448 REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
parent exceptions. The writer has made a similar computation for 
leafing and fruiting and finds also that there is no correlation 
between these two life events. 
How long are the several fruits in bloom? —It is often desir- 
able to know how long varieties of fruits remain in bloom. The 
averages of the data for the five years considered in this Bulletin 
give this information: For apples as a species it is about 9 days; 
pears, 7 days; peaches, 8 days; plums, 7 days; cherries, 7 days; 
grapes, 10 days. The time from first blossoms until all have 
dropped varies in accordance with the factors we have discussed as 
affecting blooming time. In very hot, dry weather blossoms of 
some fruits do not last longer than forty-eight hours. Blossoms 
of the tree fruits, unlike those of many flowering plants, remain 
open day and night after they have once opened though pollination 
probably takes place during the day only. 
In some seasons, or under some conditions, a few varieties of 
each of the several fruits have two sets of blossoms. When the 
trees of these varieties at such times are in full bloom unopened 
blossoms may be found. If the first blossoms are destroyed, the 
second set may set fruit. In case both sets produce crops there 
is an early and a late picking. _Some varieties of cherries are 
remarkable for this double blossoming even in normal seasons. 
The list shows early and late blooming varieties.— An inspection 
of the dates of blooming of all of the fruits shows that there is a 
variation of several days in most seasons between the appearance 
of the first blossoms of the different varieties. This can be taken 
advantage of in selecting sorts to avoid injury from frost. 
The following varieties of apples, pears, peaches, plums and 
cherries are grouped as early or late bloomers. Averages were 
taken of the dates of bloom for six years with apples, and for 
five years with the remaining classes of fruit. The least difference 
in length of time between early and late bloomers was with peaches, 
and the varieties were more variable, some years blooming early 
and other years blooming late. 
EARLY AND LATE BLOOMING VARIETIES OF FRUIT. 
APPLES. 
Early Bloomers. Late Bloomers. 
Bietigheimer Ben Davis 
Early Ripe : Northern Spy 
Gravenstein Peck Pleasant 
