66 PLANT BREEDING. 



crabs, large-fruited native crabs, Chinese red-flesh crabs, seedless 

 apples, and other forms of apples from various parts of the world. 

 He urges that an abundance of trees of a new variety should be 

 started, that the new varietj^ may be given a thorough trial, not 

 only for a few winters, but until "bearing and test Avinters occur 

 together," so as to thoroughly test their hardiness, and he is testing 

 many new means of aiding the trees to endure the winters, as dwarfing, 

 potting, grafting on hardj^ species, etc. 



Prof. S. A. Beach, of the New York experiment station, says: 

 "The breeding of apples in an unsystematic way is going on all over 

 the country. I know of a rocky pasture where seeds were distributed 

 by cows which had access to the iwmace of a cider mill, and now 

 thousands of trees are in bearing there. We have grafted about 75 

 selected kinds from these trees. The varieties commonly grown have 

 mostly originated in this way, and may be looked upon as the few 

 survivals from thousands upon thousands which have been allowed 

 to fruit in neglected places." He has made many crosses and grown 

 from seeds of self-bred flowers for the great apple regions of Xew 

 York varieties which are superior to those now in use. His effort in 

 his systematic crossing is "to combine features which exist in varie- 

 ties which are known, but which are not combined in the way we most 

 desire." Pure seedlings are grown "of the same parents to discover 

 what features they may be expected to impress most persistently and 

 firmly upon their progeny, and thus produce parents which will be 

 most apt to transmit their characteristics with certainty." If Pro- 

 fessor Beach succeeds in his plans he will have varieties "with attract- 

 ive red fruit, ripening here in midwinter or later, approaching Ben 

 Davis in regular bearing, vigor, and health, and considerably excel- 

 ling it in quality of fruit." Looking toward this end, he is growing 

 seedlings from the following crosses: Ben Davis-Esopus (Spitzenburg) ; 

 Ben Davis-Mclntosh; Ben Davis-Gravestein ; Ben Davis-Green New- 

 ton. In like manner other varieties are being crossed to produce fall 

 and winter apples which have red fruit of excellent quality and other 

 good characteristics, as health, productiveness, etc. 



Prof. John Craig, formerly of the Iowa Agricultural College, who 

 was breeding apples extensively, said : 



(1) In order to do the work of crossing expeditiously and in a large way. it is 

 necessary to have a .luantity of pollen at hand. Th;s. of necessity, will have to 

 be collected from a region south or west of the point at which the work is to be 

 done, and where the apple blooms earlier. In collecting it the blossom clusters 

 are either picked from the branches, or a branch of considerable size is brought 

 into a greenhouse or warm room. This is done just as the flower buds begin to 

 open. In twenty-four to forty-eight hours the anthers will have burst, and they 

 may then be removed with the pollen. This is quickly done by clipping them off 

 with scissors. If a considerable quantity of pollen of a given variety is collected, 

 care should be taken not to bottle it up closely immediately after it is gathered. 

 Heating is likely to ensue, and the pollen may be rendered valueless. It should 



