206 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



or LeConte to pollinate Kieft'er, every third row may be the pollenizer ; if 

 using the Bartlett, every other row. For apples, cherries, and domestic or 

 .Japanese plums, the same proportion may be used. In a commercial orchard, 

 the pollenizer should be j^lanted in a solid row. Theoretically, it is much 

 better to have the pollenizer more evenly distributed among the self-sterile 

 trees ; practically, it will not paj^ to so mix them, except in small orchards. 



THE ADVANTAGES OF GENERAL MIXED PLANTING. 



It would appear that the only thing to do now is to find out what varieties 

 are inclined to be self-sterile and the varieties which are best adapted for 

 fertilizing them. But as a matter of fact, cross-pollination gives better 

 results with nearly all varieties, be they self-sterile or self-fertile. A variety 

 may be able to bear good fruit when it is planted alone, but it will often 

 bear better fruit if suitable varieties are near it. Mixed orchards are more 

 productive than solid blocks, taking the country over. It is a common 

 observation in Western New York that Baldwins in mixed orchards are more 

 uniformly productive than Baldwins in large blocks. Furthermore, although 

 a variety may be able to set an abundance of fruit with its own pollen, this 

 fruit will often be smaller than if other pollen were supplied. From a num- 

 ber of experiments made in 1899, a few representative results are here given 

 to illustrate this point. 



Compare the size of self-pollinated and cross-pollinated fruits in Figs. 

 82-86. In some varieties the difference was very marked, as with Stark 

 and Long-field apples ( Figs. 82-8.3 ) ; in others the difference was not so 

 marked, as Abundance ( Fig. 84 ) ; while a few showed no appreciable in- 

 crease in size from cross-pollination, as Talman Sweet and Bradshaw ( Figs. 

 85-86 ). The difference between the cross and self-pollinated Starks and 

 Longfields is so striking that one would almost be tempted to think the self- 

 pollinated fruits were wormy, but they were not. The self-pollinated Tal- 

 mans and Bradshaws were apparently as fine in every way as the cross-pol- 

 linated fruits. Manning Elizabeth pear also was not benefited by pollen 

 from other varieties. 



The three self-pollinated Longfields here shown ( Fig. 83 ) had but five 

 sound seeds ; while the two crossed specimens had seventeen sound seeds. 

 In general, cross-pollinated fruits have more good seeds than self-pollinated 

 fruits, but there is no constant relation between the size of a fruit and the 

 number of seeds it contains. Some of the biggest apples or pears may have 

 only two or three good seeds. In case the ovules in one cell of an apple or 

 pear core are not fertilized, that jjart of the fruit adjoining is often stunted 

 and the fruit becomes lopsided in consequence ; but this, likewise, does not 

 always follow. 



All of the above varieties are self-fertile, at least in Ithaca. They will 

 produce fruit with their own pollen. But we have seen that some of them 

 will produce better fruit if other pollen is supplied. Is it not worth while, 

 then, to plant pollenizers even with self- fertile varieties — that is, to practice 

 mixed planting with all varieties ? There are three good reasons for doing 

 this : First, some believe that self-sterility is likely to increase in the future, 



