384 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



conquering hosts. Hence we have true hardiness in the Duchess. 

 Now we may save time by making that cross by hand between 

 the MaHnda and the Duchess, instead of planting seed from Mal- 

 inda top-worked on Duchess. We are sure we are getting a good 

 combination there. We get the long keeping quality of the Mal- 

 inda and the hardiness of the Duchess. In order to s:»ve time 

 I am doing much hand-crossing, but it is slow and hard work. 

 But then there is the law of Quetelet, if you raise seedlings enough 

 you are bound to get a prize. There is another thing to be 

 gained in large numbers ; you might cross the Malinda and the 

 Duchess and get ten thousand seedlings and still get no two alike ; 

 there might be a general resemblance, but they would all be dif- 

 ferent. It is just the same as you find it in the old fashioned 

 family. The children in one family differ in ability. Benjamin 

 Franklin was the brightest one in a family of fourteen children. 



Mr. Elliot: Here is another question — I am after mformation. 

 That (indicating an apple) was produced from the seed of the 

 Malinda. Can you give us any indication where the cross came 

 from? 



Prof. Hansen : I would need to know the names of all the 

 apples that were raised within five miles of it. (Laughter.) 

 How far can a bee carry pollen? 



Miss Moeser: I think three miles is considered about the 

 greatest distance. 



Prof. Hansen : I should say they both had mdications of 

 Romanite blood but do not know where they got it. 



Mr. Elliot : Could you trace the Romanite in the Wealthy, 

 Duchess, Haas and Tetofsky? 



Prof. Hansen : That is all guesswork, we have not done 

 enough artificial crossing. It might resemble the greai-great- 

 grandparents that were brought over in the Mayflower. In cross- 

 ing it sometimes goes back to the twentieth generation. That 

 is the delightful uncertainty of the thing. 



Prof. E. P. Sandsten (Wis.) : I would like to ask Prof. 

 Hansen if we were to start with the seed of the Malinda and 

 continue selecting for hardiness in the seedlings for a thousand 

 years whether it would be any hardier than it is today ? 



Prof. Hansen : That is exactly the position I am taking. 

 We know the Malinda dates back to the mild climate of England, 

 or where the temperature does not get as low as here. According 

 to DeCandolle, plants have not advanced one hundred miles north- 

 ward of their old limits in historic times. 



Mr. Philips : Is there any possibility of getting any hardiness 

 from this artificial crossing? Do you get any hardiness of the 

 Duchess type in the seedlings. 



Prof. Hansen : Yes, by crossing hardy varieties with hardy 

 varieties, or hardy with tender, you will succeed. But if you cross 

 tender varieties with tender varieties, you will never succeed. 



