REPORT ON THE No. 33 



In eastern Ontario, where the Mclntosh, Fameuse, and other high-class early winter 

 dessert apples are grown so successfully, the fruit grower, though at present handi- 

 capped in the growing of late keeping varieties, can obtain for his dessert apples the 

 best prices and thus make his orchard as profitable as those in any other part of Ontario. 



For the north, there are a number of varieties, mostly of Russian origin, the hardy 

 survivors through many trying winters in the colder parts of Russia, and these, with 

 the hardy crab apples, are proving a nucleus from which it is believed will be developed, 

 by cross breeding with the best Canadian apples, good dessert varieties which will be 

 grown almost to the extreme northern limits of the Province of Ontario. 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES. 



One of the most important things to be considered in planting an orchard is the 

 selection of varieties. Some of the most serious mistakes in the past have been made 

 in this particular. In many cases worthless varieties have been planted, which is hardly 

 to be wondered at when planters had little more to rely upon regarding varieties than 

 the exaggerated descriptions given by travelling tree agents. But in these days, when 

 we have reliable information about all classes of fruits for all sections of the Province 

 published annually an<jl distributed free, there is no excuse for planting anything but 

 the very best varieties suited to each section. 



One mistake to be avoided is that of planting too many varieties, particularly in 

 commercial orchards. A half dozen good winter sorts have been found to be sufficient. 

 For home use, however, the list might be doubled, or at least lengthened, to suit the 

 preferences of all members of the family. There should, in any case, be varieties enough 

 to cover the season and give a bountiful supply from earliest to the latest. One or two 

 summer varieties, three or four autumn, and half a dozen winter varieties would be 

 about the right proportion of each to plant. 



Another precaution which has to be taken in planning a commercial orchard, is 

 that of planting too large a block of any one variety. For convenience in harvesting 

 it is no doubt best to plant trees of the same variety near together, but on the other hand 

 if these blocks of one variety are too large it may be the cause of poor crops, for there 

 are many varieties which are self-sterile, that is, the pollen which they produce will 

 not properly fertilize their own flowers, although it may be quite potent on the blossom 

 of some other variety. This question has not been sufficiently studied to warrant us in 

 saying definitely just which varieties are self-sterile and which are self-fertile, although 

 from experiments which have been made, the following varieties appear to be more or 

 less self-sterile: Yellow Bellflower, Chenango, Gravenstein, King, Northern Spy, Primate, 

 Rambo, Red Astrachan, Roxbury Russet, Golden Russet, Spitzenburg, and Tolman Sweet. 

 None of these should be planted in blocks of more than three or four rows, without 

 some other variety intervening which blooms about the same time. In orchards where 

 such a mistake has been made, it can be rectified most readily by grafting every third 

 or fourth row with some variety which will insure cross-fertilization. 



Both tree and fruit must be considered in the selection of varieties. The tree must 

 have sufficient hardiness for the locality, and it is in this particular that the district 

 lists of recommendations give valuable information to intending planters. Productive- 

 ness is also an important characteristic. Unfortunately some of the varieties of most 

 excellent quality, such as the Blenheim and King, are lacking in this respect, and, while 

 it may be desirable to plant these for home use, still such a defect is a serious one in 

 a commercial orchard. The age of bearing is another characteristic which varies greatly 

 in different varieties. The Northern Spy, for instance, often requires ten or fifteen 

 years before it comes in bearing, while Ontario, Wealthy, and many of the Russian 

 varieties sometimes bear even in the nursery rows, or at least in a year or two after 

 they are transplanted into the orchard. This is a difference which may well be taken 

 advantage of in the arrangement of varieties in the orchard, for, as a rule, those which 

 are slow in coming into bearing make larger trees and are longer lived, while those 

 which begin early and bear heavily are more or less dwarfed in their growth and the 



