lOO 



Bulletin 393 



Position of the fruit on the spur, and number of seeds to the fruit 



The average apple spur bears five flowers. The central flower has the 

 shortest stem and is usually the first to open in spring. In 191 5 at the 

 'station orchard, practically all the fruits that developed came from central 

 flowers; fruits from lateral flowers with long stems were exceptional. 

 In 19 1 6, on the other hand, comparatively few of the fruits had short 

 stems. The reason for this is suggested by the following data, which 

 were obtained just when the central flowers of the clusters were opening. 

 The percentages are based on a consideration of all flower-bearing spurs 

 borne on four large branches. There were over two hundred spurs. 



Percentage of spurs apparently normal 16 



Percentage of spurs with central flower abortive 58 



Percentage of spurs with stamens and styles of central flower abnormal . 26 



The abnormal stamens were undersized, malformed, and whitish; 

 the styles also were malformed and dwarfed. The leaves of the spurs 

 producing abnormal central flowers were somewhat wrinkled when they 

 first opened. No disease and no insects were present. For a time it 

 was believed that the injury might have been due to the dormant spray 

 which was applied after the leaves appeared, but unsprayed trees along 

 the roadside showed the same injury as did sprayed trees. These 

 abnormalities were probably due to winter injury, presumably caused by 

 a severe cold spell during early spring. The injury was not confined 

 to any one variety, but all trees examined showed the same conditions. 

 If the central flower was missing, the lateral flowers on the spur had 

 longer stems than normal. 



Counts of the number of seeds in the fruits indicated that the ntmiber 

 was higher in 19 16 than in 191 5. This may have been due partly to the 

 somewhat better weather during blooming time in 19 16 than in 19 15. 

 The data in table 49 suggest that the position of the fruit on the spur 

 may afford another explanation for this observation. It is seen from these 



TABLE 49. Number of Seeds in Short-stemmed and in Long- stemmed Fruit 



Variety 



Relative 

 length 

 of stem 



Percentage 



with less 



than five 



seeds 



Tompkins King. 

 Baldwin 



32 

 8 



32 

 14 



214 



