New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 403 
(6) Improvement through crossing and hybridizing as a basis for 
generalizations as to the use of these operations in plant breeding. 
There are now growing about 2700 crosses and hybrids on the Sta- 
tion grounds and many times as many more have been discarded in 
the past few years. 
(7) Systematic selection from pure-bred seedlings. A consider- 
able number of pure-bred grapes have been and are now being 
grown for this purpose. 
(8) To discover what botanical and horticultural groups of the 
several fruits and vegetables best transmit their characters to their 
offspring either as pure-breds or in crosses. Valuable data as to 
the transmitting power of groups of grapes, apples, raspberries and 
strawberries have already accumulated. 
(9) Incidental to the above lines of research, the production of 
new varieties. Seven of these are described in this Bulletin. 
One or two words further are necessary to a proper understand- 
ing of this work by the layman. In all of the plant breeding in 
this Station an attempt is made to study every plant and to make a 
more or less full record of its behavior, whether promising or not 
from the grower’s standpoint. With each group of plants the work 
is along well defined lines, for a definite object, and according to a 
specific method. The desire is to know exactly how any particular 
result is attained. No time limit is set to any of the problems in 
plant breeding and it is not the intention to publish results nor dis- 
tribute new varieties at stated times. The Station is not a com- 
petitor of seedsmen or nurserymen, and does not distribute seeds or 
plants that can be obtained in the trade. It should be said, too, 
that the Stations is anxious that the trade have and offer for sale any 
of the new varieties that may be produced in the breeding work of 
this institution. It desires, too, that seedsmen and nurserymen 
have a full knowledge of the work done in breeding plants that 
they may take advantage of any progress made by the Station in this 
field. | hate | 
STATION STRAWBERRIES. 
The breeding work which gave rise to the three varieties of 
strawberries now to be distributed was begun in 1898. During this 
season seeds were saved from three crosses and self pollinated seed 
was saved from one variety. In making the crosses, and in saving, 
