136 Report State Board of Horticulture. 



found in various parts of Western Oregon and Western Washington, 

 in particular. Some years it bears a fairly füll crop in all sections; 

 in other years the orchards in one or more localities will fall, or produce 

 but a partial crop, while orchards in other parts bear füll crops; and even 

 individual orchards in a locality may bear a füll crop, or none, while 

 others are returning opposite results. From the researches of Waite 

 and others, there is reason to believe that the same general rules relating 

 to the impotency of pollen will apply equally to the apple, pear, plum, 

 and cherry, though perhaps less noticeable with this latter fruit, as 

 large blocks of single varieties are not as common as with the others. 



In summarizing the results of this work upon the apple and the 

 pear, Waite says: "Too much importance must not be attached to cross- 

 pollination as a factor in fruitfulness. There are other factors equally 

 as important. The variety, vigor, health, age, heredity, and vitality 

 of the tree; the presence of undue climatic, soll, and site conditions, 

 and fungous diseases are all vital factors in the fruitfulness of orchards, 

 and must not be overlooked."* 



Varieties generally considered self-fertile — that is, safe to plant 

 alone, are: Ben Davis, Rome Beauty, Jonathan, Baldwin,** Fallawater, 

 Oldenburg, Rhode Island Greening, Astrachan. 



Varieties that are considered more or less self-sterile are: Spitzen- 

 burg, Northern Spy, Gravenstein, Winesap, Belleflower, Willow Twig. 



The above list is only tentative at best. Investigators are a unit 

 in declaring that, other conditions being favorable, nearly all varieties 

 are more or less improved by cross-fertilization, hence a liberal mixing 

 of varieties in a plantation is to be recommended, provided they are 

 capable of inter-pollination, for it must not be forgotten that not only 

 are varieties self-sterile, but that they are also cross-sterile. Until much 

 more Information is obtained in detail as to the conduct of particular 

 varieties under the varied conditions to which they are subject, implicit 

 confidence cannot be placed upon the reputed behavior of other than 

 a few of the varieties most widely grown, as Ben Davis, Winesap, 

 Jonathan, Rome Beauty. 



In view of this condition, a point of much interest to the apple 

 grower is the relative periods of blossoming of the inter-pollination 

 varieties, for with a knowledge of this at band there may be planted 

 side by side such varieties as will inter-pollinate and blossem during 

 the same period, thus effecting cross-fertilization, and thereby doing away 

 with the troublesome question of sterility, and at the same time deriving 

 the best possible results as to size and quality of the crop at a possible 

 minimum of loss. If the plantation is of such size that three or four 

 varieties may be grown to advantage, so far as marketing the crop is 

 concerned, then the problem becomes one of getting such first-class 

 varieties as will succeed on the proposed site, inter-pollinate and blossom 

 at the same period. If it is not possible to get first-class inter-poUinating 

 varieties that will blossom at the same time, it may be possible to get 

 an inferior variety at slight disadvantage, as to marketable value, that 

 will pollinate the better varieties. Under such conditions the insuring 

 of a crop of the best grade fruit of two or three choice varieties at 

 an expense of one inferior variety would be considered a judicious 

 procedure. 



For several years a record of the College orchard has been kept 

 with this point in view: namely, to ascertain what varieties blossom 

 at the same period. The following tables give the results in substance. 



♦Waite, M. B., U. S. Agrlcultural Report, 1898. 



**Trees of this variety liave been observed to be apparently self-sterile. 

 See report quoted above. 



