CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE WISLEY LABORATORY. 



351 



of different varieties is at present not at all plentiful. The present 

 writer carried out in 1902-03 some experiments in Essex, the results of 

 which were reported in this Jouenal,''' and which showed that a com- 

 paratively small proportion of the apples and pears tested were capable 

 of setting fruit without the intervention of pollen from another variety. 



Since then some few experiments have been carried out in this 

 country and on the Continent on the matter, and a considerable number 

 in America. It is not established, however, that any variety behaves 

 in the same way in this respect throughout the whole of its range; 

 indeed, the contrary has been stated. It is very desirable, therefore, 

 that extended experiments should be earned out in this country with a 

 view to settling some of the points at issue, for the whole matter is 

 one not only of intense scientific importance, but of great practical 

 interest as well. 



So far as our knowledge at present goes it appears that the pollen 

 of any other variety of apple is capable of inducing fruit to form on 

 any self-sterile variety of apple. It may subsequently be found that 

 when pollen of a certain variety is available a greater number of better 

 fruits is produced by a certain other variety ; some not very convincing 

 evidence has been brought forward in American publications in support 

 of this idea. 



Experiments are being carried out at Wisley, where the trees are 

 now of such an age, size, and vigour that they are likely to yield reli- 

 able results, and the following is the first of a series of papers designed 

 to deal with the experiments and observations made. It treats of the 

 relative time of flowering of apples at Wisley and compares the obser- 

 vations made there with others of a similar nature made elsewhere. 



Instances might be readily multiplied of cases where large blocks 

 of one variety of apple or pear had been planted, and when the trees 

 had reached bearing age the observation had been made that while the 

 trees round the outside of the block had borne well, those towards the 

 inner part had borne but poorly, or not at all, in spite of the freedom 

 with which they flowered. Or, again, instances have been frequently 

 brought to our notice of sohtary apples or pears planted in a garden 

 which have failed to fruit though flowering well every year. In many 

 instances the remedy in the former case has been found by cutting- 

 over and' re-grafting trees here and there in the block with a distinct 

 variety, and in the latter by planting in proximity to the hitherto soli- 

 tary one, a tree of a different variety of the same kind. 



It is obvious that if any other variety will be efficient as a pollen 

 provider there is a greater chance of success if varieties flowering at 

 the same time he intermixed. It is usually sufficient if, say, four rows 

 of one variety are followed by one row of the variety designed to pro- 

 vide the pollen, and this by four rows of the main variety again. It 

 is possible that pollen would be carried to a greater distance than four 

 lows from the pollen-producer, but it is better to err on the safe side, 



* See vol. xxvii. (1902), p. cxc, and vol. xxviii. (1903), p. clxi. 



