RE: Re: Mike Nerpheny(sp)...under 700


The numbers below are nice but in my opinion they don't hardly tell us
anything.   
They tell us what we ended up with ( which has some use don't get me wrong),
but not what we started with.   

The numbers below tell us that pumpkins over 900# came from some really big
pumpkins (over 700#) and some big pumpkins (under 700#).  To say how many
900# came from each group without knowing how many there were in the each
group to start with doesn't mean anything. How many serious growers planted
over 700# seeds this year and what were the results of all of those plants ?
How many serious growers planted under 700 # seeds and what were the results
of all those plants ?   If say 1% of the over 700#  grew a 900# pumpkin and
0.1% of the under 700#  grew a 900# or visa versa then that would mean
something.  

I would be willing to bet that percentages would come out in favor of
growing plants from the seeds from the largest pumpkins.  Of course there
are individual exception like the 567.5 Mombert.  And wouldn't we all like
to know which ones are exceptions and have some seeds from them.  If you
have a good exception and you like it go for it.  But generally big pumpkins
come from big pumpkins,  Howard Dill didn't start out and work for years
with the smallest pumpkins and squash he could find, he started big and went
bigger, to get to where he got.   Its all in the genes and the odds.  Sure a
7 ft tall child could come from parents both under 6 ft - but what are the
odds of that?   are the odds better if the parents were both over 6 ft ?
would they be even better if both parents were over 7 ft?  of course they
would.  The same is true with pumpkins.   And yet a 500 lb. pumpkin might
have good genes because it didn't reach its potential due to a number of
factors, weather, soil, watering, etc. but if a pumpkin reached 900# then
you know that the genes are good other wise it wouldn't have made it to 900.
If some one offered you a seed from a 500# pumpkin of known or unknown
parentage or a seed from a 900# pumpkin of known or unknown parentage which
one would you take ?  unless it was a 567.5 Mombert I'd take the 900# seed.
That is my conclusion.
I'd like to hear from people who disagree. 

Gordon Tanner
Maple Valley, WA.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
From the current database, I put together the following numbers:

900 pounds and over where seed was over 700 : 23
900 pounds and over where seed was under 700 : 12

800 - 899 where seed was over 700 : 35
800 - 899 where seed was under 700 : 32

700 - 799 where seed was over 700 : 96
700 - 799 where seed was under 700 : 74


In our database, the 567.5 Mombert is responsible for 42 pumpkins weighing
over 700 pounds. If we eliminate it from the equation, the results look like
this :

900 pounds and over where seed was over 700 : 23
900 pounds and over where seed was under 700 : 8

800 - 899 where seed was over 700 : 35
800 - 899 where seed was under 700 : 17

700 - 799 where seed was over 700 : 96
700 - 799 where seed was under 700 : 51


Here's what things look like when the seed weight threshold is bumped to 800
pounds (without the 567.5 Mombert) : 

900 pounds and over where seed was over 800 : 19
900 pounds and over where seed was under 800 : 12

800 - 899 where seed was over 800 : 23
800 - 899 where seed was under 800 : 29

700 - 799 where seed was over 800 : 57
700 - 799 where seed was under 800 : 89


Draw your own conclusions!

Mike Nepereny

Unrecognized Data: application/ms-tnef

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