FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 145 



♦STERILE AND SELF-FERTILE VARIETIES. 



Apples more or less self-sterile : Belleflo\Yer, Chenango, Gravenstein, 

 King, Northern Spy, Primate, Roxbnrv Russett, Spitzenburg, Tolman, 



Varieties mostly self-fertile : Baldwin, Greening, Duchess of Olden- 

 burg, Red Astrachan, Yellow Transparent. 



• Varieties of pears more or less self-sterile: Duchess, Anjou, Bartlett, 

 Clairgeau, Clapp, Howell, Jones, Kieffer, LaAvrence, Louise, Mount Ver- 

 non, Sheldon, Superfin, Winter Nelis. 



Varieties generally self-fertile: Bosc, Manning Elizabeth, Seckel, 

 Kieffer. 



Varieties of plums more or less self-sterile : Coe, Fellenberg, Satsuma. 



Varieties generally self-fertile: Burbank, Lombard, Damsons, Brad- 

 shaw. 



TREES TO PLANT. 



It is by all means advisable to secure first-class trees. Such trees 

 should be medium in size for their age, free from injurious insects and 

 diseases, should have a healthy root system, with enough good-sized roots 

 to hold the tree firmly in the soil and a good lot of fine roots. Not all 

 varieties have straight trunks, and this should be taken into considera- 

 tion. Large sized trees should not be considered first-class and should 

 be avoided, as often much of their root system is removed in digging, 

 and they adapt themselves to new conditions with greater difficulty. 

 The extra expense necessary to buy first-class nursery stock will be 

 many times repaid before the trees have outlived their usefulness. It is 

 usually preferable to secure trees from a nearby reliable nurseryman. 

 His soil and climatic conditions are more apt to be like those of the 

 field in which the trees are to be set. The trees are thus saved the un- 

 necessary effort of adapting themselves to new and radically different 

 conditions. However, the importance of this point is doubtless over- 

 estimated, as many distant nurserymen may have practically identical 

 soils and climates. Other advantages of patronizing nearby nurserymen 

 are the saving of expense in shipping and avoiding the danger of injury 

 in transit. Then, too, the purchaser can visit the nursery and select his 

 trees, and be more certain to secure what he desires. There is doubtless 

 considerable advantage to the orchardist in furnishing the nurseryman 

 with scions or buds secured from trees of knowTi productiveness, hardi- 

 ness and health. 



There is a growing tendency on the part of orchardists to demand 

 younger and smaller trees. In doing so, they can better shape the top 

 to their desire, retain a much larger part of the root system, and secure 

 a better and more certain growth. Young trees will usually grow faster 



♦Bailey's Principles of Fruit Growing, page 229. 

 19 



