STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 201 



President Harris. It is usually claimed that the color of fruit 

 is imparted by the male parent. 



The Secretary. The rule does uot seem to be well defined, 

 either in plant or animal life, at least the facts are not well enough 

 understood to warrant any one in laying down a law in regard to 

 it; but those which Mr. Springer mentions indicate prepotency 

 on the mother side to stamp the color; the seeds of the green ap- 

 ples showing lack of color in the offspring; those of the high 

 colored ones transmitting plenty of color. The Pewaukee apple 

 has strong markings in color of its mother, the Duchess, and also 

 some, apparently, from its father, the Northern Spy; its form 

 takes after neither, but seems to revert far back, while its quality 

 is not defined by either, though superior to the Duchess; its season 

 is the same as the father; and the tree is the mother again in its 

 thick, woolly leaf and freedom from rust and blight, though less 

 winter hardy. The Gibb crab is all mother in color — not a trace 

 of the Fall Greening, its father, in this respect. It is a bright, 

 glossy, lasting yellow. It was from seed of the oblate yellow 

 Siberian, fertilized by Fall Greening. Mr. Peffer is a man who is 

 pretty sure of his facts, and I find that our best horticultural 

 authorities in all parts of the country have confidence in what 

 he states, and have high respect for his conclusions. He has orig- 

 inated not only the Pewaukee apple and the Gibb crab, but several 

 others by hand work in propagating seedling fruits. It seems 

 pretty sure that the constitution or hardiness comes mainly from 

 the mother, in tree life, and the keeping quality of fruit from the 

 father. Aside from this, it is safe to select for seed planting the 

 sorts that are best in all other respects, 



Mr. Plumb had known the Waupaca seedlings for many years. 

 He thought their success was due largely to aspects, elevations and 

 soils, where they grow. Only one of them showed after years of 

 trial any general adaptation in Wisconsin, This was the Wolf 

 River. He admitted that the owners of these seedling orchards 

 had plenty of excellent, handsome apples. 



The Secretary, The value of this report of Mr. Springer's, lies 

 mainly in its showing of the fact that by selecting seed of good, 

 handsome apples, the^e farmers out there on latitude nearly 45"^ 

 had succeeded in supplying themselves with fruit. It is an en- 

 couragement to others to plant selected apple seed. 



Mr. Pearce. I have the Wolf River growing on my grounds at 

 Lake Minnetonka. The quality of the apple is not as good as the 



