HORTICXTLTTTRE. 641 



mended that such blight resistant varieties be grown In the orchard on re- 

 sistant sinensis stocks for a period of two years and then top-worked with 

 commercial varieties. 



Peach growing' in Virginia, G. C. Starcheb (Va. Polyiech. Inst. Ext. Bui. 

 1 {1915), pp. 32, figs. IS). — A popular discussion of some of the more important 

 problems in peach growing with special i*eference to Virginia conditions. Con- 

 sideration is given to selecting the location for the commercial peach orchard, 

 soil and site, varieties, planting operations, selection of trees and time to plant, 

 arranging varieties, tillage, pruning, thinning, picking, packing equipment, and 

 insect and disease control. 



Inheritance of certain characters of grapes, U. P. Hedrick and R. D. 

 A^'THONY {U. S. Dept. Agr., Jour. Agr. Research, .) {1915), No. If, pp. 315-330). — 

 This work discusses certain results of breeding experiments with grapes which 

 were begun at the New York State Experiment Station by E. S. Goff in 1885 and 

 have been continued and increased from year to year by subsequent investi- 

 gators. The work is now proceeding mainly along two lines: The determina- 

 tion of the breeding potentialities of a considerable number of varieties of 

 grapes, especially with the view of finding unit characters ; and a review of all 

 the station's breeding data on this fruit, the necessary crosses being made to 

 throw further light upon doubtful points. Nearly 200 varieties of grapes have 

 been used in the breeding work but much of the value of the eaiiy work was 

 lost by gi'owing too few seedlings of each cross. Recently Vitis vinifera has 

 been used to a considerable extent in hybridization. 



The results as a whole have compelled the belief that improved varieties 

 of grapes will not be produced to any extent until the fundamental laws of 

 heredity are understood. One of the surprises in the study of grape varieties 

 was the failure of many commercial sorts to transmit desirable qualities. 

 Nearly 3,000 selfed, or pure, seedlings have been grown. They are uniformly 

 lacking in vigor. 



The work shows that reflexed stamens are correlated with complete or nearly 

 complete self-sterility and upright stamens with self-fertility. Partial or com- 

 plete self-sterility is probably caused by impotent pollen and depends to some 

 extent upon the condition of the vine and environmental factors. Breeding 

 from varieties with upright stamens decreases but does not eliminate the 

 seedlings with reflexed stamens. Sex inheritance seems to be transmitted as 

 follows: Hermaphrodite female X hermaphrodite ma]e=all hermaphrodites. 

 Hermaphrodite female X pure male=2 hermaphrodites-|-i males. 



With reference to skin color, white is a pure color and is recessive to both 

 black and red. No black or red varieties have proved pure for blackness or red- 

 ness. The colors of pure seedlings of certain varieties show wide variation, 

 even when derived from varieties of similar color. 



The most noticeable observation as to quality was the low percentage of seed- 

 lings whose quality is good or above good. This is attributed to the leveling in- 

 fluence of the wild ancestors, from which the seedlings are but a step removed. 

 Most grapes of high quality possess some F. vinifera blood. This predominance 

 of high quality is probably due to the intense selection to which the species has 

 been subjected for centuries. Pure seedlings in this work have been lower in 

 quality than crossed seedlings. 



Relative to the inheritance of size of berry, there was no indication of domi- 

 nance of any size, thoxigh there is a tendency for a variety to produce seed- 

 lings approaching its own size. It is suggested that the oval form of many 

 F. vinifera hybrids is an intermediate between round and a more pronounced 

 oval. Oblate may be a pure form recessive to round. The season of ripening 

 of the parent influences to a considerable extent the season of the offspring. 



