92 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



seedless trees by bees or the wind. Wher- 

 ever this pollen is deposited, conditions be- 

 ing favorable, will be found the seed. There 

 is a small quantity of pollen, also a stamen, 

 as in the ordinary apple tree, and probably 

 not over one-twentieth the amount of pollen 

 on the seedless buds that there is on the 

 common tree blossoms. 



■ MAY REVOLUTIONIZE APPLE GROWING. 



The originator claims that his are the 

 only seedless apple trees in existence which 

 one can bud and graft from, and obtain 

 trees that will produce seedless apples ; also 

 that there are no other seedless apples of 

 any commercial value. These apples from 

 the seedless trees grow as large as the ordi- 

 nary winter apple and contain as much 

 juice. They are red when fully matured, 

 and have large strawberry dots. The flesh 

 is firm and they are excellent keepers. 



It has ibeen proved that the further we 

 get away from the original proposition (five 

 trees) the larger and better is the fruit. 

 The seedless trees are very prolific bearers. 

 There is an absolute saving of about 25 per 

 cent, in the seedless apples on account of 

 there being no waste except the peeling. 

 This fact cannot be over-estimated when it 

 comes to evaporating and drying the fruit. 



For the hotel and restaurant trade, as well 

 as for family eating and cooking, the ab- 

 sence of seeds or seed pockets is a great con- 

 venience. In the green apples, from the 

 time they first appear until one-half or two- 

 thirds grown, traces of the seed pockets 

 may occasionally be found. By the time 

 the apples reach full maturity, except in rare 

 cases, this semblance of a seed pocket be- 

 comes absorbed into the solid meat of the 

 apple. There being no seeds in the apple, 

 there is no need for seed pockets, conse- 

 quently nature eliminates them of her own 

 accord. 



Mr. Spencer has 50 bearing trees in his 

 orchard, and the younger trees (four years 

 old) yield apples which have only a yellow 

 fibrous substance, of no toughness whatever, 



representing the seed pockets. There is 

 only one variety of seedless apple, and as 

 that is quite distinct from any other, it has 

 been called the Spencer seedless apple. Ex- 

 periments are being tried on 12 or 15 of the 

 best varieties of apples, and possibly in a 

 few years the leading apples of commerce 

 will be seedless. The Spencer seedless 

 apple tree may revolutionize the apple in- 

 dustry of the world. 



Marketed in large quantities these apples, 

 even when they are no longer novelties, will 

 command five dollars a bushel wholesale. 

 At that price, if the trees are as prolific as 

 they are stated to be, the apple should prove 

 far more profitable to growers than even 

 the Ribston pippin. For some years the 

 trees, and also the fruits, will be very ex- 

 pensive. Even if the sanguine expecta- 

 tions of their originator are realized their in- 

 troduction will not injuriously affect apple 

 growing industries carried on by experi- 

 enced cultivators, but it will happily drive 

 from our markets those inferior and out of 

 date sorts which are the chief cause of those 

 periodic market gluts so ruinous to fruit 

 producers. 



For the commercial grower the new apple 

 is admirably suitable. When available 

 hundreds of thousands of bushels can be 

 disposed of each season easily at excellent 

 prices. A late apple of the color of the 

 coreless apple is an undoubted acquisition 

 to the trade. 



By desire, this record of the introduction 

 of the coreless apple to Great Britain, as 

 published in The Canadian Horticulturist, 

 will be filed by various state horticultural 

 societies and colleges in Canada, the United 

 States, England, Ireland, Scotland and 

 Wales. 



The apple sent to King Edward was 

 photographed in two positions before being 

 despatched to Windsor Castle. In acknow- 

 ledging its receipt His Majesty's private 

 secretary wrote : " The King has been 

 much interested in seeing the apple which 



