346 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



VARIATION IN APPLES. 



When botanists study plants as species they are often surprised 

 to find in the same genus of plants some species that have a remark- 

 able tendency to vary. They will hardly find the same species grow- 

 ing with what they call the normal character in any two localities. On 

 the other hand, says Meehan's Monthly, they will find some species in 

 which- the individuals seem exactly alike no matter in what part of the 

 world they are found. This tendency to individuality is found among 

 varieties of fruits just as much as among varieties of flowers, although 

 it is not generally supposed. The Seckel pear is an illustration of 

 this. Its peculiar flivor, a something which one can hardly describe, 

 is always sufficient to decide that the one in question is a Seckel pear;, 

 but the difference is in size and form, and the character of the russet- 

 ing will vary so that we have known pomologists of experience some- 

 times doubt whether the Seckel they had in hand was really a Seckel 

 or not. The Baldwin apple is another class of varying individuals.. 

 Some years ago, Mr. Engle, an authority on apple nomenclature resid- 

 ing at Marietta, Pa, had one form of Baldwin so very far away from 

 the normal character that he propagated it as a distinct kind, under 

 the name of the Penn apple. The variations will frequently be found 

 in the normal apple, the fruit being undoubtedly from the same tree or 

 trees in the same orchard. Tae normal character of the Baldwin is to 

 have the flesh of a greenish yellow tint, yet from the same tree will 

 often be found one with the fl^sh cf a clear white, and again some in- 

 dividuals of this white class will have a red linge of the skin streaked 

 through the flesh. We have seen this difference in the color of the 

 flesh so very prominent that good judges of apples will frequently 

 doubt whether the fruit which can undoubtedly be proven to be Bald- 

 win was really such. The chief interest in this question comes from 

 the thought which often arises as to whether fruits can hybridize to 

 such an extent as to influence the fruit that is actually hybridized. In 

 the case of the Baldwins referred to, the impression that would arise 

 in the mind of the orcharuist would be that the flowers had been fer- 

 tilized by pollen from some variety with normal white flesh. The law 

 of individual variation to which we have referred is quite sufficient to 

 account for this or even greater changes. — Prairie Farmer. 



