36 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



freeze and reverses they have met with the last year. I see no evidences of 

 discouragement or despair, but all the good that that freeze accomplished 

 is being sought out and advantage is being taken of it in everj^ way possible; 

 and I am very glad no discouragement has resulted. 



I take with me the heartiest greetings of the Michigan Horticultural Society 

 to the Indiana Horticultural Societ}'. 



Telegram received at this point as follows: "Heartiest greetings from 

 the Minnesota Horticultural Society in annual session. F. W.' Latham, 

 Secretary." 



On motion, which was seconded and carried, the secretary was instructed 

 to forward the heartiest greetings of the Michigan Horticultural Society 

 to the Minnesota Horticultural Society. 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS IN HORTICULTURE 

 AT THE MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



(prof. S. W. FLETCHER.) 

 1. POLLINATION OF KIEFFER AND BARTLETT PEARS. 



This work has been in progress for six years. During this time experiments 

 have been conducted in New York, West Virginia and Michigan. Experiences 

 have also been gleaned from all over the country. The first point taken up 

 was whether Bartlett or Kieffer is able, under ordinary commercial orchard 

 conditions, to set a crop of good fruit without any other pollen than its own. 

 During the six years over a hundred thousand flowers of each variety have 

 been enclosed in bags to prevent cross-pollination. Whole trees have also 

 been covered with netting or sheeting. The blossoms so enclosed have been 

 self-pollinated by hand, to be sure that pollen reached them. This wholesale 

 self-pollination has shown that neither Bartlett nor Kieffer set fruit well 

 with their own pollen, as a rule, although in some parts of the country both 

 varieties set fruit perfectly with no other variety near. Much depends 

 upon the soil, the climate and the health of the tree. Moreover, it is probable 

 that there are strains of Bartlett and Kieffer that are self-fertile and strains 

 that are self-sterile; why should not this point be influenced by soil, climate, 

 etc., just as much as the size, color and quality of the fruit, and habit of 

 growth of the tree? The conclusion is that in planting a large commercial 

 orchard of Bartlett or Kieffer it is best to plant a certain proportion of some 

 other variety blossoming at the same time to insure cross-pollination. Small 

 orchards of Kieffer or Bartlett and even many large orchards, especially 

 if they are in a fruit-growing region, will usually set fruit satisfactorily be- 

 cause insect visitors bring pollen from other trees. Our experiments have 

 shown that the wind does not carry pear pollen from tree to tree, because 

 it is too sticky. We have made many thousand of crosses to ascertain what 

 varieties may be set to supply Kieffer or Bartlett with pollen. Anjou and 

 Lawrence have been most satisfactory for pollinating Bartlett, and Kieffer 

 has done excellently whenever it blossoms with Bartlett, as it does two 

 seasons out of three. For pollinating Kieffer we have had best results 

 with Anjou, Lawrence and Bartlett, although Garber is most commonly used. 



