PLANT BREEDING IN CANADA. 



Experiments were conducted in crossing gooseberries in 1868, 1870 and 

 1871, and several hundred seedlings were produced some of which are still 

 in cultivation. Two of them one named Pearl, a cross between Downing 

 and Ashton's Seedling, and another called Red Jacket, a cross between 

 Houghton and Warrington are popular sorts on account of their size, pro- 

 ductiveness and freedom from mildew, and are extensively grown both in 

 Canada and the United States. Other promising sorts not yet in general 

 cultivation are Ruth, Saunders, Gibb and Rideau. 



The early experiments also included some attempts at crossing some 

 of the wild sorts with cultivated forms. Trials were made with the smooth 

 gooseberry (Ribes oxyacanthoides} and the prickly gooseberry (Ribes cynos- 

 bati). The first efforts with the wild smooth gooseberry were not successful 

 arid were not repeated ; by and by hybrids were produced between the wild 

 prickly gooseberry and the Warrington, a cultivated hairy variety of the Ribes 

 grossularia, and among these there were several interesting sorts,, one of 

 which was quite smooth, another sparingly hairy and a third rather strongly 

 hairy. This latter is still under cultivation at the Experimental Farm at Ot- 

 tawa under the name of Agnes. It is an abundant bearer, of good size and 

 fair quality. The bush has the strong upright habit of growth characteristic 

 of the wild form from which it was derived. 



GRAPES. 



From 1868 to 1875 a large number of cross-bred grapes was produced by 

 fertilizing flowers of the native and cultivated American grapes with pollen 

 chiefly from those of European origin. During this period more than 3,000 

 grape flowers were pollenized, and about 400 seedlings obtained. Many of 

 these died from exposure to cold weather and many others were discarded 

 as they fruited for lack of quajity or productiveness, and only a few have 

 survived." One of these is perhaps worthy of mention, viz., Kensington, a 

 yellowish green grape. This was obtained by fertilizing the Clinton, an im- 

 proved form of the native frost grape (Vitis cordifolia) with pollen of the 

 Buckland's Sweetwater, a variety of Vitis vinifera, a large, greenish white 

 grape, grown under glass. The Clinton vine is a robust grower, very hardy, 

 and in fruiting produces a cluster v/hich is small to medium in size, long, 

 narrow, very compact, and slightly shouldered. The berry is small, round 

 and black, and quite acid. The Buckland's Sweetwater is a less vigorous 

 grower, is tender; the berries are large, pale yellowish green, oval in form 

 and sweet, while the bunch is large and loose. The cross resembles the 

 Clinton in vigor of growth and hardiness of vine, also in the character of the 

 foliage. The fruit resembles the Buckland's Sweetwater in color, form, size 

 and looseness of cluster, and in quality it is intermediate between the parents. 

 In the fruit of the Clinton the seeds are short, while those of the Buckland's 

 Sweetwater are longer and less plump. In Kensington the seeds resemble 

 in form those of the Buckland's Sweetwater. 



RASPBERRIES. 



The first crosses in raspberries were made in 1869, and work in this di- 

 rection has been continued at intervals up to the present time. In 1870 a cul- 

 tivated form of the Black Cap raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) known as the. 



