IOWA STATE HORT. SOCIETY, ANNUAL MEETING. 71 



were killed down the following winter, but have come again from 

 deeper roots and have produced some fruit of good quality. 



Mr. Fluke has also done extensive work in hybridizing the 

 Mercer county wild crab with Ben Davis, Duchess, Jonathan and 

 Maiden Blush; always using the crab as female and the cultivated 

 apple as male parent, that there might be no mistake or question in 

 regard to results. The seedlings from these crosses have not yet 

 fruited, but scions worked into the tops of other trees have fruited 

 and given encouraging results. The trees, Mr. Fluke says, show in 

 growth many characteristics of the male parent. Mr. Fluke's plan, 

 I believe, is to further improve these seedlings by continuing the 

 crossing, always using the mains or cultivated strain as male par- 

 ent. Those interested can get scions by sending to Mr. Fluke at 

 his home. This is a field in which there are certainly great possi- 

 bilities. 



Mr. Fluke has also grown fifty native crosses of Weaver, De 

 Soto, etc. All have fruited, and some are equal to any in cultiva- 

 tion. 



The sentiment in Iowa, judging from Mr. Wragg's paper on 

 plums, seems to favor a return to the American varieties for general 

 planting. Much stress was laid upon the fact that plum fruit quality 

 may have all kinds of variation, due to the character of the root they 

 are on. Top-grafting and close planting were emphasized as neces- 

 sary for good pollination and consequent fruiting. The Iowa hor- 

 ticulturists have not much time for the insect as a pollinator, credit- 

 ing most of the work to the wind, and claiming that we shall not 

 miss the bee in that line when he is gone. 



Mr. Reeves of Waverly wishes to go on record as disputing the 

 claim that seeds, as the cherry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, 

 etc., will germinate after passing through the alimentary canal of a 

 bird. 



G. S. Bacon, of Des Moines, would have the Warfield and some 

 other strawberries give way to the Splendid, Bissel, Wolverton and 

 Enhance. The Morgan, Ridgeway and Sample he is not ready to 

 recommend. He does not regard the Kenyon raspberry equal to the 

 Loudon or Cuthbert. 



C. L. Watrous, of Des Moines, spoke very highly of the work- 

 being done by Theodore Williams, at Benson, Neb., in the line of 

 hybridizing plums and cherries. Mr. Williams says it is a lonesome 

 plum tree in his orchard that does not have from three to five var- 

 ieties grafted into the top. Much top-grafting is done by small 

 boys. The results were astonishng, when Mr. Watrous was there 

 in fruiting time. 



