10 July, 1917.] Apple Culture in Victoria. 387 



Structural Formation of the Flower. 



When tlif subject of pnining was lieiiig dealt with it was fully 

 explained and ahuiulaiit illustrations given, sliowing, under the various 

 conditions, the classes of wood on which the blossoms are produced, 

 so that we may now safely pass on to the structural formation of the 

 flower. 



Plate 101 shows a row of shapely Statesman trees in full bloom. 

 The blooming period of the apple tree, normal conditions prevailing, 

 from the time the ])etals show pink in the blossom until they drop 

 off the tree after fertilization has taken place, occupies about ten 

 days. 



The flowers are the reproductive organs of the tree. The apple tree 

 flower usually consists, like those of other pomaceous fruits, of a pistil 

 in five divisions with their stigmas. These pistil divisions form a 

 union of their styles above the nectary through which they pass and 

 develop into an ovary divided into five chambers, each of which con- 

 tains two ovules or embryonic pips. Twenty stamens stand around 

 the edge of the disk, and in this position their antliers or pollen cases 

 are in close pro.ximity to the stigmas on the points of the pistil divi- 

 sions. A corolla of five pink or white petals, according to the variety, 

 is supported by the sepals at the point where they form the rim of 

 the disk, when the flower is fully expanded. Then there are on the 

 outside the five small pointed leaves or sepals which form a cup for 

 the flower bud, and which protect the more delicate and vital organs 

 during their earlier stages. When the fruit has attained that con- 

 dition of develojunent commonly referred to as having " set," through 

 the process of fertilization, and when the sepals are made to close up 

 through the swelling of the fruit, this part is then better known as 

 the calyx of the apple. 



Apple blossoms are mostly borne in clusters of florets, generally 

 six in each, and the centre one invariably opens earlier than the others 

 which encircle it. Although as a rulfe the centre floret is shorter 

 stemmed and stronger than the others, yet, when the tree leets a 

 heavy crop of fruit, this predominant floret is usually subdued. 



Plate 102 is a photograph, natural size, of a cluster of Rome 

 Beauty blossoms. The stalks of the individual flowers have com- 

 menced to separate from each other, and the sepals of the centre 

 floret have opened exposing the still folded petals. 



Fig. 2 depicts six stages of the flower of the London Pippin 

 variety, which was known until recently as Five Crown, its name, like 

 some others, having been changed by the Pomological Committee. 



The condition of the florets of the blossom bud, when they com- 

 mence to stand apart, is represented by .specimen (a), which, a few 

 days later assumes the formation of (b), which, a little later still, 

 becomes plump like (c) and shows pink in the petals before they 

 commence to open. When stage (d) is reached the protective cover- 

 ings of sepals and petals begin to open and individually expand. This 

 permits of the gradual development of the stamens and pistils which 

 are the male and female organs respectively. In (c) it will be 

 observed that the sunlight has commenced to act upon the central 

 organs, which soon become strengthened, as shown in (/). 



