PLANT BREEDING IN CANADA. 



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seqliently exhibited at many meetings of fruit growers, and was the subject 

 of much favorable comment. When brought into general cultivation this grape 

 was found to be rather late in ripening, and some seasons many of the 

 berries were small and seedless. The Burnet grape is still found in many 

 collections. 



Mr. Dempsey also showed a white grape the same year — No. i8 — which 

 was regarded as very promising, and was awarded a special prize. At the time 

 this was exhibited Mr. Dempsey stated that out of a number of seedlings of 

 this cross of Hartford with Black Hamburg five out of every seven were 

 white. This seems remarkable, seeing that both parents were black. 



He also experimented with pears, of which he produced seventeen crosses, 

 and from these grew a large number of seedlings. One of the latter, a cross 

 of Bartlett fertilized with pollen of Duchess, proved to be a pear of special 

 merit, and was introduced to general cultivation under the name of Dempsey. 

 The tree is a healthy and vigorous grower and quite productive. The fruit 

 is large, about the same size as Duchess ; pyriform ; irregular in outline ; 

 smooth ; green, changing to yellow as it ripens, with a slight brown tinge 

 when exposed to the sun. The flesh is white, fine grained, tender, with granu- 

 lations about the centre like the Duchess; sweet, juicy, with a rich flavor. 

 Season, October and November. 



Among other pears produced by him was a highly flavored winter variety, 

 the result of crossing the Duchess de Bordeaux with Josephine de Malines, 

 but this was never introduced to general cultivation. 



Mr. Dempsey did some work in apples also. He crossed the Golden 

 Russet with the Spy, and raised, among other seedlings, the Walter and the 

 Trenton, two highly esteemed sorts, which are found in many collections. The 

 Walter is a handsome apple — large, roimd or oblong, of a yellow color over- 

 laid with splashes and stripes of deep red. The flesh is white and the quality 

 good. The Trenton has the appearance of an apple of the Fameuse family. 

 In size and form it resembles the Russet. The color is more infense than 

 Fameuse and the flavor rich. 



He also did some work in gooseberries, having crossed the Houghton, 

 Smith's Improved and Downing with English varieties, and also raised some 

 good seedling black currants, but I am not aware that any of these have 

 survived. 



Peter C. Dempsey died in the autumn of 1891, at the age of 63. His own 

 words, spoken of other experimenters, may well be applied to himself: "What 

 richer legacy can a man leave to the generations which are to follow him than 

 a fine, delicious fruit which he has originated with his own hand?" 



The late W. H. Mills, of Hamilton, Ontario, also deserves a place among 

 Canadian plant breeders. His work, as far as I can learn, was confined to the 

 crossing of grapes. In 1874 a committee was appointed by the Fruit Growers' 

 Association of Ontario to visit and report on Mr. Mills' seedling grapes. 

 These were found to include some promising sort.s, ciiiefly crosses of Rose 

 Chasselas with Diana, Black Hamburg with Concord, and Muscat Hamburg 

 with Creveling. Descriptions were given of a number of these new varieties, 

 but the only one which has survived the test of years is one of the crosses 

 between Muscat Hamburg and Concord. This grape was at first named 



