Pear Breeding 
the sacks for pollination and replacing 
them. A camel’s hair brush is fre- 
quently recommended for applying the 
pollen but the writer has found the tip 
of the finger to answer the purpose more 
satisfactorily.” 
After pollination the buds are covered 
with manilla paper sacks and carefully 
labelled. Time is saved by giving the 
labels simply a serial number for identi- 
fication. Other data of the cross are 
kept in a notebook. In recording the 
cross it is customary to write the name 
of the female parent first, followed by 
that of the male parent, e. g., Seckel x 
Kieffer. 
SETTING OF THE FRUIT 
“Not much is yet known about the 
sexual affinities of our cultivated varie- 
ties of pears and apples. Unfavorable 
seasonal conditions and some unknown 
factors, probably of a physiological 
nature, make this subject a confusing 
one. The writer has often noted trees 
loaded with fruit blossoms which set an 
extremely small amount of fruit, not- 
withstanding the fact that what are 
generally considered favorable weather 
conditions for pollination prevailed. 
Such failures do not appear to be due 
to lack of pollen, for even where buds 
are thoroughly pollinated artificially, 
the percentage of fruit set seems to 
correspond with that of the tree as a 
whole. It is true that certain crosses 
generally give better results than do 
others. Pears generally set a higher 
percentage of fruit than apples whether 
pollinated naturally or artificially. Of 
the total number of pear buds _ pol- 
linated in our work, the percentage 
which set fruit was 24.2, while that of 
the total number of apple buds pol- 
linated was 9.9. The variation in the 
different crosses is quite noticeable, some 
consistently failing to set fruit, while 
others set well. One of the most 
remarkable sets of fruit was recorded 
in the spring of 1910 when 651 fruits of 
the Seckel pear set, out of a total num- 
ber of 807 buds pollinated with Kieffer 
pollen. This amounts to about 80.6 
%. Over a series of years, however, 
the average drops to 37.8 %. 
441 
“After the June drop the paper sacks 
are removed and a record made of the 
number of fruit set. The fruit is then, 
covered with bags made of mosquito’ 
netting which allows a good develop- 
ment of the fruit and prevents loss, 
should it mature and fall off before being 
picked. In cases where specimens have 
fallen out of the sacks accidentally, the 
scar which results from removing the 
calyx in emasculation often furnishes 
a convenient mark of identification. A 
few instances were noted where the 
development in the paper sacks was 
hindered by infestations of aphids. 
Protected from their natural enemies 
the aphids multiplied enormously until 
the sacks contained great masses of the 
insects. 
GATHERING THE SEED 
‘As the fruit ripens it is gathered and 
the seed removed when fully matured. 
The number of seeds produced by differ- 
ent varieties varies considerably, a fact 
which may often be turned to advantage 
by choosing prolific varieties as female 
parents. 
“The seeds are kept in a dry place 
until time to plant. After trying vari- 
ous methods the writer has found that 
one of the most satisfactory ways of 
handling the seed is to plant them in 
thumb pots or flats in light well-drained 
soil and place them in a cold frame early 
in the fall. There is always a certain 
percentage of loss of pots from freezing 
and bursting so that flats are more 
economical. To prevent. getting the 
seed from the different crosses mixed, 
the greatest care must be exercised. 
No one, who has not worked with 
things of this sort, can appreciate how 
easy it is to get the labels or seeds 
misplaced. 
“Early in March the seeds are re- 
moved to the greenhouse and are given 
gentle heat. Germination usually takes 
place rapidly under such conditions. 
It is essential to water with great care 
at this stage to avoid loss from damping- 
off fungi. Slugs seem to be extremely 
fond of the young seedlings and they 
should be guarded against. A trail of 
some such material as soot, lime or 
kainit surrounding the pots or boxes 
