APPLES 
It is a mere registry of buds or scions 
from a known tree or trees. By “vegeta- 
tive generation” is meant successive 
graftings from former graftings. 
Controverted Points 
On account of the fact that this method 
of registering trees on the part of nur- 
serymen has been but recently used, and 
on account of the unfortunate circum- 
stance of employing the term “pedigree,” 
which has heretofore had a very definite 
application to the breeding of stocks of 
all kinds from the seed or through sex- 
ual generation only, some controversy has 
arisen as to the validity of the claims of 
those who profess to employ this method 
of selection. The controversy has arisen 
both because the use of the term has been 
disputed, and because of the wide diver- 
sity of opinion as to the value of the 
stocks so selected over those selected 
with ordinary care so as to procure trees 
“true to name.” 
The former controversy will be settled 
when the horticultural world becomes ac- 
customed to the use of the term in this 
connection or when a new and suitable 
term comes into general use. 
The other controversy is of far dif- 
ferent nature and will not be settled 
until more is known about the facts and 
nature of plant variations and the means 
by which they are preserved and trans- 
mitted. It hinges about the questions, 
first, as to whether observed variations, 
in trees of the same variety or strain, 
which show in themselves a tendency to 
heavy or regular bearing, freedom from 
disease, shape or color of fruit or other 
desirable quality, are due to soil, mois- 
ture, fertility, care or other environ- 
mental cause and so not transmissible; 
and, second, as to whether bud sports or 
mutations are of frequent enough occur- 
rence to enable the nurseryman to im- 
prove his stock on a commercial scale. 
Common Ground 
It is quite generally admitted, prob- 
ably universally, amongst horticulturists 
that bud sports do occur at rare inter- 
vals and give rise to new varieties. But 
it is not known what these sports will 
do. They may give rise to a beneficial 
143 
variation and they may produce a mere 
freak. However, it offers an occasional 
opportunity for selection. It is pretty 
generally admitted that variations in tree 
fruits within a given variety are in the 
main due to environmental causes. There 
is the same general tendency to regard 
the theory of transmissible variations 
within the tree itself, outside of the oc- 
casional sport, as unproven. (2) W. T. 
Macoun of the Dominion Experimental 
Farms has had apple trees under observa- 
tion for 14 years and is “inclined to be- 
lieve that there is variation in the tree 
itself, but has no proof apart from the 
variation in yield.” The proof will not 
be forthcoming until there can be oppor- 
tunity for a record of a number of vege- 
tative generations under various environ- 
ments. So far as known no such record 
of importance exists. 
Whitten Experiment 
J. C. Whitten of the University of Mis- 
souri has conducted experiments through 
12 years with strawberries and Ben 
Davis apples. With regard to these ex- 
periments he concludes: 
(3) “I doubt very much whether bud 
variations of a permanent nature capable 
of being transmitted to the buds used 
for subsequent propagation occur fre- 
quently enough so that a given variety 
may be really improved by selecting buds 
from trees that are known to be espe- 
cially good producers. Of course every 
one must recognize the fact that bud 
sports or bud variations do occur. In my 
judgment a bud variation or bud sport 
occurs very rarely and when it does occur 
it is so different from its parent as to 
be a different variety. When such a bud 
sport occurs it may be reproduced by 
propagating it from its buds as a new 
variety. 
“Here at the experiment station we 
have tried to increase the productiveness 
of Aroma strawberries and of the 
Ben Davis apple by keeping a record of 
the production of the individual plants of 
each. In the case of the strawberries 
the best producer in the patch yielded 
-_— + 
(2) Correspondence, 1912. 
(3) Correspondence, 1912. 
