STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 7 



Small growers should be close to aid in keeping down the 

 grasses, for one thing. The Pennoek should have much space. 

 Another thing: We let our orchards get too old. When an or- 

 chard is twenty-five years old it is time to grub it up. I would 

 not thank a man for the gift of an orchard twenty-five years old, 

 even though he let me select the trees. Take such apples as the 

 Northern Spy and the Newton Pippin, for instance, their time of 

 bearing would be so short that they would not pay. 



Dr. Humphrey — I would like to know what the gentleman in 

 his report, (Mr. Mann) means by strong pollenization. 



Mr. Shank — Tdo not think that the perfect fruit depends on 

 pollenization. Take the banana, for instance, it never bears 

 seed, and is one of the most prolific plants that grows. In that 

 case there is no pollenization. Grapes are also produced without 

 seed, especially for raisin grapes, and it seems to me that so much 

 pollenization does not seem necessary. 



Mr. McKinney — I am simple enough to believe that the straw- 

 berry does best with all the pollen it can get; while one particle 

 of pollen might make a good seed, I think more pollen would be 

 better. 



Mr. Mann — There are conditions of environment with the pro- 

 duction of perfect fruit, and to make the perfect fruit, I think the 

 environments must be correct. Of course, in the case of raisin 

 grapes and bananas, there might seem to be an exception, but I 

 saw last week a grape that had been cultivated without seed, and 

 I found it to be a very shy bearer. My information as to the ba- 

 nana is, that it does have pollen and that the influence goes to the 

 fruit and not to the seed. I am satisfied that it requires the 

 strength of the perfect seed to overcome adverse environments 

 and make the perfect fruit. 



Dr. Humphrey — The fruit is a transformation of the flower, 

 and pollenization has reference to fructification. This must take 

 place as among the sexes. If the stamens are in different indi- 

 viduals, the fruit is supposed to be different, that is, there comes 

 variation from parental forms, while if the pistils and stamens 

 are in the same blossom, the principle of variation does not hold. 

 Fructification has more reference to the seeds than to the form of 

 the fruit growth . 



