EXPEKIMENT STATION WURK WITH Al'l'LES. 543 



111 a study of the l)lo<>iniii»»- period of varieties of apples at the Dehi- 

 wai"e Station it was found that j^ood tillage, spraying, fertilizing, etc.. 

 extended the period of tlower-bud formation in the fall and seemed to 

 prolong the blossoming p(M-iod in the spring, while on poor, niifulti- 

 vatetl soils the Mourning jx'riod was shortened. 



In studying the agents of pollinatioi» in Kansas, Crreene" found that 

 honeybees were most useful. He found that bees worked for the 

 most part on the side of the tree away from the wind. With an east 

 wind 20 bees were counted on the w^est side of a Huntsman tree in full 

 bloom and but eight on the east side. These figures were duplicated 

 with other varieties. Bees were noticed to visit the same flower five 

 or six times within the course of twenty-five or thirtv minutes. 

 While the honeybee was found the greatest agent in pollination, 

 enough other bees were present to insure a crop of fruit when the 

 weather was favorable. Microscopic slides carefully prepared with 

 adhesive material and placed at difl;'erent distances from trees in full 

 l)loom in such a manner as to catch any pollen that might be carried 

 by the wind indicate that the wind does aid in pollination, though 

 not to any great extent in the case of apples. 



CROSSING. 



Experiments in cross-breeding Russian varieties of apples at the 

 Iowa Station'' would seem to indicate that "hardiness follows largely 

 the mother variety and that the fruit is most frequently modified by 

 the male parent." The Canadian experiment stations have reported the 

 results of extensive work in cross-breeding hardy varieties of apples 

 and craVjs for planting in the uncongeidal regions of the Northwest. 

 Of 12(>(» of the hardiest varieties of apples and crabs planted at Brandon 

 and Indian Head, none pi'oduced fruits except seedlings of PijrH.s 

 hdccdfd. The blossoms of this apple have been cross-fertilized Avith 

 pollen from such hardy improved sorts as Tetofsky, Wealthy, and 

 Duchess, and also with pollen of Transcendent, Hyslop, and Orange 

 cral>s. A munber of trees from these crosses have fruited and the 

 fruits have proved a great advance on the original cral). Sixteen or 

 seventeen varieties have been named and a number distributed through- 

 out di tie rent sections of th(^ Northwest. While the apj)les secured are 

 small, they make very good apple sauce and jelly and promise to be of 

 great usefulness to people in those cold regions. 



ROOT GRAFTING. 



Several of the experiment stations have made experiments in using 

 different lengths of roots and scions in grafting. The most extensive 



" ItKlustrialiHt, 29 (1902), No. 1 1. ''Iowa Sta. Buls. 14 and 32. 



