84 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



until the winter, and which have a texture different from other apples 

 which enables them to hold up during the winter, and we are working 

 on those apples, recrossing those with other kinds. We find that prac- 

 tically all the winter apples which originated within fifty or sixty miles 

 of our station, are of that character, that is, they are apples which mature 

 early in the season, or which will keep all winter, under good cellar 

 conditions, and that is the point I make where the weakness of planting 

 and breeding has been in the past. We have been bringing them from 

 hardy apples like the Dutchess in order to get winter apples, thinking 

 that would give the winter breed from the Dutchess. Well, having winter 

 breeds growing all around them, the chances are very slight. On the 

 other hand, we have been breeding from the King, the Baldwin, and so 

 forth, thinking we would strike a hardier apple from these hardy varieties, 

 but the chances are very slight that we will, but what I think we ought 

 to do is to take the seedling that we have, approaching winter apples as 

 much as possible ; they are natural crosses between the tender summer 

 kind and the hardy winter kind. Then go on. breeding from them; 

 and that is what we are doing. I could name many others, the Milwaukee 

 apple which originated with us, the Baxter, the Rufus, and several others 

 which originated in Northern Ontario, which seem to fulfil all condi- 

 tions, except in quality. On the other hand, there is no reason in my 

 opinion, why we should not have the highest tender quality. 



The Chairman I think the time will come when we will get it. 



Mr. Munson I have a few facts which might as well be stated here 

 as any other place. Data and the clear cut defined facts are the ones 

 we wish more than any other, free from any theory. There is one thing 

 that is well known. I have known in my own experience several times, 

 in cutting plants of strawberries of several kinds, and taking them to 

 Texas and transplanting them, that for the first season they are weak 

 in resisting drought and heat; and the same variety (of course prop- 

 agated from its runners) becomes hardier the longer it remains there. So 

 we find this has been done; taking this from our plant that has been 

 there several years, and getting plants from, say Northern Iowa and 

 planting under the same conditions, we found our plant endured much 

 better the first year or two. 



The Chairman You are getting acclimated. 



Mr. Munson The point I want to make is this, that there is a 

 variation which has the power of resisting climatic influences. Variation 

 takes place, and I wish to state the entire number of facts before I make 

 the point. With reference to trees of various varieties, a species has al- 

 ways been tried, Texas grown, planted in the same orchard beside the 

 seed of northern grown trees. I know of no exception. Invariably the 

 northern grown trees come out several days before the southern grown 

 trees of the same kind. Looking over the orchard, you will see that 

 the others are dormant, and there is no difference that I can see, 

 except that one is grown north and the other south, for several years. 



