30 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS * CONVENTION, 



other varieties to make them fruitful. Then we must plant other varie- 

 ties near them as pollinizers. 



Having determined upon the variety to be grown for a general crop, 

 the most important point in the selection of the pollinizer is that the 

 two shall blossom at the same time. The only way in which a pollinizer 

 can be of service in promoting fruitfulness in the variety planted for 

 the general crop is by supplying it with pollen. This means that the 

 pistils of one variety must be ready to receive the pollen when the 

 stamens of the other are ripe; this is only possible when both varieties 

 bloom simultaneously. 



The comparative blooming of varieties is something of a local prob- 

 lem. Difference of location, altitude, soil and weather, govern the time 

 of appearance of the blossoms, but a series of observations made by the 

 writer tends to show that while the date of blossoming may be hastened 

 or retarded by local conditions, the comparative time is approximately 

 the same for different varieties in localities having similar condition^ of 

 soil and climate. 



The variety to be used as a pollinizer is, of course, governed by the 

 variety to be planted for the main crop. This question having been 

 decided, the next question is to know how many trees will be necessary 

 to pollinate the self -sterile variety. This brings us back, in so far as 

 my knowledge extends, to the apple orchards of Los Angeles County. 



Out of the failures, disappointments, and difficulties of the two 

 periods of apple growing just described came the apple orchards of 

 to-day. A study of these will show that the owners are beginning to pay 

 more attention to some of the finer problems of apple culture, such as the 

 relation of varieties to pollination, their susceptibility to disease, the 

 individuality of trees, a better class of nursery stock, and the question of 

 selecting the buds and scions for propagating purposes. In these young 

 apple orchards can be seen on every hand the principles of selection, 

 planting, and pruning advocated by Wickson. Powell, and others, 

 applied all unconsciously, perhaps, of their origin by the workers, but in 

 evidence, nevertheless, to the close observer. 



Such an orchard is the one owned by Mr. Cudahy at Florence. Here 

 there are 30,000 apple trees in one block. To insure fruitfulness in 

 this orchard, one row of pollinizers was planted to each eight rows of 

 the varieties considered best adapted to the location of market demands. 

 The pollinizers were planted in straight rows to facilitate harvesting. 

 Fall Pippin was used principally as a pollinizer for the White Winter 

 Pearmain, and in some instances Yellow Newtown Pippin for the Yel- 

 low Belleneurs. I was in this orchard about fourteen months ago. and 

 from my own observation, as also the statements of the superintendent, 

 this arrangement had proved satisfactory from the standpoint of the 

 production of fruit. 



In the effort made by the apple growers of the region we have been 

 considering this afternoon to take advantage of all the lessons learned 

 from the two preceding periods of the industry, great attention was 

 paid to the question of the quality of nursery stock. A bud on a whole 

 root was considered the standard of excellence, and it was soon learned 

 that a more uniform stand of symmetrical trees could be obtained by 

 planting those with a straight whip-like top of one year's growth than 

 from those that had been grown the second year in nursery rows. The 



