APPLES 
falling on the pistil, much more of the 
Auid being secreted by the puistil if the 
stigma is not pollinized with acceptable 
pollen than would be if it were fertilized 
as soon as receptive; pistils remaining 
erect and fertile tor several days after 
maturing if acceptable pollen is not ap- 
plied to them. Upon the reception of 
pollen the pistil wilts in a very few 
hours, or at most, in the course of a day 
In the bud the stamens are turned 
inward toward the center of the flower 
while each pistil is recurved on the style. 
The pistils are the first to assume an 
erect position, as may be inferred from 
their early ripening. The ovary is in- 
ferior, inserted below the calyx. Figure 
1 shows the position of the parts of the 
flower. The flowers are sidewise, turn- 
ing toward the light, thus preventing 
wetting of the pollen and insuring self- 
pollination if no pollen is brought from 
another flower. Although Nature has 
made self-fertilization mechanically pos- 
sible in the apple, she has made self- 
fecundation impossible in the majority 
of cases, and experiments go to show 
that self-fertility is the exception and 
not the rule. These experiments also 
show that these self-fertile varieties are 
safe ones to use for the fertilization of 
other self-sterile varieties. 
Causes of Failure of Blossoms to Set 
Fruit 
Some of the causes of failures of or- 
chards to set fruit are here enumerated. 
1. The trees or the blossoms may be 
injured from drought. 
2. The fruit buds may be injured 
from winter freezes. 
3. The fruit buds may be injured 
from late spring frosts. 
4. The blossoms may be injured from 
a lack of proper nourishment. 
5. The tree may fail to bloom from 
an excess of certain kinds of nourish- 
ment. 
6. Fruits may fail to set from im- 
proper pollination. 
1. The trees or the blossoms may be 
injured from drought.—It sometimes hap- 
pens that a very wet spring with such 
413 
weather as will stimulate the trees into 
a very strong growth during the earlier 
part of the growing period is followed 
by a summer and fall of extreme drought. 
Under such conditions the fruit trees are 
unable to set fruit buds with sufficient 
Vitality to carry them far enough to 
form fruit Fruit buds make heavier 
demands on the tree than leaf buds. 
After such extremes as the above the 
tree uses its whole energy to recover its 
vegetative power, and it may often hap- 
pen that a tree will fail to set fruit 
from this cause. 
2. The fruit buds may be injured by 
uinter freezes.—It is impossible to say 
just how much freezing the fruit buds 
of the apple will stand. In sections of 
this country, where the air is less dry 
than in the West, the buds will stand a 
much lower degree of temperature than 
they will in our dry atmosphere and a 
very low temperature of one winter will 
have less of an evil effect on the fruits 
of our region than another winter when 
the thermometer does not record so low 
a degree of temperature. There are so 
many influences that affect the forma- 
tion of fruit buds and their proper nour- 
ishment that it is impossible to say how 
far and to what extent freezing affects 
the next summer’s crop of apples. The 
vitality of the buds, their maturity, the 
condition of the atmosphere as to mois- 
ture, the amount of moisture in the soil, 
and the amount of snow on the ground 
are a few of the things we must con- 
sider. 
3. The buds may be injured by late 
soring frosts ——The amount of injury to 
buds from frosts cannot be eomputed; a 
few days before or after the blossoming 
period may make an untold amount of 
difference. Buds that have been injured 
by frosts may yet have enough vitality 
to bloom and yet not have enough to set 
fruit. Some buds, from their position, 
their state of maturity, or because they 
are more hardy, may be less injured 
than others on the same tree. Varieties 
considered tender may be able to set 
fruit after experiencing an unusually 
heavy frost, yet fail the next year when 
