BREEDS OF FRUITS AND THEIR SURVIVAL 



663 



Buckwheat, See Apple Orchard, Cover 

 Crops. 



BuDDixr.. See Apple. Propagation of; 

 Peaclt. Propagation of. etc. 



Breeds of Fruits and Their 



Survival 



Plants are coming into as much prom- 

 inence as are animals by breeding and it 

 is eminently proper to speak of the breeds 

 of farm crops or the breeds of fruits. A 

 breed is the result of domestication, at 

 ]^ast we may say so if we apply the term 

 br?ed to a plant which we have artificial- 

 ly endowed with a pedigree. Perhaps it 

 is taking liberties with the dictionary to 

 call an improved kind or type of apple a 

 breed, but no other word conveys just 

 the meaning I desire. For example, if 

 I speak of the Wealthy apple as a breed 

 of apples we naturally think of the gen- 

 eral characteristics of the Wealthy ap- 

 ple and still allow for a considerable 

 variation in different localities due to the 

 action of soil and climate, and it is with 

 special reference to apples that I would 

 speak of the survival of breeds or vari- 

 eties if you prefer that word. 



Fruit growers in the West have come 

 to recognize certain climate and soil 

 areas as suited to particular kinds and 

 varieties of fruits. This is especially 

 true in California, where in one valley 

 or even in one portion of a valley, the 

 farmers determine one particular kind 

 that succeeds best and then grow that 

 kind almost or quite exclusively, while 

 in an adjoining valley or section a differ- 

 ent fruit will be grown. So, too, a state, 

 or one particular section of a state, be- 

 comes famous for some particular breed 

 of fruit. The California Belle Fleur ap- 

 ple in uniform boxes of uniformly graded 

 fruit now finds its way into many mar- 

 kets. Southwestern Colorado is becom- 

 ing a Jonathan region. Other parts of 

 the West are growing Wagener, or Spitz- 

 enburg, or Rome Beauty, or Mcintosh 

 Red, or Wealthy, and so on. At the local 

 apple shows some one variety usually 

 predominates. Of course there are a num- 

 ber of hardy and widely adapted fruits 

 that appear in every exhibition. We 



nearly always find among the apples given 

 most prominence at the county and state 

 fairs in the mountain region well grown 

 specimens of Yellow Transparent, Duch- 

 ess, Wealthy, Wolf River, Alexander, 

 Longfield, Northwest Greening, Fameuse, 

 Bietigheimer, McMahon, Gano and others, 

 including most of the large and small 

 crabs. It often occurs at these shows 

 that one or more varieties will be shown 

 that no one is able to name. 



In the pioneer days of apple grow- 

 ing, the would-be horticulturist has had 

 no guide and the only judgment with 

 which he made selections of varieties was 

 a memory of some good or favorite kind 

 which he was acquainted with in his boy- 

 hood days. Usually he has been more or 

 less skeptical about the success of any 

 domesticated thing which he would trans- 

 plant to untried soils, and he is ready to 

 try anything new which is called to his 

 attention. Tree agents are not slow 

 about recommending anything of which 

 their nurseries have stock for sale. It 

 is said that some five thousand varieties 

 of apples are known in the world. Of 

 all the varieties planted in any locality, 

 a comparatively small number have sur- 

 vived. Perhaps hundreds of Wyoming 

 ranchmen and farmers have purchased 

 and planted quince and apricot trees, but 

 I have yet to hear of or see a ripe fruit 

 of either quince or apricot in this state. 

 Of the hundreds of varieties of apples the 

 successful commercial kinds may be count- 

 ed on the fingers of both hands for the 

 whole state. 



There are several reasons why the many 

 varieties do not survive. In the first 

 place fruits are more or less domesticated 

 and they are transferred to a new region 

 before the soil has been tamed and made 

 ready for them. Then the western pio- 

 neer has been doing things in a large 

 way and generally fails to attend to the 

 necessary little details of plant culture. 

 Someone has said that those plants which 

 require the most care are given the best 

 cultivation, inferring that the apple is 

 so easily grown that it is subjected to 

 general lack of care and neglect and this 

 condition has certainly fitted our attempts 



