ORIGIN AXD IMPROVEMENT OF FRUIT 323 



strains. For example, about 80 per cent of the crop of tree 

 of the productive strain of the Eureka variety in the per- 

 formance record plots has been of the best grade, while the 

 unproductive strains have produced only about 20 per cent 

 of the best grade of fruit." This statement does not refer 

 to orchards which have been propagated from superior trees, 

 but rather to superior trees under observation in orchards. 

 However, several citrus orchards are now in bearing in Cali- 

 fornia which have been propagated from superior trees or 

 branches, and according to their records give distinct promise 

 of ]ierpetuating the desirable characters of the parent trees. 



285. Plant introduction. — In colonial times it was not 

 surprising to find that many European fruits were introduced 

 into America regardless of their adaptability. As a result there 

 were many failures,^ and not until seedlings of these as well as 

 of native sorts began to appear were valuable American fruits 

 secured. The entire history of American pomology is inti- 

 mately associated with that of the introduction of foreign fruits. 

 England, continental Europe, Siberia, Japan, and China have 

 all made contributions to the present catalogue of fruits. 



Perhaps the most interesting chapter in the history of 

 fruit introductions is that dealing with the effort to secure 

 hartly fruits from Russia. These fruits, which were intro- 

 duced during the 70's and 80's of the last century, were 

 heralded as the solution of apple-growing in the cold parts of 

 the United States and Canada. Enthusiasm ran high for 

 several years, but at the present time few of the varieties so 

 introduced are considered valuable and the chief interest 

 lies in using their seedlings for hardy stock on which to work 

 other sorts and also for producing new varieties either from 

 seedlings or from crosses. 



1 Bailey, L. H. Survival of the Unlike. Macmillan Co., New York. 

 2nd E(i. 1896. Evolution of Our Native Fruits. Macmillan Co., New 

 York. 1898. 



