- FIRM CROPS OF CAXADX l.V 1901 5S 



A. Yes, always. Our experience with the different plants wo have been working 

 with IS th;it about ten or fifteen per cent of the progeny from seed of the first cross, 

 has reverted towards the male, in some instances very strongly and in others only 

 slightly. If wc> can get in ten per cent in this instance, reverting towards the male, 

 W3 may strike ii: a few years or obtain very hardy apples twice or three times the size 

 of those CE which T have shown you the photographs. That is our expectation, but 

 in the meantime those which have been produced are large enough to be of very great 

 value in northern Ontario and in the whole of the North-west country. 



By II:\ Wilson : 



Q. Are tbi„ farmers doing anything in that line for themselves in that North-west 

 country ? 



A. Not that I know of. It is too intricate a problem for the farmer to undertake. 

 It requires some skill to cross fertilize in the first place, and then you must raise a 

 good many seedlings in order to get oven a few good ones. I hope we may have from 

 the trecn which will fruit this year something still more encouraging to bring before 

 you next year. We are endeavouring to propagate these new and promising sorts by 

 grafting them on the roots of the Siberian crab and by budding them on the stem. I 

 hop-! by the spring of 1903 that we shall have a considerable number of these young 

 trees to distribute through the North-western country and northern Ontario, so as to 

 havj thfm tlioroughly tested. We have already root-grafted a few and sent them out 

 for test, so that there are a few of them growing now at different points in the North- 

 west country, but it is proposed to have them thoroughly tested by sending them to 

 many different points where they will be exposed to very varied climatic conditions. 



Q. These trees will have to be given away tlien ? 



A. Yes. 



Q. I suppose you will have to be careful who you give them to — the friends of 

 the goveriunont ? 



A. We know very little about politics at the experimental farm. It is, however, an 

 imrortant matter that we get such trees iu the hands of people who will care for them. 

 For some yc-ars past I have been accumulating a list of the names of those who take 

 an interest in this kind of work, so that we hope to have these young trees put into 

 good hands at many different points from beyond the limit of successful apple-growing 

 in Ontario to the Eocky Mountains. 



By Mr. Ross (Victoria) : 



Q. 1 presume the politics of these parties who get them will not influence the 

 growth of the trees or the result in any way ? 



A. 1 think not. I hope also by that time we shall have some thousands of seed- 

 ling3 froD' the best cross-bred sorts to disseminate. I trust that the work along both 

 the^o lin=^3 will be continued until the efforts are crowned with abundant success, and 

 every settled part of the Dominion supplied with useful fruits of this class. In the 

 meantime any seedlings which may be sent which produce inferior can be top-grafted 

 with better sorts as soon as these are obtainable. 



Wo have also been experimenting in the making of jelly from these crabs, and 

 i.a my report this year I have given the best formula we have found. They make 

 excelicjnt jelly, as good as any from our eastern crabs. 



By Mr. Wilson : 



Q. How does the flavour compare ? 



A. The flavour is very good. There is one here, the Charles, which compares 

 favcurably with the Transcendant and other eastern grown sorts. This apple will 

 make excellent jelly ; it can also be used for pies, or making sauce, and the same may 

 be said of some of the others. 



