Mark II
1. Selection and progeny testing of clones from Narragansett. Twenty-five clones were selected as parents of Mark II from 100 clones originally selected from seed fields of Narragansett in Riverton, Wyoming, in 1957 and Firebaugh, California, in 1958.
2. Adapted in the Northeast where Narrangansett is used for all purposes - hay, silage, pasture and greenchop. Tested extensively in New York for forage production and in a limited way in other tests in the Northeast for forage production, tested in Oregon for seed production, and seed fertility studied in the greenhouse. To be marketed and recommended in the Northeast in the same way as Narragansett.
3. Flowers variegated, similar to Narragansett. Similar to Narragansett in uniformity, fall and winter dormancy, and growth habit. The number of yellow flowered or distinctly yellowish flowered plants may be fewer in Mark II than in Narragansett. However, one of the parental clones is pure lemon yellow and several are distinctly variegated in color.
4. The generation sequence is Breeder(Syn 1)-Foundation(Syn 2)-Certified (Syn 3) with the certified class ineligible for use as stock seed. The Breeder seed is composited from the seed produced by the random interpollinations by honey bees of 25 clones which are maintained vegetatively at Ithaca. Foundation seed production is limited to the Northern Region of Adaptation.
5. Fall of 1966.