Evening journal., 1897-01-07
P0M0L0GICAL ART.
TRYING TO PRODUCE sEEoLEss AND
THoRNLESs FRUIT.


suits Have shown That They Are on the /
Right Basis-slight Success with Apples.
One of the most important objects po /
mologists are striving for is to produce
thornless and seedless fruits and from
the results already obtained it is not /
unlikely that the end will soon be real
lied. Seeds are not relished by the con-
sumers of fruits, and if they could be
removed we would enjoy our grapes
without experiencing a dread Of appen-
dicitis and kindred complaints
Thorns are not in good standing
among fruit growers, because they are
constantly puncturing the best fruits
and, what is equally important the
skin of the pickers. The thorns and
prickles Of plants and trees were un-
doubtedly intended by nature to protect
them from animals, but that is no rea-
son why they should be continued for
generation after generation on the cul-
tivated varieties. The gardener has no
need for them. and, for that matter, the
trees and shrubs have none either.
Our domesticated pears and apples
were all derived from the thorny, wild
varieties, and pomologists have succeed
ed in ridding them of these spikes and
prickles by careful culture and selec-
tion. Oranges and lemons have not
been cultivated in this country as sue
cessfully as pears and apples, and many
Of them are very thorny. The wild and
sour orange trees of Florida are bris
Ting with thorns, as is also the high
priced king orange, one of the best OF
the mandarins. The wild lemon trees Of
Florida are so thorny that growers ques-
tion the advisability of grating the fine
La France lemons on them.
In Florida, however the thorns Of
the orange and lemon trees have been
, greatly reduced by selecting buds from
branches with the fewest thorns, and
by continuing this process year after
year the sharp spikes disappear. In Cal
ifornia nearly all of the orange trees are
thornless-not naturally, but as the re-
! suit of cultivation and selection.
The thorns on blackberries, raspber-
I ries and rosebushes give the greatest
$ bother to horticulturists in the north,
and there is determined effort to get
rid of them. The thorns give endless
trouble to the pickers, and their remoy
al might save many puncture TO deli
O cate hands. There is an improved varie
= ty Of raspberry placed on the market to
IS day which is entirely thornless but the
a trouble is that quality and quantity o.
= fruit have been sacrificed TO the gain
made in destroying the thorns.
:. There is little doubt that perfect
y thornless blackberries and raspberriei
will soon be obtained, for there is 4
widespread movement among gardener
and seedsmen to accomplish this. Thi
p man who IL fortunate enough TO produce
i. a variety that gives perfect fruit with
!. oct the thorns will receive pretty stii
n price for his plants.
is Seeds are also unnecessary plant prod
n uots in these advanced days Of horticul
ture, when gardeners propagate hal
their stock by cuttings, CRAFTS aud slips
ly Nature need no longer trouble hersel
III about the fear of losing any of her types
y The modern horticulturist is sure Z
u preserve every one of any value withou
~ ~, gathering a seed.
-. The California navel orange repre-
h. sents the best type of fruit grown with
r. out seeds. Nature produced this orang
h. as a freak at first and man has take
he advantage Of it to propagate fruit of
IN high order. Half the oranges of Cali
ne fornia are grated with the navel, an
W it is the most important fruit Of Tn
"a ai Pacific coast. Nature tried to produc
70 70 twins in the navel orange, and one SUI
vived only as q protuherance in tn
NJ BLOSSOM end while the other expande
re into q well shaped fruit without seeds
S. These oranges are occasionally foun
les with small seeds but, az rule, the
ng are perfectly seedless.
lrs Several varites of seedless apples an
81 pears have already been produced, bu
,r- the quality Of the fruit is generally poo
he and nearly worthless. They are Gale
"bloomless" pears and apples and al
ITS exhibited more as ouriosities than as IL
rk, triumphs of pomological art. Neverth
Try less, they are the beginning of new el
Of apple growing, and they represent ii
a.. an primary stock Of seedless fruits whiC
,co may produce in time the finest tlavorc
hi apples and pears.
or The grape industry would be beneh
ed more than any other by the produ
The tion Of new varieties without seeds, an
to toward this end scores of fruit grove
ent are working, especially in Californi
al. The idea is to produce not only tab
M l1 grapes, but grapes that will make fiji
raisins. Seedless raisins would pro
90 such a boon to the whole civilized wor
ING that any other variety would bo quick
ins run out of the market.
inc There is a seedloss grape of Corint
which commonly passes as a currar
OF and the Sultana raisins Of southeaste
Ia Ia Europe are also seedless. But the
'oS 90 fruits are so small that they can new
answer the purpose. What the ira
nm wants is a large, seedless grape, wi
It's perfect color and flavor, and TO get tn
'ur. it is necessary to experiment for yeai
md New York Journal.
IN The Austrian Dynasty.
~, 10 The present emperor Of Austria
ne Francis Joseph. who ascendod /