53 



PROMISING SEEDLINGS. 



The good results which it was hoped to obtain by planting seed- 

 lings from fruit from trees which must have received pollen from a 

 great many varieties has been abundantly borne out by the actual 

 results. During the past eight years 997, or practically 1,000, of 

 these seedling varieties have fruited. Of 581 of these of which 

 detailed descriptions had been made previous to 1912, 785 per 

 cent were of marketable size, and only 5 per cent were small or 

 crab-like. Of the 997 varieties, over 200 have been considered so 

 promising that they are being propagated for further test and between 

 50 and 60 of the best have been named. 



The growing and thorough testing of seedlings takes time and the 

 Horticulturist has been very careful not to recommend a new variety 

 until it has been tested and thought to be superior to some other 

 variety of the same season already on the market. Hence the seed- 

 lings so far recommended have been very few in number. 



OTHER PROBLEMS. 



Many other problems in apple culture have been taken up and 

 dealt with. A record is kept of how much fruit each tree bears at 

 the Central Farm and it has been found that there are marked differ- 

 ences, some yielding about twice as much as others. Propagation 

 of these is being carried on to see if the characteristic fruitfulness will 

 be transmitted. Both fall and spring planting have been tried at 

 Ottawa, the latter method proving the better; this holds true in other 

 parts where the winters are long and severe. 



While root-killing of apple trees occurs only at long intervals in 

 most parts of Canada, it is well to guard against it, as fine trees which 

 have reached a bearing age may thus be destroyed in one winter when 

 there is little or no snow; hence, the ground should be covered with 

 something which will hold any snow there may be. This is called a 

 cover crop. These have received much attention in the Horticultural 

 Division. 



Cover crops are grown in orchards for the purpose of adding 

 humus to the soil, making it capable of holding more water and also 

 adding plant food to it in some cases. They are also grown with the 

 view of utilizing any plant food not taken up by the fruit trees, thus 

 preventing its leaching. This plant food is returned to the soil the 

 following spring and may be readily used by the fruit that season. 

 The cover crop also takes up and transpires a large amount of water. 



