REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR U 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



the hope of obtaining fruits of larger size. How far this can be carried without 

 inducing tenderness can only be determined by experiment. The first one-year old 

 trees produced by this method were planted in tJie orchard at Ottawa in the spring 

 of 1904. 



A very large number of young trees has been raised within the past five years 

 from seed saved from the best of the named cross-bred sorts, and this work is being 

 rapidly extended. 2[any hundreds of these seedlings have been planted, chiefly in 

 ordiards on the western Experimental Farms. Some of these have already fruited, and 

 among them several new sorts of promise have appeared. In raising trees from the 

 seeds of these cross-brcds, a large proportion of them will probably sport towards the 

 female parent, P. haccafu, and produce fruit of an inferior quality, while a small pro- 

 portion will be likely to inherit more fully the qualities of the male, which would 

 result in larger and better fruit. What proportion will show improvement in this 

 direction can only be determined by growing them, but if only one good variety in a 

 conaiderable number be had, the inferior ones can all be grafted with the good variety, 

 and time thus saved in building up an orchard. 



Many seedlings have also been raised of the Martha, Snyder and other crabs, and 

 several of the seedlings of Martha grown at the Experimental Farm at Brandon have 

 borne fruit of good size and quality, and have thus far been quite hardy. 



Of these seedlings. Maggie and Xo. 309 are among the most promising, and these 

 are being propagated for more extended trial. Including the products from all these 

 different methods of working there are now more than 700 different sorts growing on 

 the Experimental Farm at Ottawa, about 1,200 on the farm at Brandon, and about 

 650 at Indian Head. There are also the 1,200 trees which have been referred to as 

 growing at 209 different localities in the N'orth-w<25t country. 



Grafts of a number of these new seedlings have been sent to some of the leading 

 nurseries in Canada and the opportunity thus afforded of growing stock to meet such 

 demand for these fruits as may arise. 



The lines of work in progress may be thus summarized : — 



1. The producing of a large number of hybrids by crossing P. haccata and P. 

 prunifolia with a large number of the best sorts of cultivated apples. 



2. The carrying on of similar work with a hardy strain of Pyrus malus, the wild 

 crab of Europe. 



3. The growing of a large number of trees from seed obtained from the best of 

 the named cross-bred sorts. 



4. The producing of a series of second crosses by which the best of the first pro- 

 duced cross-breds will receive another portion of the blood of the larger fruits. 



5. The careful testing of eve?y new seedling, or cross-bred fruit, from any and 

 every source, where, associated with acceptable size and quality, there is promise of 

 hardiness. 



By persevering along the lines indicated there is little doubt that within a very 

 few years a nximber of varieties of apples will be available, possessing that hardiness, 

 size and quality which will commend them to the settlers in all those portions of the 

 northern country where ordinary apples under average conditions cannot be grown. 

 The success thus far achieved is most encouraging, and doubtless greater. triumphs in 

 the future will reward persistent effort. 



CO-OPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS BY CANADIAN FARIVIERS. 



The assistance rendered to Canadian farmers by the distribution of samples of 

 •eed of high quality for the improvement of crops haj beem continued^ and the work 



