FLORIDA STATE Hf)RTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



79 



plantings when surrounded by other vari- 

 eties is no test for self-friiitfulness. This 

 simply shows that the plant or the clonal 

 variety is able to produce fruit. Whether 

 the plant is a female intersex, whether 

 there are structural adaptations or dichog- 

 amy limiting both self- and close-pollina- 

 tions or whether there are self-incompati- 

 bilities is not in the least revealed. There 

 is no evidence from this as to what the 

 pollination or fertilization requirements 

 are or of how the variety will yield when 

 planted alone or in solid blocks. 



The ideal plant for vegetative propaga- 

 tion and for solid block planting from the 

 standpoint of consistent yields of fruit is 

 one that is self -fruitful. For it to be 

 thus, it should have perfect flowers, there 

 should be no structural or developmental 

 adaptations that decidedly limit close- 

 pollination at least and preferably self- 

 pollination also, and the self- and close- 

 pollinations should be compatible in fer- 

 tilization to the point of producing fruit. 

 The characteristics of a variety in all 

 these particulars should be fully deter- 

 mined before it is distributed and widely 

 planted. 



The four groups of horticultural prob- 

 lems briefly outlined above are those that 

 are peculiar to vegetative propagation and 

 to the growing of clonal varieties in solid 

 blocks. They refer in part to the special 

 problems of the nurserymen in their ef- 

 forts to develop and to use the best meth- 

 ods of propagation and of maintaining 

 varieties true to type; they refer to crit- 

 ical problems in fruit production which 

 the grower frequently meets when he 

 plants a clonal variety in solid blocks, 

 and they refer to certain important phases 

 in the breeding of new varieties for the 

 quality of self-fruitfulness. 



Clonal propagation now plays an im- 

 portant part in horticulture. It is des- 

 tined to increase in importance. With due 

 regard to their respective responsibilities, 

 the breeders of horticultural plants, the 

 nurserymen who propagate them for the 

 trade, and the orchardists who grow these 

 plants for their products can speed the 

 day when the clonal variety presents no 

 serious defect or at least gives rise to no 

 problems that are not met. 



