FARMEES' INSTITUTES. 195 



Crossing Gnqjes. 



Pollen was obtained by mail from Painesville, Ohio. This was used on flowers 

 of the Concord. For some reason no berries matured. The reasons for send- 

 ing away for pollen have been twice explained in previous reports. 



Ilyhridizing Ci'ai-Ajjples. 



Both last year and this we have been successful in crossing the flowers of 

 our wild crab-apples with pollen of the Siberian crab. 



Crossing Gooseberries. 



This year we obtained seeds from two crosses, using the Houghton and the 

 Downing as parents. Since writing the report young plants have been produced. 



Seedling Gooseberries. 



Our cultivated varieties mostly mildew badly. Four years ago I selected 

 berries from a wild bush which produced fruit nearly smooth or free from 

 prickles. The seeds were planted and last year some of the plants produced 

 fruit. This year most of them bore fruit. I transplanted them once and kept 

 them root-pruned to hasten their bearing. The result so far is very interesting. 

 The plants in many respects varied in a remarkable degree in size and shape 

 of leaf, in growth of twigs, clustering of floAvers, size and quality of fruit. 

 Some were well covered with prickles, some had but few prickles, and some 

 had no prickles. All but 15 or 20 of the best plants were weeded out. Some 

 were very prolific of fine fruit. A lot of seedlings of the wild swamp gooseberry 

 were also very variable and interesting. 



I have crossed a lot of Clawson wheat with the Treadwell to get a grain 

 which shall suit the farmer as well as the Clawson and the miller as well as the 

 Treadwell. 



Weevil-ealen or "'Buggy'' Peas. 



Last year, 1878, a trusty student at my suggestion, tested some peas with 

 the following results. They are early peas, some what mixed, of moderate 

 size and smooth. They were raised the year before. He soaked in water for 

 one day 50 peas which were "buggy" and 50 which were sound, taken from 

 the same lot. They were kept damp for five days when one of the "buggy" 

 peas sprouted and nearly all of the sound ones. Again, in a damp place in 

 the green-house, he placed 25 sound and 25 weevil-eaten peas. After six days 

 all the sound ones grew, and only four of the damaged seeds. On June 5th, 

 in good warm soil, 12 sound peas and 25 "buggy" were planted. Of this lot, 

 all the sound ones grew, and only three of the "buggy" ones. The weevil- 

 eaten seeds produced feeble plants. 



This year, 1879, from the same lot of peas 500 weevil-eaten peas were counted 

 out and tested in ten lots of 50 each, in the green-house. By the side of these, 

 500 apparently sound peas were tried. All of tlie latter germinated except 

 four. 



The following table gives the number which germinated in each lot of 50 of 

 weevil-eaten peas : 



