TYPICAL FRUITS OF THE TWO VARIETIES 



The fruits shown in the left half of the picture are of the new French variety, and those on 

 the right are of the ordinary variety. These samples were grown on neighboring trees in the 

 same orchard. Note the cross-sections at the bottom. (Fig. 2.) 



In order to give this strain a com- 

 mercial test Mr. Coates bought 10 acres 

 containing about 1000 peach trees for 

 experimental trials of the large prune 

 variety. These trees were five years 

 old in 1914 at the time of their purchase. 

 The large-fruited French prune variety 

 was budded into every other row of the 

 peach trees with the usual method 

 practiced in top-working citrus and 

 other fruit trees. Mr. Coates believes 

 that budding is preferable to grafting 

 for top-working peach or other stone 

 fruits. 



The top-worked trees with the im- 

 proved French prime strain, called No. 

 1418 for convenience during the experi- 

 mental stages, are in alternate rows with 



the ordinary or other selected strains 

 of the parent variety. In other words, 

 in the 10-acre experimental orchard 

 there is one row of No. 1418 followed 

 by a row of the parent variety, and so 

 on throughout the entire orchard. The 

 conditions are comparative and furnish 

 the basis for a fair comparison of the 

 No. 1418 strain trees with those of the 

 parent variety. 



The yield of the No. 1418 trees in 

 the experimental planting has been more 

 than double that of the comparative 

 trees. The No. 1418 fruits are about 

 twice the size and weight of the com- 

 parative fruits. They are more uniform- 

 ly distributed throughout the tree than 

 is the case with the fruits borne by the 



341 



