32 VARIETIES AND NURSERY STOCK 



the same blossoms are in receptive condition ; wMe in still others, 

 though everything appears to be normal, the pollen is impotent 

 and will not fertilize its own pistils. A great many different 

 factors may influence this matter of self -sterility, such as locality, 

 weather, vigor of the tree and other influences; so no one can 

 make hard and fast lists of self-sterile and self- fertile varieties. 



Whatever the cause of self -sterility, it necessitates the mixing 

 of varieties in the orchard. Even those varieties which are not 

 strictly self-sterile, which may even bear good crops when planted 

 alone, will frequently bear much better crops if there are several 

 other sorts planted with them. This is why the family orchard 

 usually bears abundantly while solid blocks of one sort, even a 

 self-fertile sort, may not do so well. Even the man who is grow- 

 ing for the general market will do well to set at least two and 

 preferably three varieties. 



Varieties Suited to the Section. — Another point of the 

 utmost importance is to stick to those varieties which are known 

 to do well in the section, at least for the commercial plantings. 

 Important as this is, it is constantly overlooked by orchardists, 

 particularly by those who are new at the business. Just at the 

 present time the apple business of the East gives an exceptionally 

 good illustration of this point. There is much interest in grow- 

 ing apples all through the northeastern United States. Men have 

 heard of the money that the western apple growers are making 

 and they want to do likewise. They can not go into any city or 

 town without seeing quantities of the fine western apples on sale. 

 Being interested in varieties they naturally study those on sale 

 and they say at once — " Here, these are the varieties I want to 

 grow ! I do not want to plant Baldwins and Rhode Island Green- 

 ings as my neighbors do, but I want to grow Ortleys and Staymen 

 Winesaps and King David and Delicious. ' ' Especially Delicious ! 

 There is something in the very name that infatuates the novice. 

 He thinks it must be as good as it sounds and he wants to grow 

 some at once, without reflecting that it is a new variety at best, 

 and has never been tested in the East at all, and we can not 

 tell for ten years to come whether or not it is a legitimate com- 

 mercial variety for the section. These new sorts may have 



