APPLES 



143 



It is a mere registry of buds or scions 

 from a known tree or trees. By "vegeta- 

 tive generation" is meant successive 

 graftings from former graftings. 



Controverted Points 



On account of tiie fact that this method 

 of registering trees on the part of nur- 

 serymen has been but recently used, and 

 on account of the unfortunate circum- 

 stance of employing the term "pedigree," 

 which has heretofore had a very definite 

 application to the breeding of stocks of 

 all kinds from the seed or through sex- 

 ual generation only, some controversy has 

 arisen as to the validity of the claims of 

 those who profess to employ this method 

 of selection. The controversy has arisen 

 both because the use of the term has been 

 disputed, and because of the wiAe diver- 

 sity of opinion as to the value of the 

 stocks so selected over those selected 

 with ordinary care so as to procure trees 

 "true to name." 



The former controversy will be settled 

 when the horticultural world becomes ac- 

 customed to the use of the term in this 

 connection or when a new and suitable 

 term comes into general use. 



The other controversy is of far dif- 

 ferent nature and will not be settled 

 until more is known about the facts and 

 nature of plant variations and the means 

 by which they are preserved and trans- 

 mitted. It hinges about the questions, 

 first, as to whether observed variations. 

 in trees of the same variety or strain, 

 which show in themselves a tendency to 

 heavy or regular bearing, freedom from 

 disease, shape or color of fruit or other 

 desirable quality, are due to soil, mois- 

 ture, fertility, care or other environ- 

 mental cause and so not transmissible; 

 and, second, as to whether bud sports or 

 mutations are of frequent enough occur- 

 rence to enable the nurseryman to im- 

 prove his stock on a commercial scale. 



Common Ground 



It is quite generally admitted, prob- 

 ably universally, amongst horticulturists 

 that bud sports do occur at rare inter- 

 vals and give rise to new varieties. But 

 it is not known what these sports will 

 do. They may give rise to a beneficial 



variation and they may produce a mere 

 freak. However, it offers an occasional 

 opportunity for selection. It is pretty 

 generally admitted that variations in tree 

 fruits within a given variety are in the 

 main due to environmental causes. There 

 is the same general tendency to regard 

 the theory of transmissible variations 

 within the tree itself, outside of the oc- 

 casional sport, as unproven. (2) W. T. 

 Macoun of the Dominion Experimental 

 Farms has had apple trees under observa- 

 tion for 14 years and is "inclined to be- 

 lieve that there is variation in the tree 

 itself, but has no proof apart from the 

 variation in yield." The proof will not 

 be forthcoming until there can be oppor- 

 tunity for a record of a number of vege- 

 tative generations under various environ- 

 ments. So far as known no such record 

 of importance exists. 



Whitten Experiment 



.1. C. Whitten of the University of Mis- 

 souri has conducted experiments through 

 12 years with strawberries and Ben 

 Davis apples. With regard to these ex- 

 periments he concludes: 



(3) "I doubt very much whether bud 

 variations of a permanent nature capable 

 of being transmitted to the buds used 

 for subsequent propagation occur fre- 

 quently enough so that a given variety 

 may be really improved by selecting buds 

 from trees that are known to be espe- 

 cially good producers. Of course every 

 one must recognize the fact that bud 

 sports or bud variations do occur. In my 

 judgment a bud variation or bud sport 

 occurs very rarely and when it does occur 

 it is so different from its parent as to 

 be a different variety. When such a bud 

 sport occurs it may be reproduced by 

 propagating it from its buds as a new 

 variety. 



"Here at the experiment station we 

 have tried to increase the productiveness 

 of Aroma strawberries and of the 

 Ben Davis apple by keeping a record of 

 the production of the individual plants of 

 each. In the case of the strawberries 

 the best producer in the patch yielded 



(2) Corppspondence. 1012. 



(3) Correspondence, 1912. 



