ON SPECIFIC NEEDS 



in a state of nature and gives us a clue as to what 

 qualities of fruit are advantageous to the apple 

 itself, and what ones have been bred into the 

 stock to meet the demands of the fruit developer. 

 So the fact that the wild crab lapple is dull in 

 color suggests that the variously pigmented coat 

 of the cultivated apple is an artificial product, not 

 primarily beneficial to the plant itself, that man 

 has developed through selection. 



It is not unlikely that the relatively thin skin 

 of the cultivated apple, coincidentally developed, 

 makes pigmentation desirable, to protect the tis- 

 sues of the fruit from too much sunlight. The 

 fact that many apples redden where exposed to 

 the sun, and remain green where protected by 

 the shadow of a branch or leaf, suggests that such 

 is the case. 



Be that as it may, the point I wish to emphasize 

 at the moment is that the pigmented coat of the 

 apple has been produced mostly by unconscious 

 artificial selection. There can be no doubt that 

 the pear could be similarly given a brightly col- 

 ored skin should anyone care to take the trouble 

 to make the experiment in selective breeding. 



Indeed, a few varieties of partly red pears have 

 been developed, and have proved a valuable nov- 

 elty in the market. Other and better varieties, 

 variously tinted, should follow. 



[25] 



