THE APPLES OF NEW YORK. 21 



local seedlings of the Snow class, such as are particularly abundant along 

 the St. Lawrence valley. 



Neaily all of the cultivated varieties of apples have arisen from seed 

 of unknown parentage. In a few cases the seed-bearing parent of a 

 variety is known cr is probably apparent from the evident similarity of 

 the seedling to its supposed parent. Thus Fameuse is credited with being 

 the parent of Louise which resembles it in many ways, and Ben Davis is 

 thought to be the parent of Gano. In very rare instances both parents 

 of a variety are on record. Thus Ontario is a cross of Northern Spy and 

 Wagener. 



HYBRIDS. 



Seed Hybrids. Those' varieties which originate from the cross-fertili- 

 zation of distinct varieties or races may be called hybrids or more specifi- 

 cally seed hybrids to distinguish them from the graft hybrids noticed 

 below. Thus have originated very many of the cultivated varieties of 

 garden vegetables. When the new variety that has originated from seed 

 is a kind of plant that is propagated by asexual methods such as budding, 

 grafting and layering, it is an easy matter to perpetuate it by working 

 it upon some other stock, just as Baldwin and other apples, for example, 

 are propagated in nurseries by either budding or grafting them upon 

 seedling stocks, or in the orchard by top-working them upon the orchard 

 trees. But if the new cross or hybrid is a kind of plant that commonly 

 is propagated by seed only, as most garden vegetables are, then it is 

 necessary to " fix " the variety before it may safely be disseminated as a 

 new sort. With the first attempt to propagate a new variety from seed 

 there are usually found among the plants some which are more or less 

 unlike the first, or original, seedling. These must be cast out if the new 

 variety is ever to become so fixed that it will come true from seed. The 

 process of casting out such plants is well known among seedsmen. By 

 them it is called " rogueing." The "rogueing" must be continued faith- 

 fully, generation after generation, till the variety appears to be sufficiently 

 fixed to permit of its being safely disseminated. It may be necessary to 

 continue the " rogueing " indefinitely in order to hold the variety up to 

 its typical standard. 



Graft Hybrids. Hybrids may originate asexually, as when the grafting 

 or budding of one sort upon another produces a new variety unlike either 

 of the original ones represented in the union. A variety thus originated 

 is called a graft hybrid. Graft hybrids are exceedingly rare but well 

 authenticated cases are on record. 1 



SPORTS. 



Occasionally new varieties or new strains of a variety originate as 

 sports from the parent variety. Sports are sometimes called " freaks." 

 They may be classed according to their origin into bud sports and seed 

 sports. 



Seed Sports. Among varieties that are propagated by seed there is 

 sometimes found a decidedly peculiar plant, unlike the typical plants of 

 the variety, which may prove to be a true seed sport and be capable of 



1 Daniel, L., Cornet. Rend., Acad. Sci., Paris, 118: 992-955. 1894. Congres. Lyons Soc. 

 Keg. Vit., II: 262-365. 1902. 



