588 Journal of Agriciiltiin'. Victoria. | 10 Oct., 1917. 



four, three, and two divisions and with corresponding numbers of ovary 

 chambers have been found on trees of this variety. Without reaching 

 the point of core extinction, however, it is amply apparent that were it 

 possible to produce such an apple it would be of low commercial value. 



In arriving at this conclusion the writer bases his calculations on the 

 fact, that as die ovary becomes smaller through the reduction of its 

 ohamibers, the quantity of the fleshy part becomes correspondingly 

 diminished, and its quality is impaired. Consequently this aspect of 

 the matter may be dismissed without further comment, though, in the 

 interests of horticultural science, it may be desirable to further explain 

 certain variations noticed in apple blossoms while the series of systematic 

 experiments and investigations were being conducted. 



Plate 140 depicts a few of these specimens — (a) is blossom of tlie 

 Bellflower variety showing normal development of the pistil, (b) is a 

 cross-section through the ovary of a young fruit of the same variety 

 showing a corresponding number of ovary chamibers. The Gravenstein 

 flower (c) has only four pistil divisions, and (d) is a section of a young 

 fruit of the same variety showing the chambers reduced to four also. 

 The flower (e) and the cross-section (/) are of the three division charac- 

 ter, and are also Gravenstein. The three fruit cross-sections were of 

 the same age when mounted to Tje photographed. It is plain that as 

 the core is reduced in size general degeneration of the frait follows. 

 The pistil of the London Pippin flower (g) is in seven divisions, while 

 that of the Rome Beauty (h) has only four. The general formation 

 of the pistil is often altered when its divisions deviate from the normal. 

 To determine this, compare (h) with Fig. 2 (c), plate 118, puiblislied 

 in this Journal of August last. 



Wow it is clear that the best and most shapely apples are produced 

 from flowers of normal construction, and that a reduction of the correct 

 number of pistil filaments and consequent ovary contraction is accom- 

 panied by degeneration of the fruit. It is equally clear that when the 

 filaments of the pistil exceed five, a correspondingly undesirable con- 

 dition is set up. This may be understood from the reference made to 

 the Tredika variety. 



We have even a better illustration of this condition in the beautiful 

 flowering apple tree, Pynis Spectabilis, which produces large semi-double 

 flowers with many petals and ipistil flilaments. The fruit, which is 

 mostly composed of core, is small and inferior. Specimens (i.) and (k) 

 are sections taken from flowers of the Fi/nis Spectabilis, when their 

 petals were removed. As many as thirty-seven styles were counted in 

 flowers of this species. 



In cross-seotions (;') and (/) are depicted the core-filled rinds of the 

 young fruit. 



{To bo continued.) 



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