CONTEIBUTIONS FROM THE WISLEY LABORATORY. 



353 



Spice ' was in full flower on May 10, the next not until May 20 ; one 

 of * Devonshire Quarrenden,' in 1910, was in full flower on April 30, 

 the other on May 2 ; one of ' Early Eivers,' in 1908, was open full on 

 May 12, but the next not until May 20, and so on. These marked 

 differences in trees of the same variety growing so near together are 

 difficult to account for. They are not constant, however, for in each 

 of the instances mentioned, in some other year the two would be found 

 m flower at the same time. 



Again, we are not justified in saying any particular variety will be 

 certain to occupy a definite position in time of flowering relative to 

 other varieties. Whereas, as pointed out above, ' Eed Astrachan ' is 

 on the average the first in- full flower, in some years its position is dis- 

 puted by another variety, such as ' Early Peach.' In the same way 

 the position of ' Eoyal Jubilee ' at the end of the list is often assailed. 



In spite of these minor aberrations it is possible to divide the varie- 

 ties into early-flowering varieties, mid-season varieties, and late-flower- 

 ing, some in each group in some seasons trespassing across the boun- 

 dary line into the adjacent one. 



In the following list we have arranged the varieties growing in the 

 Wisley Garden in order according to the average date of full flowering 

 for the four years over which observations have been made. The 

 number ibefore the name in each case indicates the average number of 

 days at which the variety reached full flowering after the earUest- 

 flowering variety had reached that stage in each year, the earliest 

 variety being reckoned as 1. These numbers are, for the most part, 

 greater than would be the case in most seasons, owing to the inclusion 

 of the dates for 1910, when the flowering-period was spread over an 

 abnormally long time. This abnormal year does not, however, affect 

 t'tie relative order of flowering, as given, to any serious extent. 



The figures are, in almost every case, based on observations made 

 upon two trees of the same variety standing side by side in the planta- 

 tion. In a few cases three or four trees growing close to one another 

 were used, and in a very few only one. 



AVEEAGE ObDEE OF FlO WEEING AT WiSLEY. 



li 



6| 

 6i 



7 



Eed Astrachan. 1 Gold Medal. 



Manks Codlin. I 7^ White Juneating. 

 Braddick's Nonpareil. 7| Egremont Eusset. 



Golden Spire. Brownlee's Eussefc. 



Early Peach. 7^ Belle de Boskoop. 



Tower of Glamis. Stirling Castle. 



White Transparent. 8 Devonshire Quarrenden. 



Duchess of Oldenburgh. 8^ Early Eivers. 



Gravenstein. '''Irish Peach. 



Lady Derby. 8f St. Edmund's Pippin. 



Margil. Wagener. 

 Keswick Codlin. Bietigheimer Eed. 



* This is too low in the list owing to flowering poorly in 1911. 

 VOL. XXXVII. A A 



