Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-06

breeding Of fruit is one of the most
fascinating of the modern sciences,
and the results that are just now be-
| ing obtained read like the romances of
conju, ors The greatest stumbling
block in the way of the working out
of these modern miracles has been the
length of time required in producing
successive generations of given
plant. 1t mas often happened that
scientist has died before he has ac-
cemplished the end for which he has
set out. But new the time is TO be
cut TO one-fourth, and the probabilities
are that results will be in the coming
generations multiplied hundredfold.
The march is accomplished in this
way: The seeding is grown to the age
of but three or four weeks. It is a
weak little plant of but four or six
leaves. Nature has stipulated that
many years must pass before it comes
to maturity. blossoms and bears fruit.
Under the march process this stripl-
ing is taken up with a ball of earth
about it's roots sufficient to maintain
its life for a few weeks. The whole is
transferred to "A stalwart, vigorous
tree of a kindred species This tree
may be two ar three years old Its
roots are deep. 1t is supplying susie
nance for top that is hundred times
as the Seeding.
This is known as the nurse tree.
! The outer bark is scraped from the
side OF the nurse tree a foot above the
ground The outer bark is likewise
scraped from the Seeding. The two
wounds are bound together with soft
cloth bands. The ball of dirt on the
4
| side of the nurse tree. In two or three
weeks the plants have grown together.
| The dirt from the roots of the Seeding
may be removed. 1t is now drawing
| its visor from the nurse tree. Event
| ually it's roots are cut off smoothly be-
| low the poin; of union. The nurse tree
| has taken the little orphan plant un'
| to itself.
| But this is not the end. After the
| union is thoroughly established the
plant juggler cuts the top off the
great vigorous nurse tree. Then all
| the nourishment that was going to
its top is diverted TO the single small
stem. The result is such growth as
nature never knew
The orange. the grapefruit. the lem
on. the tangerine. even the ornamental
japanese orange all belong to the
I same family. Their relation is so close
/ that they may be cross bred. Plants
may be cross bred by shaking the poll
len from the flower of one into that of
the other. The process In nature is
brought about by bees carrying the
pollen from one flower to the other.
So the scientist. wishing to cross
certain varieties. prevents the fertili-
cation of the flowers by the bees by
putting paper bags over the given
blossoms. Then when the time is ripe
| for the experiment he removes the
bags, shakes the pollen from the
flowers of the one plant into those of
| the other and puts back the paper
| bags. The seeds that result from the
| fruit from these flowers will be Il
cross between the two plants used in
| the experiment.
This is just what has been done be-
! tween the ordinary orange and the
| mock orange. The mock orange is a
| cold resistant plant. 1t win grow as
far north as New York. The great
| difficulty with the oranges and citrus
| fruits in general is that they can grow
| only in communities not visited by
/
| cross the cold resistant branch of the
| orange family with the branch that
| produces the best fruit and thus Sc
cure a plant that will produce a good
| frarit and will also grow in a cold eli
mate.
1 now a hybrid seed so obtained re-
| quires under the methods of unaided
| nature the accustomed eight years to
| bear fruit.
| In the citrange two plant genera
| tons have been grown under the old
system. The fruit that has been de-
veloped will grow anywhere in the
southern states. 1t takes on the ma
ture of an improved lemon 1t will be
more nearly substitute for lemon
| than any other of the fruits that we
| now have.
1t is still an ornamental plant and
the department of agriculture recon-
i mends that people living in the south
ern states plant the citrange in their
/ Yards as ornamental plants and de-
| rive the added advantage of being able
to nick ripe fruit for citrangade or for
any of the purposes for which lemons
are used from their own gardens at
/ almost any time of the year. There
| are 10000 people now growing the cit
range trees
The march may also be extensively
used in rose culture. When scfentlhc
plant growers develop a hybrid rose
| through the same method of cross-fer-
i tllization they have been forced 70
1 wait for years until it came into flow
err Some of the most delicate bios
SONS grow on stalks that are also del
icate and slow to develop. Such seed
/ lings may be marched on the stalk OF
some sturdy and well-rooted rosebush
and vigorously crowded into blossom.
It's virtues or slack OF them may be
sooner determined.
There are those who may say that
practically the same things may be
accomplished by the old process OF
budding or grating. This is, however,
not the case Beforc plant may pc
budded on to another stalk IT must