshire Midget with an
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as the university horticulturalist before him served as the template for Yeager's work, and he aimed to create a cultivar of
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Another tomato improvement that Yeager aimed for was a nutritionally improved cultivar due to the high amount of
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256:. But before he and his family moved away from Fargo, Yeager released a highly critical editorial of his own in
278:
236:
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209:, which he became a field agent for in 1913. Then he went on to teach vocational agriculture classes at
552:
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Yeager's earliest job came about just after he received his bachelor's degree and the creation of the
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960:
329:. An additional tomato cultivar of Yeager's, the Farthest North, would become the dominant tomato in
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281:. After his retirement, Yeager continued independent horticultural research while working alongside
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in 1939, where he would stay until his retirement in 1959. When he returned to visit Fargo in 1951,
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variety named the Pumpkin Rind. It took over a year and multiple generational trials to make the
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666:"The "Plant Wizard of the North": Albert F. Yeager at North Dakota Agricultural College"
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767:"Experiments by State Nurseries Result in New Varieties Ready for Testing"
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Next for his research, Yeager collaborated in 1951 with fellow pomologist
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From 1948 onward, Yeager also acted as a horticulture consultant for the
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37:
Albert F. Yeager examining tomato plants, North Dakota State University
70:
Bachelor's of Science Master's of Horticulture Ph.D. in Horticulture
445:
178:
132:
165:(NDAES), he was known as the "plant wizard of the north" and the "
931:"Midget Vegetables: Diminutive Kinds Thrive On Porch or Terrace"
396:
738:"Dr. Albert F. Yeager Dies at 69; New Hampshire Horticulturist"
157:. From his work developing hardy vegetables and fruits at the
375:
and won the 1951 gold medal for approval as a garden crop.
585:"Horticulturist contributed to North Dakota agriculture"
448:
for a number of distinguished societies, including the
673:
North Dakota History: Journal of the Northern Plains
519:
Breeding Improved Horticultural Plants: Vegetables I
428:
was released in 1933 and discussed similar methods.
815:Cotler, Gordon; Gill, Brendan (February 18, 1950).
454:
American Association for the Advancement of Science
185:in 1912 and then a horticulture master's degree in
131:
121:
106:
98:
90:
74:
66:
58:
50:
42:
23:
181:in 1892, Yeager earned his bachelor's degree from
353:Another crop that Yeager began investigating was
193:in 1916. He later in 1936 finished his Ph.D. at
243:accused multiple faculty at the university of
8:
163:North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station
704:Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
578:
576:
574:
450:American Society for Horticultural Science
197:at the urging of his university superior.
153:(1892 - November 4, 1961) was an American
20:
914:. April 16, 1953. p. 37 – via
906:"First Midget Watermelons Here From Cuba"
659:
657:
476:, on November 4, 1961, at the age of 69.
458:American Institute of Biological Sciences
655:
653:
651:
649:
647:
645:
643:
641:
639:
637:
620:State Historical Society of North Dakota
504:Perennial Flowers for North Dakota Homes
54:November 4, 1961 (aged 68–69)
544:
462:American Society of Plant Physiologists
410:Control of Garden and Household Insects
325:highly desired cultivar in states like
207:Pennsylvania Chestnut Blight Commission
94:Fruit and vegetable cultivar production
732:
730:
728:
726:
395:and over 1,000 acres (4.0 km) in
1021:North Dakota State University faculty
1016:Pennsylvania State University faculty
583:Eriksmoen, Curt (November 27, 2016).
289:Horticultural research and activities
7:
483:, and fellow researcher from Canada
1031:University of New Hampshire faculty
217:. Yeager first joined the staff of
790:Johnson, Eve (November 22, 1995).
14:
1026:Michigan State University faculty
877:Melons: For the Passionate Grower
509:North Dakota Agricultural College
159:North Dakota Agricultural College
874:Goldman, Amy (January 1, 2002).
699:"Horticulture History: Maturity"
270:heralded him as "North Dakota's
31:
1011:People from Fargo, North Dakota
986:20th-century American botanists
929:Cummings, M.B. (May 21, 1950).
844:Record, Jody (April 20, 2017).
408:bulletins he published include
996:Oregon State University alumni
991:Kansas State University alumni
110:Mary Yeager Albert Yeager Jr.
1:
817:"The Talk of the Town: Handy"
765:Work, Paul (March 11, 1945).
709:Pennsylvania State University
557:Victory Horticultural Library
422:Fruit Culture in North Dakota
219:North Dakota State University
215:Pennsylvania State University
1001:Iowa State University alumni
559:. Victory Seed Company. 2018
439:American Pomological Society
854:University of New Hampshire
524:University of New Hampshire
333:over the next two decades.
264:University of New Hampshire
191:Oregon Agricultural College
183:Kansas Agricultural College
82:Oregon Agricultural College
79:Kansas Agricultural College
1052:
939:. p. X39 – via
775:. p. X10 – via
664:Handy-Marchello B (2012).
976:American agriculturalists
800:. p. C1 – via
349:Winter squash cultivation
254:Michigan State University
144:
114:
30:
16:American horticulturalist
1036:20th-century agronomists
971:American horticulturists
279:Beechnut Packing Company
173:Early life and education
612:"Profile: A. F. Yeager"
553:"Dr. Albert F. Yeager"
432:Awards and fellowships
373:All-America Selections
237:25-years-long conflict
151:Albert Franklin Yeager
792:"Squash Reconsidered"
403:Bulletin publications
322:determinate cultivars
616:North Dakota Studies
499:Heath, Fannie Mahood
441:, the Wilder Medal.
481:Fannie Mahood Heath
474:Fort Myers, Florida
1006:People from Kansas
936:The New York Times
911:The New York Times
846:"Breeding Success"
772:The New York Times
746:. November 6, 1961
743:The New York Times
311:Tomato cultivation
195:Iowa State College
169:of North Dakota."
85:Iowa State College
797:The Vancouver Sun
366:Melon cultivation
211:Crete High School
148:
147:
116:Scientific career
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516:— (1950).
512:
417:for North Dakota
298:The research of
294:Corn cultivation
283:Henry A. Wallace
233:Great Depression
155:horticulturalist
140:
35:
25:Albert F. Yeager
21:
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884:. p. 124.
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426:Tomato Breeding
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201:Academic career
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161:(NDAC) and the
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75:Alma mater
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485:W. Russ Leslie
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355:sweet potatoes
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272:Luther Burbank
241:William Langer
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167:Luther Burbank
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882:Artisan Books
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468:Personal life
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444:Yeager was a
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102:Arline Yeager
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857:. Retrieved
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827:. Retrieved
825:. p. 19
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748:. Retrieved
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713:. Retrieved
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681:. Retrieved
679:(1–2): 34–45
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624:. Retrieved
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594:. Retrieved
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561:. Retrieved
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527:. Retrieved
518:
503:
491:Bibliography
478:
471:
443:
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425:
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415:Shelterbelts
413:
412:in 1921 and
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380:Elwyn Meader
377:
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335:
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300:H. O. Werner
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176:
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126:Horticulture
115:
18:
981:Pomologists
966:1961 deaths
961:1892 births
59:Nationality
955:Categories
539:References
460:, and the
331:Costa Rica
327:California
304:sweet corn
850:UNH Today
497:—;
388:recessive
342:vitamin C
338:vitamin A
268:The Forum
259:The Forum
245:communist
67:Education
941:ProQuest
916:ProQuest
859:April 7,
829:April 7,
802:ProQuest
777:ProQuest
750:April 3,
715:April 7,
683:April 3,
626:April 7,
596:April 3,
563:April 3,
529:April 7,
501:(1923).
384:Oklahoma
224:cultivar
187:pomology
177:Born in
107:Children
62:American
393:Florida
888:
711:. 2021
622:. 2020
456:, the
452:, the
446:fellow
179:Kansas
139:(1936)
137:
133:Thesis
122:Fields
99:Spouse
669:(PDF)
886:ISBN
861:2021
831:2021
752:2021
717:2021
685:2021
628:2021
598:2021
565:2021
531:2021
397:Cuba
340:and
51:Died
46:1892
43:Born
274:".
189:at
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
