Improving and Originating Varieties of Apples 



WITH his ideal definitely in mind, 

 the breeder studies the varieties 

 most nearlyapproaching it, either 

 in one particular or in a number for with 



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Types of Seedlings 



AU from one variety, showing about the normal varia- 

 tions of apple seedlings. 



these he will work. Certain varieties will 

 present highly productive qualities, and 

 possibly poor dessert quality. Other vari- 

 eties will present theopposite alternative ; 

 while still others will exhibit intermedi- 

 ate characters. A very much diversi- 

 fied classification might be made, but 

 for the sake of simplicity let us place 

 the available sorts into three classes : 

 number 1 to contain the most produc- 

 tive sorts, regardless of quality ; number 

 2, the standard commercial sorts; and 

 number 3, the varieties of high quality, 

 regardless of productiveness. If the 

 following apples are available, Baldwin, 

 Ben Davis, Duchess, Fameuse, Tolman 

 Sweet, Jonathan, Mcintosh, Northern 

 Spy, Oesopus Spitzenburg, Gravenstein, 

 Stark, Tompkins, King and Wallbridge, 

 the classification is about as follows : 



Class I. Class II. Class III. 



Baldwin Baldwin Fameuse 



Ben Davis Ben Davis Jonathan 



Duchess Mcintosh Mcintosh 



Fameuse Northern Spy Northern Spy 



Stark Spitzenburg Spitzenburg 



Wallbridge Tompkins King Tompkins King 



Tolman Sweet Fameuse Gravenstein 



From this list should be discarded 

 ■those varieties whose season, color, or 

 size seems unfavorable for use in his 

 experiment. Duchess, Fameuse, Wall- 

 bridge and Tolman Sweet would be 

 eliminated from class I ; Mcintosh and 

 Fameuse possibly from 2; though their 

 high color and flavors might suggest a 

 trial in spite of their early season ; and 

 for the same reason, Mcintosh, Fameuse, 

 and Gravenstein might be retained or 

 discarded from class 3. With a com- 

 paratively few varieties before him, the 



B. S. FicKett, Champaign, Illinois 



(Continued from last issue) 



breeder studies the apple race or group 

 to which each belongs. Baldwins and 

 Ben Davis appear in both classes 1 and 

 2. Both are varieties of wide distribu- 

 tion and adaptation. Each is weak 

 principally in point of dessert quality; 

 and, therefore, these two varieties would 

 immediately suggest themselves for use 

 in the experiment. Flavor and quality 

 represent physiological units not to be 

 obtained readily by selection (though, 

 once obtained, they may be intensified 

 by selection); hence, the breeder must 

 rely on crossing or upon the appearance 

 of a "mutation" to obtain the desired 

 combination of flavor and other attri- 

 butes. With what varieties shall the 

 crosses be made upon Ben Davis and 

 Baldwin ? Ben Davis impresses its char- 

 acter very strongly upon its seedlings, 

 as seen in Gano and Black Ben Davis 

 (Ragan's Red), so that if favorable 

 results are to follow its use, wide crosses, 

 i.e., with distinctly unrelated varieties, 

 should be made. Baldwin, on the con- 

 trar}', belongs to a group of highly 

 flavored sorts, the Spitzenburg group, 

 including both Jonathan and Spitzen- 

 burg; hence, crosses with its near rela- 

 tives would be advisable. Of course, 

 it would be advisable to make other 



Spy, another variety with which work 

 would certainly be done, considerable 

 scope for improvement is offered by 

 means of bud-selection, since Northern 

 Spy is quite variable and since selection 

 would be in the direction of precocious- 

 ness in bearing, uniformity in size, and 

 better keeping quality, all of which 

 characters are much more easily 

 augmented by selection than would be 

 such a character as flavor. Northern 

 Spy is, moreover, prepotent, having 

 impressed its character on various 

 crosses, Ontario, Pewaukee, and so on 

 and is recognized as a valuable parent for 

 crossing. Thus through the list the 

 breeder goes, studying each variety and 

 planning his crosses; and some such 

 plan as the following would be decided 

 upon, the crosses being made recipro- 

 cally : 



Ben Davis x Northern Spy 



Ben Davis x Jonathan* (using imported pollen) 



Ben Davis x Spitzenburg 



Baldwin x Northern Spy 



Baldwin x Jonathan* (using imported pollen) 



Baldwin x Spitzenburg 



Jonathan* x Spitzenburg 



Spitzenburg x Mcintosh 



Baldwin x Mcintosh 



♦Jonathan is recommended in spite of the fact 

 that it is not an Ontario apple, because of its 

 close relation to Baldwin and .Spitzenburg. 



Plowing-in Mammoth Clover with a Sulky Gang Plow 



Illustration from Hillcrest Orchards. Kentville, N.S. 



crosses as well, but the practice of both Having secured his crosses and propa- 



animal and plant breeders points to the gated his seedlings, the process of elim- 



advisabiUty of such crosses as those ination begins. In accordance with 



mentioned. In the case of Northern the score card, the seedlings are examin- 



