Oxford Democrat., 1912-09-03
Breeding New Apple Varieties.

The standard varieties of apples are
propagated by what the botanst calls the
vegetative method Either by grating
or budding part of one tree is made to
develop into the whole or some part of
another tree. In this process, ordinarily
speaking, there is no change in the quail
ity of the fruit. There is indeed no rea-
son to expect any such change, because
what is really being done is simply to
multiply what was originally one single
plant. Desirable as this method of prop
agation is from a commercial stand
point, since it enables us to keep our
fapple varieties pure in spite of the fact
that the apple is an open pollinated plant
in which natural crossing always occurs,
there remains the fact that this method
of propagation by grating and budding
gives in itself no opportunity to bring
any improvement by breeding. Almost
all other agricultural plants have been
greatly improved by the practice of the
breeders art.
Prominent Maine apple growers agree
that there is great need for the produc-
ton of new and improved apple varieties
for this state. Competition from the
apple-growing states of the west, in par
ticular Oregon, is keen and Is growing,
Maine needs perfectly hardy apple pro-
ducing fruit of large sizn, good flavor
aud bright red color, with good keeping
qualities, firm skin and flesh to stand
shipping well. One or another of the
standard varieties have some of these
qualities. A combination of them all in
a single apple is thing much to be de-
sired.
With an open fertilized plant such as
the apple, there is little hope of being
able to attain this combination of desira-
BILE qualities by selection alone. 1t
would indeed be impracticable to at
tempt it this way. Resort must be had
to the other chief method of the plant
breeder, namely, hybridization or cross
ing. The discoveries OF the past dozen
years in the science of heredity, particu
larly the discovery of those laws associat-
ed with the name of the Austrian monk,
Gregor Mendel, prove that if one has the
time and patience it is possible to COM
bine in one variety or breed any set OF
desirable characteristics which can be
found in other breeds or varieties. The
way in which this can be done is by a
system of cross breeding. The desired re-
suits are usually not obtained in the first
generation following the cross, although
they may be, but il is in the second gen.
GRAFTON following the cross that one looks
for results. If individuals of this gen.
GRAFTON are raised on a sufficiently large
scale, some will be found which possess
the desired combination Of characters
for which one has been working.
Work along this line with the apple
has been undertaken by the Maine Agri-
cultural Experiment Station at High
moor Farm. A wide series OF crosses
are being made between different ones
of the standard varieties of apples, with
the idea of first finding out how the diff
ferent desirable qualities of apples are
inherited. Then IN the light of this
knowledge it will be possible to proceed
to build up synthetically a type OF apple
which meets the orchardist's needs. I'm
mediate results from this line of work,
of course, are not expected. The i'm
provement of any animal or plant by
breeding is likely to be somewhat slow
process. 1t is particularly so in the case
of the apple, since so long time is re-
quired between the making of the cross
aud the fruiting of the crosS.bred
tree. BY the most expert manipula-
ton, it is hardly possible to get the
length of the generation OF the apple,
that is, the time from seed to seed, down
to much less than four years on the aver
age. Three years is about the shortest
time in which one can hope to get even
a single fruit resulting from particular
cross which he may have made. What
is a hindrance in one direction is help
in another. The fact that apples may
be so easily propagated by grating,
and budding, makes it possible when
once desirable type has been found, TO
propagate it quickly to an indefinite ex-
tent.
In connection with this cross breeding
work with apples study is also being
made of apple seedlings. Since the
apple is naturally cross fertilized to
very large degree, there is considerable
chance that by a systematic study OF
Seeding apples, desirable combinations
of qualities may be found. Indeed, II is
in this way that some of the most valu'
able of the standard varieties OF apples
have been originated in the past.
While such line as this apple breed
ing work gives no promise OF Immediate
results, it is in the best sense building
for the future. Even if ten years should
be REQUIRED to produce the kind of apple
the Maine grower is looking for, the
time would have certainly been well
spent. - Chas. d. Woods, Director,
0ronO, Me.