EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 247 



variety, but occasionally one will be obtained that makes a strong growth, 

 has large, healthy foliage, and produces an abundant crop of large fruit 

 that is of excellent quality. Out of thousands of seedlings it is seldom 

 that a sort is obtained that is better than the older varieties. 



Much better results can be expected if cross-fertilization is resorted to. 

 This is brought about by selecting two varieties that have the qualities 

 desired, and conveying the pollen from the anthers of one to the pistil of 

 the other. To insure that no other pollen gains entrance to the pistils, the 

 flowers in which they are should have the anthers removed before the 

 petals open and should then be covered with small paper sacks, until sev- 

 eral days after the crossing is done, to prevent the pollen from other flow- 

 eo-s reaching the pistil. 



THE FAILURE OF THE APPLE CROP. 



Barrenness in an orchard is in many cases due to the natural tendency 

 of the variety, as some varieties are very shy bearers, while the Northern 

 Spy, among others, is often condemned for barrenness from the fact that 

 the trees are late in coming into bearing. 



In the eastern states, the apple has " odd and even " bearing years. 

 This is due to the fact that upon the bearing years all of the energies of 

 the trees are exerted in developing the crop of fruit, so that no buds are 

 formed on the fruit spurs for the next year's crop, and as a result the fol- 

 lowing will be an " odd year." This is quite generally the case in old, neg- 

 lected orchards, that are poorly supplied with plant food. The bearing 

 year can be changed if in any way the tree is prevented from developing a 

 crop of fruit, as can be done by destroying the blossoms or small fruits, 

 since the trees will then be able to develop buds for the next year's crop. 



Aside from the above, the partial failure of the apple crop in Michigan 

 for the past few years may undoubtedly be ascribed to a variety of causes. 

 A very large proportion of the orchards in the southern part of the state 

 are now quite old and have been growing for years in sod. Many of them 

 have in the past borne several large crops of fruit, which have drawn heav- 

 ily on the soil, while in very few cases have steps been taken to return to 

 the soil the plant food taken out by the trees. Added to these reasons we 

 have the total absence of care in many cases, besides the injury that must 

 result from improper pruning and unfavorable location. As if this were 

 not enough to insure failure, various climatic conditions have combined to 

 bring about the same results, and their effect in some years has been so 

 great that the crops have been lost even when other conditions were favor- 

 able and the trees were well cared for. 



When we have an even climate, the trees can withstand very low tem- 

 peratures, but if the trees are poorly ripened in the autumn, or if the 

 weather of January or February is such that the sap starts and the buds 

 swell, great harm may be done by zero weather. 



In some seasons we have had cold rains lasting a number of days just 

 as the foliage and buds were appearing. As a result the pollen is washed 

 from the anthers, so that the trees are not only prevented from fruiting, 

 but the cold weather may give them a serious check from which they will 

 be a long time in recovering. 



The above conditions are particularly favorable for the development of 

 fungi, and to the apple scab fungus we may attribute much of the failure 

 of our orchards to bear, as, while other conditions were favorable, the crop 



