450 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Another was to test the variation of varieties. Prof. Bailey tells us 

 that every bud is a new creation. That everything is different. • That a 

 so-called sport is no mystery; just a bud varying a little more than the 

 others. It is quite probable he had better withdraw this statement for the 

 present. The dawn of stern facts indicate that a variety can change 

 only by a new creation through the seed or a sport. Once a Ben Davis 

 always a Ben Davis. The observed variations in varieties is probably 

 due to environment, and when the environments become' the same, the 

 variations will not show. We grafted scions from a Ben Davis bearing 

 extremely red apples into one bearing light-colored apples. No difference 

 in color could be observed. 



FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 



Old rails sold $41 00 



AVheat sold 41 20 



.$85 20 



Paid for safe : $2.5 00 



12 apple trees from Virginia 3 10 



1 bushel clover seed 6 00 



34 10 



Balance in treasury $51 10 



President Stevens: Has anyone a question to ask Mr. Burton in rela- 

 tion to the Experimental Orchard? 



A Member: I should lilve to ask Mr. Burton when he gets trees 

 from cross-breeding, which ti-ee they most resemble. Suppose it is the 

 Ben Davis and the Grimes Golden. Which one will they nios.t resemble? 



Mr. Burton: We have not reached such results yet. The first time 

 we tried this we only knew the parent on the mother's side. We tried 

 four sweet apples this season, but even then we only knew the pai'ent 

 on the mother's side. One of these trees had some apples, but -they 

 dropped, as they were not sprayed. Some of the apples reached maturity, 

 and this tree was from the Ben Davis side, but if you would stand a few 

 steps away it would look like a Grimes Golden. We felt sure it must 

 be a cross between the two. I watched impatiently to see about this, 

 and one day I was passing and saw an apple on the ground and hurried 

 to get it and taste it. and it was a sweet apple. Of course, my faith 

 fell, because we didn't feel that a sweet ajiple was of much importance. 

 I do not know what variety it was. We have only two pedigreed trees. 

 This is the Jenett and the Ben Davis. The father side is the Ben 



