BUD SELECTION : 391 
Bud Selection in Horticultural Practice—The probable importance 
of bud selection to American pomology was recognized by Munson in 
1906. He advocated its practice in the following words: ‘Select through 
successive generations buds, that is cuttings or scions, from branches 
which bear fruit most nearly approaching the ideal.” Two years later 
Webber presented the subject of ‘clonal or bud variation” to the 
American Breeder’s Association and also recommended bud selection. 
At this time, however, there was but little evidence that could be cited 
as proof of the practical value of bud selection. Working with violets 
Galloway and Dorsett were able to produce disease-resistant and florif- 
erous strains. The Boston Fern sports were beginning to attract at- 
tention. But it was still generally supposed that bud sports were of 
comparatively slight importance as far as pomological practice was 
concerned. About this time two of the pioneer citrus growers of Cali- 
fornia, E. A. Chase and J. P. Englehart, became interested in the numerous 
variations among their orange and lemon trees and the latter began to 
experiment with bud selection. He first recognized and propagated the 
Golden Nugget Navel Orange, a sport from the Washington Navel. 
He soon convinced himself that many of the variations in fruit characters 
which he observed could be perpetuated by budding. In 1910 Coit 
emphasized the fact that through the unintentional propagation of 
undesirable sports a gradually increasing proportion of the trees in the 
citrous orchards of California were developing into drones or worthless 
types and that the only way to prevent this was greater care in choosing 
the buds used in propagating nursery stock. Meanwhile, Shamel had 
begun an extensive series of experiments on the improvement of citrous 
fruits through bud selection. During his preliminary investigation in 
1909 Shamel found what he took to be distinct types of Washington 
Navel Oranges and the observations and experiences of certain growers 
seemed to indicate that trees producing small annual yields and poor 
quality of fruit could be top-worked with scions from trees known to 
be annual high producers of superior fruit to the very great advantage 
of the citrous fruit growers. Accordingly an elaborate system was de- 
vised for recording the performance of individual orange, lemon and 
pomelo trees. 
Performance Records as a Basis for Bud Selection.—This study of 
the performance of individual citrous trees has emphasized the fact that 
there may be inherent differences with respect to quality and yield be- 
tween different trees of the same commercial variety. Already these 
tests have been supplemented by demonstrations in top-working low- 
producing trees with scions from fruitful individuals. As a result of the 
systematic campaign which the government representatives have con- 
ducted throughout the citrous fruit districts of California and Florida, 
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