The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-16

ing you that there is little doubt that
you can guess at the rest.
The chances that you have of produc-
ing hardy, bookkeeping apples here in
likely, one to fifty. But whta of it, It
is no very great labor to pollenize
enough blossoms to produce 500 to 1000
seeds. You have three well-known
sorts, and there may be more, from
which there is reasonable hope of sue
cess, namely: Wealthy, Northwestern
Greening and the Patten IS Greening.
Should you cross the last two you may
look only for green-colored apples. But
what Of it7 Grimes Golden and Rhode
Island Greening are as much sought
after in the market as any other apples.
II you pollenize the Wealthy and the
N Mort ives anl, rGeening you may get
so%e req aRIpeS unless there is great
pies will be green. # you reverse the
formula, using the pollen of the Veal
thy, the result will be colored apples.
And If there is not too much heredity
force coming from the Wealthy thru its
supposed crab origin, which I doubt,
you will get some long keeping apples.
The Patterns Greening is the only one
OF the three varieties whose origin is
positively known on one side, and with
great certainty on the other, and it and
the Northwestern Greening having in
! them the parentage of long keeping ap-
pies, we may reasonably expect good
results result by crossing iinterchangeably
have commercial size, appearance and
thy crossed on the Patterns Greening is
likely to produce varieties of great
value. The TolmaT Sweet and Golden
Russell should also be crossed on it to
secure desirable apples for southern
Minnesota. ~.
| Twelve years ago last spring we be-
gan at Charles City the work in con-
nection with the Iowa State Horticul-
tural society of creating new apples
by, hand pollination, and whoever has
entered into any line of research where
the problems to be solved were .untried,
intricate and complex, can in some
measure appreciate the position that we
occupy. We have made mistakes, they
were unavoidable, and we have pro-
crossed slowly: But we think we are
breeding up thru the hybrid Siberian
Briar Sweet crab and some of our
tinct type or family of fine, hardy.
sweet fruits. We shall make the third
generation of crosses this coming
spring.
It is now twenty eight years
since crossed the Soulard crab, the
. largest Of the Pyrus coronarius, or wild
1 |
l.. IL. Bailey considers an accidental
cross with some cultivated apple. In
that cross | secured the first and most
distinct hybrid with the wild crab of
our forests, indeed I believe the only
, one that has ever been produced by
artificial means. This hybrid was re-
crossed again, and the past year one
tree bore an abundant crop of pretty,
3 fne-grained and palatable apples of the
: third generation of hybrids with the
wild crab.
Again I have cross of twenty years
Grimes Golden, and many successful
= crosses between the Patterns Greening
and Grimes Golden, and if there were
: no other apples in existence than these
!, two aforementioned crossed, another
generation of intelligent crossing and
selecting would give early apples, keep
: ing apples, commercial apples, delicious
apples and hardy trees.
- FINALLY permit me to urge again; if
! you would create large fruits and fruits
! Of the highest quality, that you cannot
: do it thru weak or weakened parentage.
For hardy and vigorous as either par
- ent may be, they must not be debili-
q ripening Of the flower is the supremest
effort of the tree to perpetuate itself
y and the strongest tree will be weakened
: by an abnormal or excessive bloom.
+ Two-thirds or three-fourths of the bloom
+ should be removed from the tree before
t the blossoms open, SO that the genera
y tive forces will be concentrated in the
( flowers that you wish to pollenize. And
i for like reason large part of the
: bloom should be taken from the male
: or Pollen-bearing, tree, SO that there
s could be no doubt as to the strength of
r its pollen in producing the highest type
of its kind. Every observing fruit
8 grower knows that when his trees are
e overloaded, that the fruit is small, in
!, sipid, lacking its natural flavor and
4 dropping from the tree before its juices
e are perfected,
y Hence the necessity Of thoro cultiva-
). tion, spraying and doing everything
:. known to horticultural art to give DO.
t tency, or life-giving power, to the
!, the hardy tree, and the beautiful and
: delicious fruit, for which we are earn.
i estly and anxiously searching.