344 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



contrary it was thought no variation ever took place. But we now know 

 that a tree changes its organism and becomes weak in some pai-ts and 

 strong in other parts, and that when these changes are effected they are 

 as permanent as any of its characteristics. 



"When a tree becomes unfruitful, its fruit producing or seed organ- 

 ism is weak in its buds, and the tree growing oiit of these buds will pos- 

 sess these weaknesses, as repeated experiments have shown. Take buds 

 from a well developed and very fruitful tree and another from the nurs- 

 ery row, where it has been propagated through a dozen or more years 

 from the young nonbeariug wood. In the first case you will see a marked 

 difference in the wood growth. The tree will not look so smooth and 

 straight as the other, but under good treatment it will come into bearing 

 much earlier and be more fruitful afterwards. The second tree will 

 grow smooth and straight and look much nicer, but its growth will be 

 wood until late in its life or until something is done to bring it into bear- 

 ing. Many nurseiymen have experimented and proven the correctness 

 of the principle, but people want cheap, large, straight, smooth-barked 

 trees and insist on having them, and are so grounded in prejudice that 

 sales can not be effected at a price which will justify the additional ex- 

 pense of maintaining an orchard under conditions to furnish the well- 

 developed grafts. 



"So long as the man who furnishes the big. smootli tree at the small- 

 est price gets the order there is no inducement to make the change. The 

 change, however, is coming, and in the not distant future every nursery- 

 man will have to give evidence that his trees are not all wood, but that 

 they have a fi'uit-producing organism developed in them, so we shall not 

 have to wait ten years longer than necessary in order that we may get 

 returns for labor and care. Next week we will point out some specific in- 

 stances of such changes. 



If he is correct, we are certainly on the downward road. Why these 

 experiments have not been inaugurated by the experiment stations years 

 ago is a mystery. 



The first question put to nature l)y the Experimental Orchard has 

 been answered— "Does the stock have an influence on the nature of fruit 

 on the graft?" The answer is, "No." 



A Yellow Transparent was grown on a wild crab. The apple was 

 grown with sap supplied and digested by the leaves of the crab; all its 

 own leaves removed. The apple was in every way a Yellow Transparent. 

 As this was the first apple ever grown purely for scientific purposes, of 

 which we have any account, we present a photo of the apple; also tlie 

 limb on which it grew. 



The orchard received its first public recognition and celebration on 

 September 10th. The Monroe County Horticultural Society had planned. 

 in their annual program, to visit the orchard for their September meet- 

 ing. Afterward they invited the Salem Farmers' Club to meet with 



