APPLES 
theory may be applied to the partial 
fecundation of the ovules by pollen in- 
jured in this manner as that injured by 
wet and cold 
Pollen grains may be entirely washed 
away during extremely wet weather or 
blown away during dry periods. High 
winds may waste the greater amount of 
pollen and may, during very hot weather, 
when the pistil is in a receptive condi- 
tion, so entirely dry up the fluids se- 
creted by the stigma as to make germi- 
nation impossible or even blow away 
what pollen is held by the stigma by 
reason of its roughened surface. Dust 
storms during the time when the pistil 
is receptive may make pollination im- 
possible from the fact that the papillose 
stigma catches dust particles which ab- 
sorb the juices there secreted and thus 
covers the stigma with a coating of very 
fine particles of dust firmly cemented to- 
gether by this sticky fluid. 
Several years ago Prof. W. J. Beal, of 
Michigan, published a series of articles 
on the classification of apples by their 
flowers. Pomologists gave little atten- 
tion to the work and nothing has been 
heard of it since. Orchardists need a 
more scientific and systematic classifica- 
tion than is offered by Thomas, Down- 
ing, and Warder, who base their classi- 
fication on season or color. In the study 
of the forms of blooms and the size and 
shape of the organs of the flowers, it was 
found that each variety possesses def- 
inite characteristics that might be used 
to distinguish it from other varieties. 
These characteristics are often modifica- 
tions to insure pollination or to prevent 
self-fertilization, as in the case of Grimes 
Golden, in which the pistils recurve out- 
ward, as shown in Figure 2. In some 
of the flowers of this variety this char- 
acter is developed to such an extent as 
to make self-pollination absolutely im- 
possible. The position of the pistil also 
insures pollination from visits of bees. 
Other forms of pistils are shown in the 
Ben Davis, which has a very straight, 
upright pistil, and Smokehouse, which 
has a very large knobbed pistil. 
These modifications of pistils, the 
415 
habits of the anthers in dehiscing, the 
shape, size and color of the fiower, the 
fruits and the definite characters of the 
lately introduced Russian varieties, all 
offer a basis of scientific classification of 
the apple This classification might be 
in groups, possessing certain characters, 
much in the same way as Waugh has 
classified the “Apples of the Fameuse 
Type’ (Vermont Experiment Station 
Bulletin 83, 1900). Such a knowledge of 
relationship might be used to insure 
wider crosses and greater fruitfulness in 
5 
Fig. 2 No. 4. Recurved Pistils of Grimes Gold- 
No. 5, Pistils of Smokehouse. No. 6, 
en. 
Tistils of Ben Davis. 
our orchards rather than the present 
haphazard method of planting very 
closely related varieties near each other. 
These characters might well lead one to 
think that Winesap, Arkansas Black, 
Mammoth Black Twig and, perhaps, 
Benoni, are closely related. 
Agents of Pollination 
During the years of especially favor- 
able weather and when all things are in 
the proper conditions for the largest 
crops and the greatest fruitfulness, the 
apple seldom sets more than from four 
to seven per cent of the flowers borne. 
