288 Missouri Agr. Exp. Sta. Research Bulletin No. 8 



orous trees than on weakly growing trees. The whitewashing might 

 also in some years have some effect on the amount of killing at bloom- 

 ing time, though it would probably have very slight effect on the 

 amount of killing of young fruit after the bloom has fallen. 



BREEDING VARIETIES HARDY UNDER SOUTH MISSOURI 



CONDITIONS 



The most important ultimate means of reducing the amount 

 of injury to both fruit buds and blossoms from low temperatures 

 is by plant breeding. From what has been said above, for this 

 southern region the varieties that would seem the most promising 

 to use in breeding for hardiness would be some of the Chinese Cling 

 group. With but few exceptions, the varieties of this group are 

 more hardy than the average peaches, not only for this southern 

 peach belt, but fortunately for the northern section also. Elberta, 

 however, is a marked exception. It may be said further that the 

 Chinese Cling comes nearly enough true to seed that it has been very 

 useful in securing new varieties with size and shippping qualities 

 desired. The quality, however, is rather low and the color poor so 

 it must be crossed with something that will give color, preferably 

 yellow, and quality. It seems highly probable that desirable 

 hardy varieties of long rest period could be secured by crossing this 

 strain with some high quality yellow fleshed peach like Fitzgerald, 

 etc. However, the Elberta, the most promising example of this 

 crossing, has certainly been a failure so far as hardiness is concerned. 

 The Gold Drop and Lemon Free, being peaches of yellow flesh, fair 

 quality and very hardy in bud for northern or southern climates, 

 and rather hardy in wood, is promising, though so far we have been 

 unable in the first cross to secure yellow flesh. The Hills Chili group 

 may be among the hardiest varieties in both wood and bud for south- 

 ern as well as for northern climates, but the quality is poor and re- 

 sistance to rot so slight that it is a question whether they will be de- 

 sirable for use in developing new hardy varieties for market condi- 

 tions. Reference to Table 41 will show that the Green Twig varie- 

 ties have as long rest periods as those of the Chinese Cling group. 

 In addition to this they are hardy because their pale color reflects 

 the sunlight instead of absorbing it;^ yet their small size and indiffer- 

 ent quality, together with the fact that in all crosses with Purple 

 Twig varieties they have taken the typical purple color, would seem 



'J. C. Whitten, Mo. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 38, 1897. (Bibl. No. 114). J. C. Whitten, Das 

 Verhaltnis der Farbc, etc.. 1902. (Bibl. No. 117). 



