142 



SCIENCE AND FRUIT GROWING 



The general results during the five years showed that the dates 

 of blossoming bore no relation to the character of the fruit, i.e. 

 whether the varieties were dessert or culinary; but that there 

 was a distinct relationship between the date of blossoming and 

 the date of ripening of the fruit the earlier the ripening, the 

 earlier the blossoming though to this general rule there were 

 many individual exceptions : for, as will be seen from the 

 maxima and minima below, there is considerable overlapping 

 in the dates of flowering of the different varieties. 



DATE OF BLOSSOMING 



Average. (Min. and Max.] 



Early . . . .6*8 (2'i ii'2J 



Mid-Season . . 7'7 (4'o ii'5) 



Late . . . . 9-4 (5-0 14-6) 



Average . . . 8'o (2*1 I4'6) 



The earliness of flowering, however, can have no direct influence 

 on the date of ripening of the fruit ; between the dates of flowering 

 of early and late varieties there is, on the average, a difference 

 of only two or three days, and such a period would be a very 

 insignificant fraction of the total period during which the fruit 

 is developing. Early flowering and early ripening can only be 

 correlated properties, and do not play the role of cause and effect. 



On examining separately the results for different seasons, and 

 setting out B, the average difference in date of blossoming of 

 the individual varieties as compared with the average date of 

 blossoming of all the varieties in that same year ; C, the average 



