i'i 



FRUIT NOTFS - July, I93^i 



v.. H. Thles 

 Extension Horticulturist 



Promising Nevcoaiers 



' Amon.\ t he talked-of ne^' vp.rieties of strav berries 

 are Corsett, Fairfax, and Cstskill. In co^parinj.- tl^e Corsett 

 and Tairf^x as frovn at the State College, A. P. Frencn says 

 they are of very good quality ?nd are above avera£e in size. 

 The Corsett is a someviist better plant jiaker and the berry 

 is aore attractive tnan the Fairfax. It is also oiore rerular 

 in form. T}-.e yields under our conditions are not yet knovn 

 but it is doubtful if tr:ey v ill coz^ipare vit.: tne Hovard 17. 

 Both varieties appear to be fir^i enough for s..ip.aent. The 

 Fairfax ciiay be a little too dark in color, a fault so.'iietitnes 

 fo'jnd vith the Hovard Supreme. It is also less acid than the 

 Corsett and seems to have a little less of real quality. Botl- 

 are ^ood berries and deserve further tri?-! in Jpssachusetts. 



Fifty Ye ar s to Jvlake Good 



The late V". T. Macoun of Canada once stated at a 

 Canadian fruit meetine- that it takes -t least = ' years to de- 

 termine tp.e merits of an apple variety. :'0 years seems like a 

 long tinic-.f but if ve analy2:e tue situation, this estimate is not 

 unrePson?ble . On the average, 13 years is required froiii the date 

 of crossing until the possibilities of a seedling are realized. 

 15 more years are required for propPtation and a second test un- 

 dpr various clioiatic and soil conditions, and 1'. or ?^ more years 

 for 8. general trial. Then, after a century or tv.o a real v inter 

 may appear and i^ive us the true test of tae variety. 



Cortland, a m'=re youth, is 36 years old. V-itidn 14 

 years it -.vill either have made its oiark or it rill ;.ave passed 

 into oblivion. Kendall is an infaiit, 22 years old, and prac- 

 tically "Othinr is 'nr.ovn as tD hov it -/111 p'^rforji av ay from 

 home. And so the experLaent station vorker is compelled to fall 

 back upon such stock phrases as, "the variety seems vorthy of 

 trial," or "it looks promising." 



Give the Cr-fts a Chance 



To let scions grov indefinitely vithout any trair^in^, 

 at all is a mii^taice, but .^ot as serious as it is to prune a 

 grafted tree too strenuously. ..lany an othervise promising scion 

 has failed because of t-;o auch competition around it. Others 

 are "landicapped fro.u the beginning because of beinf. ^ rafted into 

 a secondary limb instead of 5 main limb. In order to insure ^oo^ 

 erovt': the first season, it is veil to ^o through during early 

 summer and cut out some of the shading suckers vhich handicap the 



