No. 574] 



VARIATION IX THE APPLE 



a balance certain characters may fail to reach a proper 

 degree of development while others develop to excess. 



The failure in quality and other respects of many of 

 the best dessert varieties of apples when grown in Wash- 

 ington is due to such a lack of balance. Practically all of 

 them originated under a much different environment and 

 were selected and came into prominence owing to their 

 perfect balance of adaptation in localities having a set of 

 external conditions similar to those under which they 

 originated. The hope of northwestern apple culture in 

 the future lies in the careful selection of varieties and the 

 origination locally of varieties of high quality showing 

 adaptation to the conditions of growth in the various sec- 

 tions. In the meantime plantings should be made from 

 those varieties of high quality which show the best 

 adaptation. These are Esopus, Yellow Newtown, White 

 Pearmain and Delicious for the irrigated valleys, and 

 Wagener, Delicious and Mcintosh for the higher valleys 

 of northern and eastern Washington. Jonathan, Stay- 

 man and Winesap show a poorer balance and should not 

 be planted too recklessly. The climate of the Pacific 

 coast resembles that of western Europe more than that 

 of the eastern states, and further importations of Euro- 

 pean varieties is desirable especially for testing west of 

 the Cascades. 



The moisture relation is probably the most important 

 factor in inducing variations, and is doubtless responsible 

 for certain variations which have been ascribed to other 

 causes which act indirectly by modifying the moisture 

 supply. The elongation of the fruit following a cool 

 period after blooming may result from a diminished cir- 

 culation of the sap, giving rise to an insufficient supply to 

 provide for the simultaneous development of the fleshy 

 portion and elongation of the axis. Variation in the 

 depth of the cavity and basin in certain varieties is prob- 

 ably to be explained in a similar way. 



Color modifications depend to a great extent upon the 

 light relation and somewhat upon development as influ- 

 enced by temperature. The optimum intensity for the 



