BUD VAEIATIOiSr IX THE MARSH GEAPEPRUIT. 13 



Tiiey are presented for the purpose of illustrating the most important 

 characteristics of the strains and to furnish a basis for understanding 

 and interpreting more fully than otherwise would be possible the 

 tables and discussions of the behavior and value of the trees of these 

 strains. 



MARSH STRAD*. 



The trees of the Marsh straiti; an example of which is shown in 

 Plate II, are the most productive and bear larger crops of desirable 

 and valuable fruits than any of the other strains of the Marsh variety. 

 Some of the trees begin producing profitable crops at about four 

 years from planting and yield regularly increasing crops every year. 

 The oldest trees of this character under observation were planted 

 in 1898. Other trees of this strain have a tendency to produce large 

 crops one season, followed by lighter crops the next year. Some 

 few trees of this strain are habitually low producers as compared 

 with the most productive trees. As a rule, the most productive trees 

 bear larger crops of first-grade fruits of the most valuable commer- 

 cial sizes, viz, 80, 64, and 48 fruits per box, than are produced by the 

 low-yielding trees. The large production of high-grade fruits from 

 trees of this strain makes it particularly valuable from the commer- 

 cial standpoint. The trees of this strain have a spreading habit of 

 growth. The leaves are abundant, large, elliptical, acutely pointed, 

 light green in color, and have large winged petioles. The trees nor- 

 mally bloom in March, and the fruits ripen during the summer 

 months of the following year. 



The fruits of the Marsh strain, a typical example of which is shown 

 in Plate V, are oblate in shape, the stem end is usually slightly sunken, 

 and the blossom end even and flattened. This shape is best adapted 

 for handling, and is also a desirable one from the consumer's stand- 

 point. The texture of skin is usually very smooth; color creamy, 

 commonly called ivory white; bloom little or none; rind about one- 

 quarter of an inch in thickness; color of flesh amber; number of 

 sections 12 to 14; rag sparse and tender; vesicles medium in size; 

 core usually open, about 1 inch in diameter; juice abundant, mildly 

 acid, bursting from the fruit when cut, quality excellent, having 

 desirable grapefruit flavor; seeds averaging about three per fruit, 

 which condition is termed ''commercially seedless." 



Table I shows the detailed performance record of a representative 

 tree of the Marsh strain for the year 1912 and also the summarized 

 record of the same tree for the 6-year period from 1910 to 1915, 

 inclusive. The record of seed content in Table I shows the small num- 

 ber of seeds found in fruits of this strain, several of those examined 

 being entirely seedless. 



The superior quality of the fruits of this strain is very marked. 

 It apparently improves in storage under proper conditions, which 

 are an even temperature of about 45° to 50° F. and about 80 to 90 



