416 



THE APPLE 



The practical bearing of the self-sterility problem is this : There 

 are certain varieties of fruit which we wish to grow for the general 

 market, but we find that they are not productive when planted alone. 

 They need the pollen of other varieties to make them fruitful. We 

 must therefore do what some of our most intelligent fruit-growers 

 have been doing for years — plant other varieties near them as 

 pollenizers. Cross-pollination of varieties is no longer a theory ; 

 it has become an established orchard practice. 



Fig. iSi. Ready for the bees 

 A very fine orchard in full bloom, at the right stage for pollinating 



It would appear that the only thing to be done now is to find 

 out what varieties are inclined to be self-sterile and what varieties 

 are best adapted for fertilizing them. Rut as a matter of fact, cross- 

 pollination gives better results with nearly all varieties, whether 

 they are self-sterile or self-fertile. A variety may be able to bear 

 good fruit when it is planted alone, but it will often bear better 

 fruit if suitable varieties are near it. Mixed orchards are every- 

 where more productive than solid blocks. For example, in western 

 New York it is a common report that Baldwins in mixed orchards 

 are more uniformly productive than Baldwins in large blocks. 



