e'«r. 



April, 1922 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



93 



past two years. It was explained with 

 special clearness at the meetings of the 

 Niagara Peninsula Fruit Growers' Associa- 

 tion in Grimsby and St. Catharines. The 

 fact to record here is that it can be done 

 and that the work of the O.A.G. horticultural 

 department is largely responsible for mak- 

 ing the fact known. 



The summer pruning of young apple trees 

 as a factor in hastening the bearing period 

 and the effect of such pruning on yield, 

 quality and regularity of bearing has been 

 studied with results entirely contrary to the 

 teaching and recommendations of recent and 

 former years. It has been shown that sum- 

 mer pruning does not hasten the production 

 of fruit; that it results in less growth than 

 that produced by dormant pruning; that dor- 

 mant pruned trees do not grow as rapidly 

 or come into bearing as early as trees with 

 little or no pruning, either dormant or sum- 

 mer; that unpruned trees have made a 

 larger growth and are now bearing more 

 heavily than either summer pruned or dor- 

 mant pruned trees, etc., etc. 



Studies have been made on winter injury 

 of fruit trees with special reference to hardy 

 and tender varieties, to factors that cause 

 or predispose fruit trees to winter injury, 

 on cultural methods that may be used to 

 prevent or lessen the losses due to winter 

 injur\', the effect; of stock on scion in rela- 

 tion to hardiness, yield, etc. Experiments 

 have been conducted to determine the best 

 kind of hardy stocks for fruit trees with 

 special reference to apples. Better methods 

 of training and pruning fruit trees have 



been under consideration, also better 

 methods of top-working fruit trees. 



Investigations are under way respecting 

 the possibilities of nut culture in Ontario, 

 with reference to the location of trees pro- 

 ducing superior nuts and to methods of im- 

 proving and propagating nut trees. The 

 introduction and testing of Chinese fruit 

 and nut trees is in progress. 



To obtain a method by which the hardiness 

 of fruit seedlings might be determined 

 without waiting for a test year, both in pro- 

 duction of hardy varieties and in the pro- 

 duction of hardy stocks, artificial means of 

 determining hardiness are now being 

 studied. With the special apparatus In use, 

 the tests show a marked correlation between 

 the ability of the scions to withstand cold 

 temperatures and the hardiness of the varie- 

 ties as they are known out-of-doors. 



Breeding Apples, Plums and Berries. 



Plant breeding work has been conducted 

 with apples, plums and strawberries. Out 

 of a large number of seedlings of apple 

 crosses which have fruited for four years, 

 10 seem to be of a very superior nature. 

 There are also some 800 apple seedlings 

 about five years of age which have not 

 fruited, but which are all very desirable 

 crosses and which are expected to furnish 

 one or more varieties of promise. There 

 are also some 40 plum seedlings of the 

 Glass variety, a number of which promise 

 well. 



The strawberry breeding work was com- 

 menced in 1913-14 with imported English 



varieties of high quality crossed with stan- 

 dard Canadian commercial sorts. The ob- 

 ject has been to combine the flavor and 

 quality of the English varieties with the 

 hardiness and shipping quality of the Can- 

 adian varieties. The original number of 

 seedlings raised was 7,500. These have 

 fruited six times. By.elimlnating each year 

 the less promising seedlings, there are now 

 some 40 seedlings on hand for further test- 

 ing, of which about 15 have already proven 

 to be varieties worthy of general culture 

 on the basis of utility. 



Breeding Work With Vegetables. 



The variety tests and breeding work in 

 vegetables that have been conducted during 

 the past five years are little known to 

 growers in general because only now are 

 results beginning to be sufficiently well 

 established for publicity. In some cases, 

 conclusions have not yet been arrived at, 

 but the work is progressing favorably. 



In the spring of 1918» seed of Mary Wash- 

 ington asparagus was sown and in the fol- 

 lowing year 1,400 plants were set out. 

 Plants were selected and marked according 

 to vigor. Cutting tests were started In 

 the spring of 1921 and production records 

 kept. This will be continued this spring. 

 Later all desirable plants will be removed 

 to an isolation bed and allowed to cross 

 among themselves for the production of a 

 superior strain of this excellent variety. 



In beans, work has been under way with 

 a view to securing disease-resistant varieties 

 or strains of varieties. During the past sum- 



A Fruit Variety Chart for All Canada* 



(Continued from page 92) 



This chart was prepared for farm orchards and for small fruit gardens in town or coimtry. Part of it was published last year n the "Canadian Countryman." It consider* 

 varieties adaptable to conditions, as indicittcd, in all parts of Canada. It includes most of the money-making varieties. Distances between rows and plants in rows would be greater 

 111 Hom- . ( , for commercial planting. They vary aI.so for varieties, for methods of culture and for the different provinces. Between apple and pear trees, fillers'mny be used. 



V ir.' t!' •; in each class arc arranged mostly in order of season for use. "New and Uncommon" includes some old varieties that might be better known. "Hardiest of the Clas*'* 

 •uggcsLs vitrieties for culture in coldest districts where that particular class of fruit (apple, pear, etc.) will grow. 



Abbrkviations : G— General, or all, purposes. D— Dessert. C— Cooking. P— Preserving and Canning. (B)— Black or blue. (R)— Red. (W)~Wliite. 



