APPLES 



145 



ing interesting things to say on this 

 point: 



1 41 "There are variations due to the 

 effect of the environment of the plant. 

 The richer the soil, the more sunlight, the 

 better the care, the greater the freedom 

 from insects and diseases and the longer 

 the season, the more vigorous is the plant, 

 the more fruit it produces and the larger 

 and more perfect is the fruit But 

 though these changes and conditions pro- 

 duce a direct effect upon the plant during 

 its lifetime, there is no evidence to show 

 that any of the variations so brought 

 about can be transmitted from parent to 

 offspring. The fruit grower who wants 

 to perpetuate such variations, must re- 

 new for each generation the conditions 

 which gave him the desirable effects. It 

 is a question of 'nurture.' not of na- 

 ture.' 



"To illustrate: A man living in 

 Northern Michigan had a Spy tree which 

 bore small, green scrawny Spies. He 

 attributed the poor apples to the nature 

 of the tree and talked much of the Spy 

 tree in mother's yard 'baclv East' that 

 bore marvelous apples. He brought on 

 grafts of mother's Spy. In due time the 

 grafts bore the same small, gnarly, green 

 Spies. Northern Michigan Spies are 

 worthless because of climate and soil and 

 not because of the tree. * * * 



"A Baldwin tree taken from New York 

 to Virginia produces an apple different 

 from the New York Baldwin: taken to 

 Missouri, the Baldwin is still different; 

 taken to Oregon, it is unlike any of the 

 others. If the trees are brought back 

 from these states to New York, they 

 become again New York Baldwins. It 

 is not likely that selection can change 

 this. 



"If it were true that characters ac- 

 quired because of environment were in- 

 heritable, the resulting medley would be 

 overwhelming. Let us see where the 

 transmission of acquired characters 

 would lead us in a particular case — tak- 

 ing, it is true, a somewhat extreme one. 

 If a growing apple be put in a bottle. It 

 will continue to grow and assume the 



i4l U. P. Hediick. X. Y. Circ. 18. 



shape of its covering, making a bottle- 

 shaped apple. If one such bottle be red 

 and another blue, the color as well as 

 the shape of the apples will be changed. 

 If many variously shaped and colored 

 bottles be used and if from their seeds 

 or buds the resulting products come true, 

 especially if the seeds were crossed, the 

 Imagination cannot compass the confu- 

 sion in form and color of apples which 

 would result in a few generations'. 



"The Geneva station has an experiment 

 which gives precise evidence on this ques- 

 tion of pedigreed stock. Sixteen years 

 ago a fertilizer experiment was started 

 with 60 Rome trees propagated from 

 buds taken from one branch of a Rome 

 tree. Quite as much variation can be 

 found in these trees from selected buds 

 as could be found in an orchard of Romes 

 propagated indiscriminately and growing 

 under similar conditions. Data showing 

 the variations in diameter of tree and in 

 productiveness can be found in Bulletin 

 339 of this station, and will go far to 

 convince anyone that uniformity of be- 

 havior as regards vigor and productive- 

 ness of tree and size and color of fruit 

 cannot be perpetuated. 



"We have another experiment at Ge- 

 neva which ought to throw light on pedi- 

 greed stock. Baldwin apple trees have 

 been purchased from 104 nurseries in 

 all parts of the Union. Some of these 

 have been propagated from bearing 

 trees; others have come for generations 

 from nursery stock; some are on French 

 crab, others on Doucin, and others on 

 Paradise stocks. If allowed to come into 

 bearing in the regions in which we ob- 

 tained the trees we should have 104 more 

 or less different trees bearing variously 

 shaped and colored apples. What will 

 the harvest be when all come into fruit- 

 ing in the station orchard? Will they 

 resemble the Baldwins from the various 

 regions from which the trees come or 

 will they be New York Baldwins? 



"What I have said in regard to the im- 

 provement of fruit propagated from buds 

 is now the accepted theory in regard to 

 the improvement of plants grown from 

 seed. To be of any value in plant im- 

 provement a variation must be inherited; 



