Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-09-09
Spencer Seedess
Apple Here to Stay.

HERETOFORE GOVERNMENT POMoLo-
GIsTs HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GROW
sEEDLEsS, BUT 1T WAS SMALL AND
THE TREES POOR BEARERS-CALI
FoRNIAN, HOWETER, COMEs TO THE
| FRONT WITH AN ORCHARD OF COM
MFRCIAL VALUE.
Men are not fruit raisers today With
out a purpose, and when one sees
successful fruit grower he may know
that he has given as much attention
TO his business and the habits ana
nature of his trees as is given to any
other successful business. Thus IL Is
that more and more is being learned
about the nature of fruit trees and the
fruit growing industry is not without
it's eras.
One of the most decided eras In the
fruit growing industry of the country
came with the development of the seed
less orange. Since the seedless oranges
were first placed on the market, less
than a dozed years ago the new variety
has almost entirely mOnOpOlized the
orange market of the country. Dur
| ing recent years there have been de-
veloped seedless plums, seedless water
melons and seedless tomatoes.
None of these have been OF practical
value, however, and not much has
been said of them after their first
appearance. Within the last few
months the greatest stride in this d.
rection has been made by the devel-
opment OF seedless apples.
Tue apple market is the means OF the
handling of millions of dollars every
year. Unlike ioranges, apples might
almost be considered necessities, while
oranges are still Injuries. The field
for apples is wider than the orange
field. and there are barrels of them
sold where box of oranges is sold.
The development of the new apple,
Then. marks even a more decided ad-
vance than the development OF the
orange, and reasoning from the facts
iof the orange market, it can safely be
argued that the same sort OF change
will follow the placing of the new ap
pie upon the market.
AS yet there are none OF these apples
on the market, most of last year Is crol
being consumed in exhibition at the
Worlds Fair. There are 2, 900 seedless
trees in the orchard of the developer
. of the new apple, John F. Spencer O
Grand junction, Col, however, and al
soon as they are In bearing, the frs
shipments will be made.
The new apple has many character
istics that mark it from the common
variety in addition to its seedless ma
ture. In the ordinary acceptance o
/ the term. the seedless apple trees ar
5 without blossoms. The blossoms ar
I there, but there are no white petal
! such as are found on the Ordinar
. tree, and during blOssoming time tn
trees appear to be completely barrer
There is only q green bud at the plac
; where the blossom is usually fount
but this bud contains all the germlna
\ ing power of the common apple bio
? SOM, with the exception of the poWe
that terminates seed. This is lackln'
4 and when a sectional view of the ord
? nary apple bud, the difference is see
at once.
\ The ordinary apple bud will sho
: clearly the growing seed, and in con
Z parlson with the rest of the bud the
a are larger than when the fruit is full
3 natured. The seedless bud, hoWeve
a shows no sign of the seeds and nothlI
\ can he seen that in any way resembi
4 them.
4 1t is true that occasionally there a
D seeds found imbedded in the meat
6 the seedless apple. but these con
4 there through the deposit OF the poll
D of a common apple orchard near t
6 seedless orchard, this condition wol
H be reduced to minimum.
n The apple is dark red in color, wi
& lsmall yellow strawberry dots covert
" it. 1t has taste much like the vii
. sap and keeps better than Ben DaI
There being no seed, there is nothl
for the apple worm to live on, 1t be-
a recognized fact that the apple wo
- lives off the seed, and this being SO
* Feature is added to the new ap
x which make it even more attract
- than if it were merely seedIess.
N The trees have hard, smooth bf
q and are not so likely to be attacked
- insects as the ordinary tree, wh
q holds places of lodgment under ro
"a bark.
An unusual phenomena connec
Il with the new apple, which has
q entirely been explained, is the freet
- of the fruit from destruction by fr
u lit has been proven in Mr.. Spenc
q orchard, that frost that will
q nearly all the buds of an ordinary a
q tree will not affect the seedless
in the least. Whether this may be
U to local conditions or not the nal
cA of the tree cannot be fully determ
until the tree has been tried in e'
. climate. Should it prove, howe
that the new tree is proof against
. this seedless and wormless charact
tics of the apple would be insignifi
as compared to it.
A larger possibility would be op
for the apples, for it would be pos
IND TO raise the fruit where it is now
possible. Nurseries are being e
lished in the country and the
reason for the conditions notice.
Grand Junction will be determin
few years.