244 Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



grape ; but why has Mr. Bull, the originator of it, been unable to produce 

 another grape its equal out of the thousands of seedlings from it? 



The sinii)lc fact that so very few grapes of value have been produced from 

 the Concord shows clearly that the efforts of nature are about exhausted in 

 the improvement of that variety. Once admit the fact that improved varie- 

 ties are produced with certainty in exact proportion to the jjcrfection of our 

 fruit, and we then have an object in view and a stimulus to encourage us in 

 the production of new fruits, where the enterprising and ambitious genius 

 will have ample room to develop his skill. 



From what we have already said it is evident that to produce desirable 

 varieties for a given locality we must take the seeds from varieties that suc- 

 ceed best in that location, and, for general cultivation, from those which gen- 

 erally succeed. 



If we desire early maturing varieties, we should choose those that have 

 that tendency, and we may go North for those ; but if we wish late maturing 

 varieties, choose from those that mature late, and, if we can not find them 

 at home, go South for them. 



As hardiness and productiveness are indispensable to success, and size, 

 color and quality are important considerations, we should select seeds only 

 from varieties possessing these qualities in some marked degree, upon the 

 principle of " like producing like." Where this can not be done, we should 

 resort to cross-fertilization, and perhaps this would be the most certain 

 and expedient method, as we are more likely to find some of the qualities 

 in several varieties than to find them all in one. 



For instance, suppose we were to select a winter apple for the Middle 

 States, to include Kansas, Missouri, Southern Illinois, Arkan.sas, Kentucky, 

 Southern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including Delaware, 

 Maryland and Virginia, which have very nearly the same mean temperature 

 throughout the growing and maturing seasons, we would take the Winesap 

 as the parent stock, either naturally fertilized or crossed with some other de- 

 sirable variety, as Boyd, Lawver, Hoover, CuUawhee and Rawles' Janet, for 

 winter sorts. For hardiness, productiveness and early bearing, such as Ben 

 Davis and Missouri Pippin. For hardy summer and fall varieties, such as 

 Oldenburg, Kansas Queen, Pewaukee, Wealthy, Fameuse and St. Lawrence. 

 For extra quality, such as Early Joe, Benoni, Jonathan and Muster. For 

 cooking, large size and fine color, such as Red Astrachan, Alexander and 

 Early Queening. These Avould generally produce colored apples of fair size 

 and good quality. 



The reason we would select the Winesap for our parent stock is because it 

 loses little, if any, in shrinkage, and is the farthest advance in all the desira- 

 ble qualities of any winter apple in cultivation. It is so marked in its con- 

 stitution that it produces, by its own fertilization from selected seeds under 

 favorable conditions and cultivation, seedlings equal to most of our grafted 

 varieties, nearly all of which are colored winter varieties, as Leavenworth 

 Beauty and Stayman's Winesap. These can be equaled, if not excelled, by 

 the methods herein indicated. 



