BUD VABIATIOX IX THE VALENCIA OBAXGE. 13 



Fruits arising from bud variations may occur as individual fruits, 

 or collectively on a single branch, or on several branches of a single 

 tree. Plate XIII shows fruits of the Rough strain which were borne 

 on a sporting limb in a Valencia strain tree. The degree of fruit 

 variability considered in this connection, while often of importance 

 commercially, is usually not sufficient for varietal distinction. It 

 may be illustrated by the variability of fruits in the Washington 

 Navel orange where the variations under observation are well marked 

 and commercially distinct but all of the fruits possess the character- 

 istic navel. These strains possess characteristics which have been 

 found to be capable of isolation through bud selection in propagation. 

 The differences in the characteristics of the fruit variations in some 

 of the different strains are of an importance from the commercial 

 standpoint almost equal to those which differentiate the horticultural 

 varieties of the citrus fruits. 



The number of major fruit variations borne by individual Valencia 

 trees in the performance-record plats differs greatly. A few trees 

 have been found in the performance-record plats without any appar- 

 ent or marked variations in fruits other than the usual modifications 

 of size, shape, texture of rind, color, or quality which are probably 

 due to the influence of environmental conditions. In some trees 

 one or only a few variable fruits have been found. In others, several 

 fruits of each of the 12 distinct strains have been found borne by one 

 tree grown from a single bud. In some trees one of the main branches 

 occasionally is found to bear fruit of several distinct strains, but as a 

 rule single large off-type branches bear fruits of the same general 

 character. 



MINOR VARIATIONS OF FRUITS. 



A great many minor variations have been found from year to 

 year in some of the performance-record trees. A single fruit often 

 shows sections or segments characteristic of two or more distinct 

 strains of the variety. Others show large raised or sunken sections, 

 or both, in the same fruit, examples of which are shown in Plate 

 XIV. Many abnormal fruits, particularly in shape, have been 

 found and described. Twin fruits, and those showing several divi- 

 sions, each a complete orange in itself, have been found occasionally. 



A careful study of these differences arising from bud variations is 

 being made with the hope that the results will throw some light 

 upon the problems of heredity in citrus varieties. 



LESSONS TAUGHT BY THESE INVESTIGATIONS. 



The tables and diagrams presented herewith are all prepared from 

 records covering the 4-year period, 1912 to 1915, inclusive, secured 

 from 105 trees in a grove which was planted in the fall of 1903. In 



