REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 129 



somethiuo- of what the effect of this stock will be on the 

 variety we are propagating. That the stock used does in- 

 fluence the scion cannot be doubted, and in proof of this let 

 me cite one or two instances. A most interesting case of this 

 kind was related to me by my friend, Mr. Robert Starr. 

 Briefly stated it was this : Some years ago Mr. Starr bought 

 a dozen Baldwin apple trees, and when they came into bear- 

 ing it was noticed that one of the trees bore apples a year in 

 advance of an}^ of the others, and the fruit was so highly 

 colored and ripened so early as to be scarcely recognizable as 

 Baldwins ; yet the true Baldwin flavor was there, though 

 somewhat intensified, leaving no doubt as to their identity. 

 The last tree of the lot to come into bearing produced very 

 large, light-colored apples that ripened very late indeed, and 

 though, when they finally did ripen, there was no doubt as 

 to their being Baldwins, yet tlie flavor was exceedingly weak, 

 by no means as pronounced as the typical Baldwin flavor. A 

 few years after sprouts came from below the graft on botli 

 trees, and were allowed to grow in order to determine what 

 characters the original stocks had. It was found that these 

 sprouts exhibited showed the same diflerences which had 

 characterized the apples. In one case they were small and 

 short jointed, reddish in color, both leaves and twigs, and 

 ripened early in the autumn, the leaves falling before frost. 

 In the other case the sprouts were coarse and green, long 

 jointed, and did not stop growing in the fall until nipped by 

 frost. 



" Without prolonging further this phase of the discussion, 

 I may say that numerous similar instances might be given, 

 showing conclusively that the characters possessed by the 

 stock are shown to a greater or less degree by the fruit borne 

 on the tree. 



" Accepting this as true, let us see what practical applica- 

 tion can be made of the principle involved in securing desir- 

 able qualities in our fruits, more particularly in apples. 

 First, we recognize that more highly colored fruit is, as a 

 rule, desirable. Is it not possible then to profoundly modify 

 the color of any of our fruit by top-grafting them upon trees 

 of more highly colored sorts? For example, would not Grav- 

 ensteins be improved in color if they were w^orked upon Ben 

 Davis trees? Undoubtedly they would. From our present 

 knowledge it cannot be accurately predicted to just what ex- 

 tent this influence would be shown, but enough has already 

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