bo State Horticultural Society. 



withstanding this fact there was gathered and sold in 1902 the largest 

 and best crop of raspberries ever grown in this county. This, it appears 

 to me, completely upsets the old theory and calls for a new one. 



If agreeable to you, I would like for you to present this point to 

 the meeting for discussion. There will certainly be members there who 

 can explain this point and give us a new and better philosophy of it, that 

 will be in harmony with the fact above stated. With best wishes for 

 the success of the meeting. 



THE PRODUCTION OF HARDY VARIETIES OF PLANTS. 



(Dr. J. C. Whitten, Experiment .Station, Columbia, ]\Io.) 



' Hardy varieties of plants are usually secured by selecting from a 

 hardy specimen as a basis, or by crossing some desirable form with a 

 hardv varietv and then by carefully selecting the hardy seedlings which 

 possess the other characteristics desired. The first step, then, is to 

 secure the proper hardy variety with which to make a beginning. If 

 these varieties contain in a fair degree the other characteristics desired, 

 selection of such as most nearly suit our ideals is all that is necessary. 

 If, however, the hardy varieties possess other characteristics which are 

 not desirable they may be crossed with such forms as will supplement 

 them in other desirable characteristics. From this progeny seedlings 

 may be secured which possess the hardiness of the one parent to at 

 least a considerable degree, and which also possess the desirable char- 

 acteristics of the other parent. 



It is not always easy, however, to determine just what constitutes 

 a hardy variety. There is sometimes a correlation of parts in plants 

 which enables us to determine one characteristic by observing the other 

 characteristics of the same plant. For example, in peaches large size 

 fruit is usually correlated with large leaves and stout twigs. The breeder 

 of peaches, then, is" usually able to determine whether a seedling will 

 have large, fine fruit without waiting for it to come into bearing. If it 

 possesses large leaves and stout twigs he knows that it will probably 

 produce large fruit when it reaches bearing age ; while the peach seedling 

 which produces small leaves and slender, closely knit twigs, will almost 

 invariably produce small fruit. In the pear, a seedling which produces 

 small leaves and small twigs with short nodes, and a scrubby, thorny 

 appearance, usually produces small, inferior fruit, while the tree which 

 produces large leaves and stout twigs with long nodes, will usually pro- 

 duce large fruit. 



