1887. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



21 



defects by specializing sexuality to avoid 

 this exhaustion. 



Sei'AUATIon of the Sexks. We cannot 

 overcome this natural law of tliftercntiation, 

 then why work against it ? My idea is to 

 separate the sexes and aid in developing 

 sexual differentiation by cultivating female 

 instead of hermaphrodite plants, witli here 

 and there a male plant elevated upon trees 

 or on poles and wires, so that the male 

 plants may run above and fill the air with 

 their pollen and fertilize the female jjlants 

 below. There would result great economy 

 and saving of vital energy that might be 

 turned to the development of more fruit. 

 As it is now the pollen is more .or less impo- 

 tent, failing to fertilize the ovules, and the 

 emasculated clusters are many. I have al- 

 ready made some experiments upon these 

 suggested lines and though not far enough 

 to determine the question, they warrant con- 

 tinued experimentation. 



In the absence of single-sexed vines we 

 must utilize such as we possess; perhaps 

 Creveling and Euuielan will answer for 

 female plants as well as any. Delaware and 

 Hartford, or possibly better ones among 

 wild riparia vines, will perhaps be the best 

 acceptable staminate plants. The latter is 

 doubtle.ss the oldest species as it certainly is 

 the hardiest, for when hybridized with any 

 other it shows its vigor and longevity by 

 dominafing the new structures. Its sexual 

 organs are more differentiated or specialized 

 than any other species, tlie pollen grains be- 

 ing larger, better developed and more pre- 

 potent. 



Results. Being engaged In originating 

 new seedling Grapes, I have already saved a 

 number of separate-sexed \anes, and have 

 no doubt of our ability to eiisily separate 

 plenty of male and female vines. I have not 

 been able as yet to save an exclusively female 

 vine, but I have male vines— the ones chiefly 

 needed at present, True the ovules are still 

 present, but the upper part or stigma is en- 

 tirely aborted. These vines develop and 

 scatter upon the air a largely increased 

 amount of prepotent pollen. 



There will have to be some nice adjust- 

 ment in blossoming time to accommodate 

 the different species and varieties. Riparia 

 vines Ijlossom too early for most other 

 species; their hybrids will have to be chosen 

 for later kinds. I think that I can already 

 accommodate the early and the medium 

 varieties; those later in blossoming will need 

 other male \anes. 



The economies subserved will be putting 

 our practices into a fuller accord with the 

 tendencies of natuial development, wherein 

 the functions of fertilization, ovule develop- 

 ment and fruit production will all be carried 

 on by the plant in a more natural manner, 

 accommodating sexual tendencies in the 

 direction of a higher order of plants. 



Plants to Provide Pollen Only. The 

 production of pollen as alluded to exhausts 

 the plants' energies at the commencement 

 of the season, while if this were performed 

 by separate plants all the energies would be 

 utilized for a fuller crop of fruit, while the 

 fiuitless male vines would have the whole 

 season to recruit for the next crop of poUen. 

 Many viticulturists have studied the causes 

 of failure, and various remedies have been 

 siiggested, but no one heretofore seems to 

 have attributed the difficulties to their prob- 

 able true cause, that of virtually double- 

 cropping the vines, a violation of the laws of 

 natural development. The tendency to a 

 separation of sexual fimctions is so general 

 in all organic structures, animal and vege- 

 table, that we ought to test its applicability 

 to the vine by selecting and cultivating 

 single instead of double se.xed varieties, not 

 acting as if we knew more about her laws 

 than Nature herself, or seeming to accuse 

 her of doing vain and idle work. Why are 



separate-sexed vines developed if we are to 

 discard and throw them away ? 



A Comparison. Let us compare \'itis 

 riparia and oiiiifvra in their reproductive 

 organs and functions, their health and 

 vitality. Upon the discovery of America 

 the former was found from Ottawa in 

 Canada to San Antonio in Texas, the verge 

 of the frigid to the border of the torrid zone. 

 The latter was found in the Carolinas, and 

 there only as a hyljrid with labrusea. In 

 sexuality riparia is the most specialized 

 species we know of, while vinifera is perhaps 

 the least; one had vigor enough to spread 

 itself over the major portions of the Atlantic 

 seaboard, the other still remaining about its 

 centre of introduction. How will we be 

 able to account for this difference, luiless 

 upon the theory of the superiority of single 

 over double sexed vines ? True, vinifera 

 was probably a later introduction, but no 

 one knows this to be the case. What is it 

 that has weakened its vital energies so that 

 it seems to be a failing plant all over Europe 

 and the Atlantic seaboard, if we are not to 

 attribute its low vitality to a constant selec- 

 tion of double-sexed plants? 



TiiK SUD.IECT taken UP ELSEWHERE. Since 

 writing the above I observe that the horti- 

 culturist of the Agricultural College of Iowa 

 has been studying this question. He finds 

 that the pollen grains of the male flowers of 

 the wild I'/ti.s riparia are about one-fourth 

 larger than the hermaphrodite flowers, and 

 that much of the pollen from the latter is 

 flaccid and wiU not swell in water, as the 

 poUen from male flowers does. This is be- 

 cause it is impotent. These important studies 

 go to confirm my ovm views. I do not assert 

 that differentiation of the sexual functions 

 will cure all the ills of the vine, but that a 

 return to Nature's methods may restore lost 

 vital energies. Certainly there will be no 

 harm in testing the question by actual ex- 

 periments in the vineyard. Feeling the task 

 too great for my own unaided efforts, I have 

 come here to lay this question before you 

 and ask you to kindly aid in determining 

 the matter. 



The subject has its practical side, even 

 though it may not result in restoring the 

 failing health of the vine. For every one 

 has observed the poverty of the pollen of 

 many of our cultivated varieties, their fail- 

 ure to set a crop of fruit, and the increase of 

 the crop whenever the stigmas have hap- 

 pened to become fertilized with more prepo- 

 tent i)ollen from adjoining vines. I am 

 satisfied that there is no exception in the 

 case of the vine to the great law developed 

 by Mr. Darwin, that plants do really abhor 

 self-fertilization, and that sutficient male 

 vines, elevated above the ordinary vineyard, 

 would prove a paying investment. 



Various Topics Considered. 



BY JOHN M. STAUL, QUINCT, ILL. 



I notice that in your list of Strawberries 

 for the South you do not mention Neunan's 

 Prolific. This is the standard berry among 

 the Charleston growers, who have doubtless 

 tested the principal varieties; and it is pop- 

 ular as far south as Florida. It is very pro- 

 lific, but the berry is not large; firm, sub- 

 acid. Another good southern variety is the 

 Federal Point, or Little Giant; large berry, 

 better flavor than Neunan, good shipper, 

 prolific. 



A friend of mine, lately returned from a 

 three years' stay in the fruit regions of Cali- 

 fornia, says that many Oranges gi-own out- 

 side of tiie Riverside Colony are labeled 

 "Riverside Oranges." How is this? Do 

 the Riverside folks wink at this decption, or 

 can't they help themselves? By the way, 

 while we are all grumbling at our depart- 

 ment of agriculture, we should remember 

 that it introduced the Riverside Navel 



Orange. This Orange was brought from 

 Bahia, and is known as the Navel, Umbilical, 

 or Bahia in Florida. Tlieie is another varie- 

 ty of tlie Navel, l)rouglit into California 

 from Australia, but it is not good. 



We must confess that there is a vast 

 amount of horticultural ignorance in this 

 country. In the North we think we know 

 all al)out Raspberries, Strawberries, etc., 

 but how many of us know anytliing about 

 the different varieties of Oranges? Thetalfe.s 

 and talks about educating the people to buy 

 well-Havored Apples and Grapes, and yet we 

 buy Oranges without knowing that there is 

 any difference between the flavor of the 

 Magnum Bonum and of Beach's No. .S. Two 

 years ago I was in New Orleans and met a 

 neghbor, an extensive small fruit grower. 

 He had just arrived and of coiuse was en- 

 thusiastic about the Oranges; so enthusiastic 

 that he asked permission to pick an Orange 

 from a tree growing in a door-yard. He 

 wanted to tell liis Northern friends that he 

 had "picked an Orange oft' the tree and 

 eaten it." Permissiim was readily granted, 

 and my friend took one bite of the ( )range. 

 We all had ahearty laugh; and I am certain 

 that when my friend is reminded of that 

 Orange by this paragrapli he will make a 

 very wry face. 



Bagging Grapes improves their flavor. I 

 sent some bagged Concords to a friend iuid 

 he would scarcely Ijelieve that they were 

 Concords. Also, when bagged tlie l)unches 

 ripen more evenly— there are scarcely any 

 unripe members of a bunch. Mostjuito net- 

 ting would not do so well as paper. 



The correspondent who inquires in your 

 September number about transplanting 

 Walnut trees will find it difficult to trans- 

 plant them three years from the seed. The 

 Walnut has a tap root, hence it is best to 

 plant the seed where the tree is desired 

 to stand. I have transplanted Walnuts one 

 year from the seed and lost very few. I 

 would transplant in the early spring, and 

 not, prune the roots. But in the case of 

 trees three years from the seed, I would 

 prune the top. I have a considerable grove 

 of Walnuts, the seeds planted where the 

 trees were to stand, without a place vacant. 

 I plant two nuts in each place; so that if one 

 fails to start I wiU yet have a tree. 



In reply to query 399, it is said that the 

 Robin is the only bird that injures the Grape 

 crop. Should the Baltimore Oriole not be 

 added? I am certain tliat it should. In this 

 section there are not many Orioles, Ijut they 

 do much damage, because they do little more 

 than sample the grapes. 



This damage done by tlie Orioles was 

 brought out prominently by investigations of 

 the work of bees in the vineyard. A local 

 paper asserted that bees punctured Grapes. 

 A correspondent asserted the contrary. 

 This led to a lively correspondence, and it 

 was finally decided that all should carefully 

 watch the bees in tlie vineyards, and hang 

 bunches of perfect berries near or at the en- 

 trance of beehives. The result of three weeks 

 of investigation was to exonerate the bees. 



It is asserted that here in Illinois, where 

 there has been such a wholesale destruction 

 of Apple orchards, that oi-chards composed 

 of trees grafted on Dwarf Paradise stock 

 show very few vacancies and are doing well. 

 I cannot say how true this is; but the asser- 

 tion is made by responsible closely observing 

 men. I wish to say that the newspaper cor- 

 respondents who speak of this should be 

 careful to prefix the dwarf. It is often 

 omitted, and I know that some people think 

 the Standard Paradise Apples— Summer 

 Sweet Piixadise and Winter Sweet Paradise 

 —are meant. The Dwarf Paradise bears a 

 fruit so scrubby and poor, and is generally 

 so worthless except for stocks, that I am in- 

 clined to think it is hardy enough to pull 

 through itself and anything grafted on it. 



