The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-04-10
Fruit Tross in the Spring.

Fruit 1ross in tho Spring.
Now that it is nearly time for the
fruit trees to blossom it would be well
for farmers who desire large crops OF
fruit to consider the matter of the pol
lenation of the blossoms. which is so
necessary in securing perfect fruit.
The various experiment stations have
been at work in the direction of pol
lenation for several years. and the
Cornell station has performed excel
lent service in calling attention to the
facts which have not been well under
stood By fruit growers. u may not be
known that scarcely one fruit bios
som in 10 sets fruit. even in the most
favorable seasons and with the most
productive varieties, and trees max
ing very vigorous growth may drop
their blossoms, while brown rot or
apple or pear scab and pear blight
may also destroy them. AS all farm
mers understand. however. frost will
:njure blossoms. and even flowers that
are apparently uniniured may be so
weakened as to be unable to set fruit.
Rain during the blooming season par
TALLY prevents the setting of fruit,
chiefly by destroying the vitality of
the pollen. injuring the stigma. or by
preventing fertilization because of the
low temperature. The washing of
pollen from the anthers. however. sci.
dom causes serious loss. The position
of an orchard. the soil, the protection
in the form Of windbrakes. the sudden
appearance of severe cold, or warm
spell of weather in February or
March all affect the fruit to a certain
extent. The trees that have the
greatest number of blossoms do not
always produce the most fruit. rs 10.
cal conditions may not be as favor
able as for some other trees in the
same orchard
The main cause of the unsatisfac-
tory fruiting OF orchards over the
whole country Is self-sterility. Any
tree is self-sterile If 1t cannot set
fruit unless planted near other varie-
ties. The cause of self-sterilitv Is the
inability OF the pollen of variety to
fertiliZe the Dlstils cf that variety.
Poor stamens and pistils are also
is the continued dropping of fruit
from isolated trees or solid blocks OF
trees GO enc variety. Self-sterility is
not constant characteristic with any
variety as the same variety may be
self-fertile in one place and nearly
self-sterile in some other. Well-fed
trees are less likely to be sterile with
their own pollen than trees that are
poorly nourished. When sitting out
new orchards the trees should be of
mixed varieties and not a solid block
of any one kind. and where orchards
are already established and the trees
are unfruitful it will probably be
= found profitable to put few crafts of
another variety in each tree. In the
matter of preventing loss of fruit by
spraying it has been found by expert
menting with apple trees that the
number of blossoms saved is quite
large compared with trees that re-
ceived no treatment, in many cases
the crop being doubled. 1t is safe to
| claim, however. that the majority of
growers allow their trees to overbear
and carry too large a crop to matur-
| ity, instead of thinning out the fruit
at an early stage. First save the
blossoms by spraying to destroy in
sects and parasites and reduce the
fruit on the trees later.
Some kinds OF fruit do not require
mixing with other varieties. while
others perfer to be with varieties best
adapted for the purpose. European
and Oriental pears can fertilize each
other, and many varieties of the do
mestic, Japanese and native plums are
likewise inter-fertile. provided they
bloom at the same time. The pollen
of some varieties will give larger fruit
than that of others when 1t falls on
or is applied to the pistils of either
self-sterile or self-fertile varieties.
Among our common orchard fruits
cross-pollenation seldom has an imme-
diate influence on the size OF the fruit
itself. but cross-pollenation probably
gives better results than self-pollena-
tion with nearly all varieties. 1t is ad-
visable and practicable to plant all va
rieties of orchard fruits. be they self
sterile or selffertile. with reference
to cross-pollenation. Insects are prob
ably more important than wind for
carrying pollen from tree to tree,
hence growers who have but one va
riety in solid block have been bene-
fitted by the varieties growing In some
neighboring orchard. which may even
be some distance away. but this should
not be relied upon. as the Eafest plan
Is to have at least two varieties of all
kinds of fruit. the two varieties to
come In blossom at the same time in
order that the one may provide pollen
for the other.-PhiladelDhia Record.