622 



EIPERIMEXTAL FARMS 



7 GEORGE V, A. 1917 



POMOLOGY. 



M. B. Da\is, B.S.A., Assistant in Charge. 



The past season could not be termed a very good one for fruit crops. Late spring, 

 frosts materially reduced the yields of strawberries and in many sections seriously 

 affected the apple crop. The orchards at the Central Farm were not troubled to any 

 great extent, but the crop of apples harvested was somewhat lighter than usual, espe- 

 cially of such varieties as Mcintosh and Fameuse. This was, no doubt, due to the 

 fact that the orchard bore heavily the previous season. The crop of currants, goose- 

 berries and raspberries was good. Americana plums yielded an average crop. Nigra 

 plums gave a very light crop and European varieties gave about an average yield. 

 The Nigra plums, which bloom earlier than the others, were caught by spring frosts, 

 which almost completely destroyed the crop. The crop of grapes was the largest yet 

 taken from the new vineyard, which is just about sufficiently established to bear 

 average crops. 



Practically no winter injury to fruit trees, fruit bushes or strawberry pfants was 

 experienced, the winter of 1914-15 being exceptionally mild for this district. Cherries 

 - oloomed profusely and set good crops, a thing seldom experienced at Ottawa. 



INDIVIDUALITY IN APPLE TEEES OE BUD HEEEDITY. 



In the report of last year mention was made-of the bud heredity test under way 

 here. Three lots of trees are being used in this test, all of them being Wealthy apple 

 trees, but propagated from different sources. One lot is the progeny of a heavy yield- 

 ing Wealthy apple tree in the old close-planted Wealthy orcllard, another lot is pro- 

 pagated from a poor yielding tree in the same orchard, while the third lot is pro- 

 pagated from a heavy and regular bearing tree in the old Wealthy orchard. 



At the end of last season there appeared to be a result in total yield in favour of 

 the trees propagated from the heaviest yielders. This year the yield from the progeny 

 of the poorest yielder far exceeds the yield from either of the other lots. The total 

 yield for the four years, however, is still in favour of the heaviest and most regular 

 bearer, although the yield of the progeny of the heavy bearer is below that of the 

 poorest yielder. The tabulated results of this experiment to date are given below : — 



Progeny of the Heaviest Bearing Wealthy Tree. 



Record No. 



6320. 

 6321. 

 6322. 

 6323. 

 6324. 

 6491. 

 6475. 



Yearly totals. 



Tree. 



3/1 

 3/2 

 3/3 

 3/4 

 3/5 

 13/3 

 12/4 



Wealthy Bud 



Heredity 



Experiment. 



1912. 



0-25 gal, 



0-0 " 



00 " 



00 " 



0-50 " 



0-50 " 



10 " 



2-25 gal. 



1913. 



gal. 



00 " 



00 " 



00 " 



2-'^5 " 



1 apple. 

 •25 gal. 



3 gal. 



Heaviest Yielder. 



1914. 



4- 



7 



4 



4 



8 



7-5 



4-0 



gal. 



38-5 gal. 



1915. 



0-50 gal. 



1-25 " 



0-50 " 



0-25 " 



000 " 



0-75 " 



000 " 



3-25 gal. 



Total. 



47 gal. 



Ottaw.\. 



