12G 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



for export. For thrifty growth of tree, early bearing, productiveness, good 

 quality and long keeping it stands among the best. In 1874 ^ special prize was 

 awarded to this apple by the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, and 

 subsequently trees of Ontario were sent for trial to the members of the Asso- 

 ciation, and by this means the variety was very generally tested. Two others 

 of these cross-bred apples — Arnold's Beauty and Ella — are still found in some 

 orchards, but are not generally known. 



Strawberries also claimed some of the attention of this general worker. 

 He crossed the Wilson with Dr. Nicaisse and produced Alpha, Arnold's Pride, 

 ISIaggie and Bright Ida, which were well spoken of at the time, but have, I 

 think, all excepting ^laggie since dropped out of cultivation. 



He also devoted some attention to raspberries. He first crossed the old 

 White Cap with Franconia, from which he obtained many seedlings, two of 

 which were red. These were subsequently crossed with Marvel of Four 

 Seasons, from which the Orange King was produced. By crossing this 

 latter with Hornet several promising sorts were originated, including Diadem, 

 Arnold's Red and several others. These were grown by many cultivators for 

 some years, but are now seldom found in collections. 



In 1872 Mr. Arnold is referred to as having raised a new variety of 

 winter wheat of rare excellence, having the hardiness of some of the dark 

 skinned sorts, with the thin, white skin of the more tender kinds. That year 

 he exhibited this wheat at the meeting of the Ontario Agricultural Associa- 

 tion, for which he was awarded a gold medal. He subsequently sold a por- 

 tion of his stock of this grain to the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 and it has since been grown more or less in different parts of Canada and 

 the United States under the name of Gold Medal wheat, or Arnold's Hybrid. 



He also made some crosses wnth corn. Using yellow as the female, he 

 pollenized it successively with red and white, and exhibited specimens which 

 snowed these three colors clearly in the kernels. 



One of Charles Arnold's most successful efforts was in connection with 

 his work on peas. He crossed McLean's Little Gem with Champion of Eng- 

 land and produced a very dwarf variety, an excellent bearer, producing peas 

 of high quality. The writer had the opportunity of testing it at Mr. Arnold's 

 home in July, 1875. He subsequently sold this pea for a satisfactory consid- 

 eration to the well known seedsmen, Bliss & Sons, and it has since been in 

 general cultivation under the name of American Wonder, and is still very 

 highly esteemed. IMr. Arnold died in 1893, at the age of 65 years. 



The late Peter C. Dempsey, of Albury, Ontario, was another of the early 

 and persistent Canadian workers in plant breeding. His first work reported 

 was done on the grape. He made crosses with Clinton and Golden Chasselas, 

 Creveling and Sweetwater, Allen's Hybrid and Delaware, and Hartford and 

 Black Hamburg. One of these latter, out of a considerable number which 

 fruited, proved to be of superior merit, and was named Burnet. It was first 

 exhibited in 1873 ^^ the autumn meeting of the Fruit Growers' Association of 

 Ontario, branches with clusters being then shown, that was the second year 

 of its fruiting. The bunch was large and slightly shouldered ; berry large, skin 

 thin, flesh tender, almo.st melting; sweet, delicately flavored, and quite free 

 from foxiness. In quality it much resembled Black Hamburg. It was sub- 



