124 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



May, 1914 



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A Row of King of Tompkins Apples in Bloom in the Orchard of W. Palmer, Victoria, B.C. 



The Pollination of Fruit 



Wm. Gibbs, Appin, Ont. 



POLLINATION is accomplished 

 through two agencies : To a small 

 extent by wind under favorable 

 conditions, and to a large extent by pol- 

 linating insects. Of these the honey bee 

 is the most important, because of its 

 great numbers, owing to the many 

 apiaries that are kept throughout the 

 country. 



The relatives of the honey bee, which 

 also assist in poUinizing fruit trees and 

 flowers, include the bumble bee, which is 

 almost the only medium by which red 

 clover is pollinized. The balance of her 

 relatives include ants, lonely wasps, dig- 

 ger wasps, and colony wasps. These lat- 

 ter have little effect on the pollination of 

 fruit blossoms on account of their not 

 being present in sufficient numbers. 



Investigations have shown that bees 

 are an absolute necessity for the produc- 

 tion of fruit and clover seed. They are 

 also the only agencies by which cross- 

 pollination takes place excepting that 

 affected by wind, which is not considered 

 to take place to any great extent. In 

 some flowers the pistils are sterile to their 

 own pollen. Thus they are dependent 

 entirely on cross pollination for their 

 very existence. It is claimed that be- 

 cause of cross-pollination the apple is 

 more vigorous and more resistant to dis- 

 ease, better able to withstand frost with- 

 out killing, grows larger, and has more 

 color. 



Prof. F. A. Waugh, of the Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College, has frequently 

 warned fruit growers against the danger 

 of spraying fruit trees when in bloom 

 because of the destruction of honey bees 

 that results. Speaking at a convention 

 Inst June he gave some conclusive evi- 

 dence, showing that the honey bee was 



the principal and almost the only agent in 

 the pollination of fruit trees. He refer- 

 red to the claim to the effect that there 

 are other agencies than bees for doing 

 this work, principal among which is the 

 wind. To determine the relative import- 

 ance of these fa,ctors he stated that he 

 had taken pieces of glass, coated them 

 with vaseline, and secured them on the 

 windward side of fruit trees in full bloom, 

 at a distance that was about equal to the 

 distance between trees. He found that 

 these glasses, smeared as they were with 

 grease, received almost no pollen dust, 

 even when the wind blew through the 

 trees in full bloom in the direction of the 

 plates. He further stated that there are 

 practically no insects except bees that 

 are flying when fruit trees are in bloom, 

 and that nearly all the cross-pollination 

 that is efl^ected is through the agency of 

 the bees. There are some varieties of 

 trees that are self-pollinating, but even 

 these varieties have more and better fruit 

 when bees are present. Prof. Waugh is 

 not only not a beekeeper, but he is re- 

 garded as one of the greatest authorities 

 on fruit culture in the United States. 



Changing Varieties 



D. L. Msckiotoik, Calvary, Alberta 



There are by far too many varieties 

 of apples grown in British Columbia, as 

 well as in most other fruit districts. 

 Growers are aware of this, but when you 

 mention the advisability of changing to 

 varieties that have proved themselves 

 worthy of culture they shake their heads 

 and seem to have the idea that this is 

 going to involve a great loss. 



Most growers consider that the trees 

 should be taken out and young trees 

 planted in their places. This is wrong. 

 The thing to do is to cut over the pre- 

 sent trees, leaving about one-half dozen 

 branches about six inches long above the 

 crotch, and more if the tree is of any 

 size, and crown graft at least four scions 

 into each branch. This would ■ give at 

 least twenty-four young growths right 

 away, and owing to the vigor of the 

 roots they would make great growth the 

 first and second year. The chances are 

 that if everything was favorable there 

 would be a quantity of fruit the third 

 year. Thus the whole character of the 

 orchard could be changed in a few years 

 with very little loss. 



If the right varieties were worked on 

 the old trees, the grower would be more 

 than compensated for any trouble or ap- 

 parent loss he might have had. I should 

 never think of taking the old trees out, 

 because the change can be made so much 

 sooner by cutting back and grafting the 

 desired varieties. 



A Remedy for Plum Aphis 



A. H. Raff, Toronto, Ont. 



The following remedy has been used 

 by me as a remedy for the plum aphis 

 (aphis pruni). I feel that I can highly 

 recommend it : 



Thirty pounds of soap (soft soap is 

 the best), one gallon of coal oil, three 

 pounds of napthalene, and nine parts of 

 water for the stock solution. If boiled 

 until the soap is dissolved it will readily 

 mix. Use eighteen pounds of the stock 

 solution to one hundred gallons of 

 water. Spray before the buds swell. 



Better Fruits at Less Cost 



Prof. H. A. SnHacc, PeanijlTania 



Obtain uniformity of size by a uniform 

 system of- pruning, and especially by 

 systematic thinning, feeding, cultivating, 

 mulching, manuring, etc. 



Both increased size and color can be 

 obtained by making several pickings, 

 taking each time only those that are well 

 developed and colored, leaving the others 

 for future development in size and color. 



Avoid blemishes from diseases by 

 spraying with fungicides, according to 

 the teachings of our plant pathologists, 

 and by planting varieties on ground 

 suited to each resjjectively. For exam- 

 ple: Champion peach, on low ground or 

 where there is no air drainage, is almost 

 sure to have ripe rot ; and Salway in such 

 a location is very liable to have scab and 

 crack. Also spray with strong lime- 

 sulphur solution once each dormant sea- 

 son, better immediately before the leaves 

 appear; and with bordeaux mixture or 

 self-boiled lime-sulphur just before the 

 blossoms open ; and spray again with the 

 same, at proper intervals, two or three 

 times after the blossoms fall. 



The road that leads to the orchard 

 is the pathway to a simple, happy pros- 

 perous life. 



