The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-12-09
cRoss.aREo ERulI.
Peculiar Hybrids Produced by the srieu
tiic Horticulturist.

peared on the vines of North France
md ruined the crop. Two years later
It spread all over France, Italy. SPAIN
Syrla-in fact. over all the vineyards OF
the countries round the Mediterranean
The crops were reduced to one.twelfth
of the usual amount. and for some
years the terrible disease known as the
phylloxera ragged, doing millions Of
pounds worth of damage.
In 1868 vines were imported from
California and found TO be proof
against the fungus. Then began a
series of experiments in crossing these
new varieties with the old ones. The
hybrids which have resulted produce
the most valuable grapes at present
known; and not only that. but are as
powerful in resisting tie attacks Of
disease MS were their American ances.
tors.
The patient experimenters in cross
breeding plants have conferred many
great boons upon mankind in general.
and their work is at present only be-
ginning. Some of the experiments
lately completed are OF an absolutely
startling character. Tomatoes. for IN
stance. have been grated on potato
plants. and the extraordinary spectacle
has been seen of plant producing two
crops-one under tho ground and one
above. Strictly speaking. However the
latter case is not one cf hybriGlzation.
A bud grated upol Grother stock al
30. -
stance. if you graft branch from Il
Ribston-pippll upon crab-aprle, you
get true Ribston-plppin apples, not n
cross between pippins and crabs. Real
naturalization results from fertillGinS
the blossom of one plant with the pol
len of another, and thcn planting the
resulting seed.
Many splendid now fruits have thus
been produced. For instance, at Il re-
cent meeting of the Royal Horticul.
tural Society q now hybrid vas SHOWN
which was half raspberry, Ealf black.
berry, and had the good Qualities OF
beth. The bush las the lock Of tn?
blackberry and Is grown in tl2 same
way; but the fruit has a taste midway
between blackberry and raspberry. and
comes into bearing Just as tEc ra5r Der
ries are falling.
Considering how tic price cf or
dinary fruit doubles or trebles at the
beginning or end of its season, tho
value of an early or late variety nay
be easily understood. An example OF
the value of breeding fruits is to
De seen in the peach known rs the
Duchess of Cornwall. 1t las been
known to rlpen nearly Il fortnight be-
fore any other British hothcuse peach
1t is a cross between an early peach
and an early nectarinc, and is earlier
than either of its parents.
The possibility of pear-applc was
suggested to Worcestershire gardener
by finding such a freak on one of his
apple trees He successfully pro1u ccd
It after several attempts, but 1T IL
likely to be valuable only as cCr!os'
ity. for there is little that Is inviting
either in its appearance or favor.
1t is possible to proCucc tic stralgest
crosses Blackberries. for instance,
have been crossed with strawberries
but though the resulting seed produced
plants. these were sickly and spindly
and utterly refused to bloom, much
less bear fruit. Perhaps the most pc;
cullar attempt Mt crossing fruits was
that between the black currant ard tho
gooseberry, but in spite Of every effort
1t failed.
Possibly the most important of all
cross breeding experiments are those
which have had wheats and other food
grains for their subjects. At Newtonle'
Willows. in Lancashire, Messrs.' Carton
have been at work for more than
twenty years past crossing and improv'
ing wheats barleys and oats.
Ordinary English barley has threo
grains on each spike. BY cross-breed'
ing a descendant has been produced
with seventeen grains instead of three
Other cross-bred wheats have been pro
duced on this farm which have no
husks. The food value of such grains
is. of course, very much greater. and
the labor of preparing them for table
much less.
1t is an interesting point that tho
first experiment in cross-breeding was
performed upon the common pink
This was just two centuries ago. FAIR
child was the eXperimenter, ana the
result was a perfect success.