POLLINATION OF HAKDY FRUITS. 



533 



seven of the eleven varieties started by setting fruit, but only five 

 matured — viz. * Victoria,' 'Czar,' * Denniston's Superb,' 'Bittern,' 

 and ' Rivers' Early Prolific' 



Out of ten cross-pollination trials, I had good fruit mature on five 

 (the pollen coming from the second named) — namely, * Victoria ' x 

 ' Gzar Victoria ' x ' Denniston's Superb'; ' Rivers' Early Pro- 

 lific ' X ' Victoria ' ; * Rivers' Early Prohfic ' x ' Denniston's Superb ' ; 

 and ' Pond's Seedling ' x ' Czar ' ; the fruit produced by the cross being 

 generally larger than that where self-pollinated. All the varieties, 

 except perhaps ' Victoria,' seem to set finer fruit more plentifully when 

 pollinated with another variety. 



With plums also it appears advantageous to grow several varieties 

 for cross-pollination, and have bees in the neighbourhood. 



Pears. — Whilst the pears were in flower in 1911 in Kent, although 

 the weather was sunny and warm, the wind during most of the time 

 was boisterous and too rough for hive and humble bees to work in, 

 which accounts, I think, for the short crop of pears this year. 



Out of twenty-two varieties of which I bagged blossoms and left 

 them afterwards untouched, only ' Duchesse d'Angouleme, ' ' Colmar 

 d'Ete,' 'General Todleben,' 'Dr. Jules Guyot,' 'Josephine de 

 Malines,' and ' Durondeau ' set fruit; all the fruits, however, fell 

 before maturity. 



Of those blossoms bagged and pollinated with pollen of the same 

 variety about the same number proportionately set, but only two 

 kinds thus treated — viz. ' Duchesse d'Angouleme ' and * Colmar 

 d'Ete ' — matured their fruit. I thought to have been able to include 

 ' General Todleben ' also as self-fertile, but the fruit withered after 

 July 7. I did not make many cross-pollinations in pears, but appar- 

 ently the pollen of ' Duchesse d'Angouleme ' sets the fruit of 

 'Williams' Bon Chretien' well, the pollen of 'Conference' that of 

 ' General Todleben, ' and vice versa. 



In the case of ' Vicar of Winkfield ' I bagged four buds and after- 

 wards pollinated them with ' Winter Crasanne, ' and had two fine 

 pears, some of the best on a large tree, there being only about ten 

 fruits, though plenty of blossom. This, I think, exemplifies the 

 ;il importance and value of pollination with another variety. 

 'I The twenty-two varieties of pears, of which flower buds were 

 bagged and then left untouched, were: 'Josephine de Malines,' 

 'Duchesse d'Angouleme,' ' Beurre Alexandre Lucas,' 'Durondeau,' 

 'Conference,' ' Clapp's Favourite,' 'Doyenne du Comice,' 'General 

 Todleben,' ' Winter Crasanne,' ' Marie Louise,' ' Colmar d'Ete,' ' Dr. 

 Jules Guyot,' ' Margaret Marillat,' ' Beurre Diel,' ' Catillac,' ' Citron 

 ; des Carmes,' ' Uvedale's St. Germain,' ' St. Luke,' ' Louise Bonne of 

 Jersey,' ' Souvenir du Congres,' 'Beurre Superfin,' and ' Pitmaston 

 Duchess. ' 



Apples. — Out of sixty-three varieties of apples on which unopened 

 blossoms were bagged and left untouched, the only fruit that set 

 I and matured was on ' Irish Peach,' and this was very good; of those 



