The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Importance of Bud Selection 
Part I. 
A N IMPORTANT MATTER.—Bud selection has 
come to stay. Enough unbiased evidence has 
been accumulated to show that in many, if not all, 
vegetatively propagated plants, bud selection is as 
important as is seed selection for the improvement 
of plants. 
\ ARIATION IN PLANTS.—No two plants are 
alike. No two parts of a plant are exactly alike. 
In other words, variation in plant life is the rule 
and not the exception. A thorough appreciation of 
these fundamental and unmistakable facts of plant 
life are essential to the proper consideration of plant 
improvement These principles apply to plants 
propagated by budding, grafting or cuttings, as well 
as to plants grown from seed. No intelligent ob¬ 
server doubts these statements. They are self-evi¬ 
dent and proven beyond any shadow of doubt. They 
must be accepted without equivocation or mental 
reservation by those concerned in the work of plant 
breeding. The degree and frequency of variation in 
plants, or plant parts, depends upon the individual 
plant, the strain, the variety, and the species. Cer¬ 
tain species are more variable than others in the 
same genera. Varieties are not alike in the degree 
and frequency of variability, as is also the case with 
the strains within these varieties. The individual 
plants in a strain vary in their growth and behavior. 
A BASIS OF IMPROVEMENT.—How can we 
ever hope to eliminate variability if it is universally 
present and active in plant life? We cannot. It is 
fortunate that we are not able to do so, because 
herein lies the basis for plant improvement through 
selection. We cannot eliminate variation in either 
seed or bud propa¬ 
gated plants, but we 
can control it. In the 
control of variation 
arises the necessity 
for, and the desirabil¬ 
ity of, seed and bud 
selection. While we 
have a theory to ac¬ 
count for the variation 
of seedlings, there is 
no generally accepted 
theory to account for 
bud variation. This is 
not an argu ment 
against bud selection 
any more than because 
we do not fully under¬ 
stand electricity we 
should not attempt to 
control and utilize it. 
If we haci waited for 
a generally accepted 
theory of electricity 
before using it, we 
would still be without 
telephones, trolley cars, electric lights, or the other 
almost numberless necessities based upon electric 
energy. While we may not agree as to how plant 
cells vary during cell division, as contrasted with 
fecundation, we now know that they do vary. These 
variations are frequently very striking and important 
to the propagator and grower of vegetatively propa¬ 
gated plants. 
THE ORIGIN OF STRAINS.—In deciduous, 
citrus and other plants propagated by budding, 
grafting or from cuttings, some of the striking limb 
variations arising from bud mutations are frequently 
used in propagation and give rise to trees, or groups 
of trees or plants, differing from all other individ¬ 
uals of the variety in one or more constant and 
recognizable characteristics which are capable of 
perpetuation through vegetable propagation. If the 
strains arising from bud variations are of value 
they are often propagated commercially, and are 
usually classified as distinct varieties by propagators 
and others. The origin of -strains from bud varia¬ 
tions in vegetatively propagated plants is similar to 
the origin of strains in seed propagated plants. In 
the orange, or the apple, tree limb sports can be, and 
frequently have been, propagated by selecting bud 
wood from limb sports. The progeny of a limb sport 
will vary, in some cases much more than others, and 
through continued bud selection, based upon indi¬ 
vidual-tree performance records and intimate tree 
knowledge, commercially uniform strains can be 
isolated and developed. 
STRANGERS IN THE ORCHARD.—Fruit grow¬ 
ers occasionally find a strange tree in their young 
orchards, differing from the other trees and ap¬ 
parently belonging to a different variety. In some 
cases these strange trees are simply individuals of 
Smoothing Irrigation Furrows. Fig. 3 
other established and well-known varieties. In such 
instances the mixture in the planting has come about 
as a result of carelessness in propagation. Again, 
the strangers may be seedlings, the development of 
stocks in which the buds have failed to grow. Or, 
•these trees may be the result of true bud variation. 
I feel very sure that such is the case much ofteucr 
than is ordinarily thought to be the case. Whenever 
a fruitgrower finds a strange tree in his orchard 
which cannot be identified as belonging to any known 
variety, my experience is that he immediately jumps 
to the conclusion that it is a seedling. In over one 
hundred cases that I have personally studied, this 
explanation of the appearance of an off-type tree 
has been the invariable rule. It is not strange, be¬ 
cause we have all 'been taught that this is the cor¬ 
rect explanation of variable trees. The propagators, 
the scientists, the teachers, and the neighbors have 
always, in my experience, said that these strange 
trees were seedlings. It must be so. It is not so in 
many cases. In fact I would say in most cases that I 
fruit varieties opens up within the reach of all. If 
we begin to look for bud variations and bud sports 
these observations will lend interest to and pleasure 
in the work of fruit growing. If we will accept the 
fact that limb variations often occur in fruit trees 
which can be propagated through bud selection, we 
then have a direct and forceful incentive for careful 
observation of trees, foliage, flowers, and fruits. If 
we believe that the valuable limb variations can he 
developed, with a reasonable degree of certainty, 
into strains and varieties, then how fascinating are 
the possibilities in finding valuable sports for the 
benefit of horticulture. a. d. shamel. 
On Left, Typical 'Navel Orange; on Right, Corrugated Sport. Fig. 4 
have investigated il is not so. These strange trees are 
often the result of bud variations. After I got some 
of the facts of bud variation through my head, and cut 
loose from the habit of calling every variable tree a 
seedling, I began to study intelligently the origin of 
some of the variable trees which are to be found in 
nearly every young orchard. I say young orchard 
because many growers either top-work or replant 
the extremely variable trees after the tree character¬ 
istics have become fully established. 
BUD SPORTS.—In my opinion the histories of 
the origin of many of our fruit varieties are of 
doubtful value because of the age-long tendency to 
call every available tree a seedling. No tree should 
be called a seedling unless it is positively known 
that such is the case. Nor should any variety be 
said to be of seedling origin unless it can be shown 
certainly that this is the absolute truth. If avo 
accept the fact of bud variation, then a wonderful 
and very practical field of plant improvement in 
Specialized Farm Implements 
F EW of us realize how methods and implements 
are modified by crops and conditions. For ex¬ 
ample, go into a section where potato growing is the 
chief business on a large scale, and you will find 
that the more enterprising farmers have developed 
certain methods and implements which are especially 
useful in that locality. In Southern New Jersey, 
where the land is level and easily worked, we have 
seen implements that Avere new to us giving great 
satisfaction to the farmers. In sex'eral cases they 
worked so well that AA’e were tempted to buy the 
machines, and Avhen putting them at work on our 
own farm avg found them next to useless, because 
the conditions Avere entirely different from those 
Avliich were responsible for the development of those 
machines. In this Axmy many useful implements 
have been devised, although their use is usually con¬ 
fined to certain localities. For example, the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture has issued a bulletin on the 
beet sugar industry of the United States. Sugar 
beet growing is noAV 
pretty much confined 
to the Far West where 
irrigation is practiced, 
and the two imple¬ 
ments which are pic¬ 
tured herewith give an 
idea of what AA'e are 
talking about in con¬ 
nection Avith local de¬ 
velopment. The im¬ 
plement shown at Fig. 
3 is used in smoothing 
out irrigation furrows 
in a sugar beet field. 
These big chunks of 
wood plow or crush 
through the soil and 
make passages for the 
water down along the 
rows of beets. The 
other implement shoAA's 
a float also used in 
the sugar beet country 
to level down the seed 
bed Avhere the beets 
are planted. Of course this irrigation tool would 
be of little use outside of the irrigating district, but 
the float looks as though it might have a use in 
man^ other parts of the country where land is fitted 
for drilled seed. 
Another instance of the way this development is 
made can be found in the irrigating ditches. Many 
years ago in Colorado the writer of this worked on 
an irrigated farm. Water was plentiful, and there 
Avas no need of saving it. It ran over the land in 
open ditches annually plowed out or dug, so that a 
large part of the Avater was wasted by soaking into 
the ground where there were no crops. Then as 
this Avater became more necessary efforts Avere made 
to stop this waste by the use of ditches lined with 
1 lank or concrete. This held the water and carried 
it from one field to another, so that it could not soak 
aAvay during its passage. As farming goes on, peo- 
ple will be obliged to make greater use of water,* 
especially in garden operations, and one great prob¬ 
lem of the future will be to provide a water supply 
and prevent it from being wasted. 
Leveling Seed Bed for Sugar Beets. Fig. 5 
npHE Government figures show that as compared 
A Avith last year the supplies of poultry run about 
SO per cent, Avith eggs about 90 per cent. Our own 
reports indicate that these figures are too high. We 
believe the supplies of poultry have fallen off at 
least 25 per cent, from last year. AAdiile the demand 
for meat and eggs is increasing. That is Avhy Ave 
feel sure that the business in breeding stock and eggs 
next Spring must Increase. The rush to get back 
into poultry-keeping has begun. During the past 
hard years we have advised those of our readers who 
could raise the needed capital to hang on and im¬ 
prove their flocks. 
