188 FUNDAMENTALS OF FRUIT PRODUCTION 



buds occurred during the second week in July; and the individual fruit 

 buds within the cluster were clear and distinct on August 7th. "^^ In 

 Wisconsin, flower formation has been found under way in the Aitken plum 

 on Aug. 9 and some differentiation in the Rollingstone on July 8 in 1899 

 and on July 5 in the following year.'^ 



In the Louis Phillippe cherry of the Morello group, signs of differ- 

 entiation have been noted on June 30 in Virginia. Goff, working with 

 the King's Amarelle cherry, found the earhest indications of flowers 

 on July 11^^ and in the following year on July 8. At Heidelberg, 

 Germany, blossom primordia of the sweet cherry were visible during 

 July.«* 



Investigations of flower-bud formation in the small fruits were 

 made by Goff. In the strawberry Sept. 20 was the date of the first 

 indication of flower buds.''^ 



Differentiation was found to occur in the Pomona currant about 

 July 8 and in the Black Victoria currant about Aug. 3.^^ In the Down- 

 ing gooseberry there was evidence on Aug. 30; in the cranberry no clear 

 signs were found until Sept. 16. Less definite observations were made 

 in raspberries and blackberries; nevertheless, unquestionable evidence 

 shows that the flowers are formed the year previous to blossoming. 

 "In the raspberry and blackberry," states Goff, "the buds that form 

 in the axils of the leaves of the young shoots contain a whole branch in 

 embryo — often several nodes, with a leaf at each node. The bud at 

 the apex of this branch and the axillary buds along it, if they form, are 

 flower-buds . . . embryo flowers in those buds are formed the season 

 before their expansion, at least in part. " 



Fruit bud formation in the grape occurs during the summer previous 

 to blossoming. A single bud contains in embryo a shoot with blossom 

 primordia. General observations to this effect are recorded by Goff^'' 

 and Bioletti^^ but no precise determination of the time is available. 

 Behrens^^ states that the first shoot primordia appear concurrently with 

 the first swelling of the buds in which they develop (mid-June). Since 

 these are laid down continuously through the summer many stages are 

 present on a vine at any one time. Subsequently the blossom primordia 

 appear. The buds laid down late in the season are likely to be arrested 

 in their development before the formation of blossom primordia occurs. 

 Behrens emphasizes the importance of early differentiation in securing 

 a crop for the following season. 



In the filbert (Corylus Avellana) Albert^ found signs of catkins on 

 June 10, before embyronic leaves were laid down; female blossoms were 

 not found until early in September. In the beech he was unable to 

 find blossom buds until the beginning of leaf fall, but since the pollen 

 mother cells in the anthers had already formed, differentiation must 

 have occurred much earlier. 



