Dr. N. L. Britton was here called to the chair. 

 The following paper was read by William Saunders: 



RESULTS OF HYBRIDIZATION AND PLANT BREEDING 



IN CANADA 



William Saunders, Director of the Central Experiment Farm, Ottawa, Canada. 



Early in the history of fruit growing in Canada there were a few en- 

 thusiastic men who devoted much time to the production of new varieties of 

 fruits, some of whom have left behind them, in the useful sorts they have 

 originated, valuable legacies for future generations. This work has been 

 carried on along many different lines. 



The late Charles Arnold, of Paris, Ontario, was among the early labor- 

 ers in this interesting field — indeed, I believe he was the pioneer in cross-fer- 

 tilizing for the production of new fruits in Canada. He chose the grape 

 for his first experiments, and from a cross of the Clinton with Black St. 

 Peters he produced five new sorts, namely, Othello, Canada, Brant, Cornu- 

 copia and Autochon, the first four being black and Autochon white. In 1868 

 a committee was appointed by the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, of 

 which the writer was a member, to visit Mr. Arnold's grounds and report 

 on these grapes, which had then been several years under trial. These new 

 varieties were highly spoken of and recommended for more general cultiva- 

 tion. In 1874 the Othello, a large black grape of good quality, was dis- 

 tributed for trial among the members of the Fruit Growers' Association of 

 Ontario, and was thus widely tested over the province. Except in the most 

 favored districts, it was found to be rather late in ripening, and it is now 

 seldom met with in Canadian vineries. The Canada and the Brant are more 

 widely known, and are favorably spoken of by many. All these varieties are 

 now grown in France, and the Othello is said to be extensively cultivated in 

 some parts of that country for wine making. Mr. Arnold was awarded a 

 medal and diploma for his new hybrid grapes at the Centennial Exhibition in 

 1876, and they were specially commended. 



At the same time :Mr. Arnold was also doing some good work among 

 apples. In 1873 he exhibited at the meeting of the American Pomological 

 Society, held in Boston, Mass., eighteen varieties of cross-bred apples, all 

 seedlings of the Northern Spy crossed with Wagener. Only one of these 

 seedlings has found its way into general cultivation, but this one is of superior 

 excellence, and is known under the name of Ontario. It is an apple now 

 grown largely by some Canadian orchardists, and is found to be very valuable 



