POLLINATION IN ORCHARDS. 



369 



which are best adapted for fertilizing- them. 

 But as a matter of fact, cross-pollination 

 gfives better results with nearly all varieties, 

 be they self-sterile or self fertile. A variety 

 may be able to bear g-ood fruit when it is 

 planted alone, but it will often bear better 

 fruit if suitable v^arieties are near it. Mixed 

 orchards are more productive than solid 

 blocks, taking- the country over. It is a 

 common observation in Western New York 

 that Baldwins in mixed orchards are more 

 uniformly productive than Baldwins in large 

 blocks. Furthermore, although a variety 

 may be able to set an abundance of fruit 

 with its own pollen, this fruit will often be 

 smaller than if other pollen were supplied. 



1905— Bkadshaw Plum. From German Prune 



POLLEN ABOVE, FROM BrADSHAW POLLEN BELOW. 



No Benefit from cross-pollination. 



From a number of experiments made in 

 1899, ^ ^^'^' representative results are here 

 given to illustrate this point. 



Compare the size of self-pollinated and 

 cross-pollinated fruits in our illustrations. In 

 some varieties the differences were very mark- 

 ed, as with Stark and Longfield apples (Fig. 

 1901-2); in others the difference was not 

 so marked, as Abundance (Fig. 1903) ; while 

 a few showed no appreciable increase in size 



from cross-pollination, as Talman Sweet and 

 Bradshaw, (Fig. 1904-5). The difference 

 between the cross and self-pollinated Starks 

 and Long-fields is so striking that one would 

 almost be tempted to think the self-pollinated 

 fruits were wormy, but they are not. The 

 self-pollinated Talmans and Bradshaws were 

 apparently as fine in every way as the cross- 

 pollinated fruits. Manning Elizabeth pear 

 also was not benefited by pollen from other 

 varieties. 



The three self-pollinated Longfields here 

 shown (Fig. 1902 1 have but five sound seeds ; 

 while the two crossed specimens had seven- 

 teen sound seeds. In general, cross- 

 pollinated fruits have more good seeds 

 than self-pollinated fruits, but there is no 

 constant relation between the size of a fruit 

 and the number of seeds it contains. Some 

 of the bigg-est apples or pears may have 

 only two or three g-ood seeds. In case the 

 ovules in one cell of an apple or pear core 

 ;ire not fertilized, that part of the fruit ad- 

 ioining is often stunted and the fruit be- 

 omes lop-sided in consequence ; but this 

 likewise, does not always follow. 



All of the above varieties are self-fertile, 

 at least in Ithaca. They will produce fruit 

 with their own pollen. But we have seen 

 that some of them will produce better fruit 

 if other pollen is supplied. Is it not worth 

 while, then, to plant pollinizers even with 

 self-fertile varieties — that is, to practice 

 mixed planting with all varieties ? There 

 are three good reasons for doing this : 

 First, some believe that self-sterility is 

 likely to increase in the future, under the 

 stimulus of right cultivation. Second, we 

 can never be perfectly sure that any variety 

 will be self-fertile on our soil and under our 

 culture ; even those varieties which are self- 

 fertile elsewhere may be partially self-sterile 

 with us. Third, most self-fertile as well as 

 selr-sterile varieties are benefited by cross- 

 pollination. It is taking risks to plant a 

 ver>' large block of one variety. The trees 



