NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



277 



themselves self-fertile including ' Baldwin,' * Grimes' Golden,' ' Kes- 

 wick Codlin,' ' Duchess of Oldenburg,' 'Washington,' and 'Yellow 

 Newtowji ' ; and thirteen varieties were partially self-fertile including 

 ' Ben Davis,' ' Spitzenberg, ' ' Wagener, ' and ' Yellow Transparent. 

 The record gives the number of bags used on each variety, the number 

 of fruits set when hand pollinated, the number set in bags not hand 

 pollinated, the total number of fruits set, and a description of each 

 variety as a pollen bearer, whether shy, medium or abundant. If a 

 variety is fertile it does not seem to set many more fruits when bagged 

 and hand pollinated than when bagged and left untouched. Next they 

 have worked to find the best pollinizers for the sterile or nearly sterile 

 varieties 



Again as to whether varieties could be improved by crossing. Thus 

 ' White Winter Pearmain ' has been found to give very successful 

 results with the ' Newtown ' and other varieties. The seedlings from 

 the ' White Winter Pearmain ' are strong and sturdy, whereas ' Ben 

 Davis,' of poor vitality, is a poor male parent — its crosses seem to be 

 lacking in vitality. 



Many of the flat apples seem to have a poor influence in crossing, 

 as ' Maiden's Blush.' ' Northern Spy ' has proved a good pollenizer. 

 In most cases no very marked results in the colouring of the apple by 

 crossing has been shown; but vegetative vigour is greatly influenced, 

 thus the number of seeds that are set influences the weight of the fruit, 

 and the pollen used influences the foliage, size and form of fruit of the 

 seedling. In planting varieties for pollination attention must be paid 

 to the time of blooming. List follows of early bloomers including 

 ' Duchess of Oldenburg,' ' Bed Astrachan,' and ' Wealthy,' and of late 

 bloomers including 'King of Tompkins' County,' 'Keswick Codlin,' 

 ' Twenty Ounce,' ' Washington,' and ' Wagener.' Planting four to six 

 rows of a variety is recommended as better than alternating varieties as 

 it costs less to spray and pick, &c. 



The flower buds are formed by the end of August as they then show 

 the fruit blossoms already formed in the bud. 



As to thinning, in pears and apples, allow only two specimens to a 

 fruit spur, this allows formation of fruit buds for the next year. Severe 

 summer pruning previous to middle of July turned fruit buds into leaf 

 buds, or at least fruit-bud formation was prevented, whereas light and 

 judicious summer pruning was favourable to the production of fruit 

 buds. 



Apple flowers are receptive to pollination for a week after opening, 

 and for scientific purposes they can be pollinated before they are 

 entirely open. 



With the pear, conditions appear to affect its fertility or sterility 

 with its own pollen. Thus in Oregon, ' Doyenne du Comice ' is the 

 ■ only variety which is sterile, whereas in the Eastern States, ' Wilhams' 

 Bon Chretien,' 'Winter Nehs,' and ' Beurre Bosc ' are self-sterile. 

 However, in Oregon most pears are greatly improved by cross-pollination, 

 it has an influence in producing seed and in a stjrong degree changes 



