The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-08-05
APPLES WITH PEDIGREES
One Of the Aims Of the Experiment
Station at Burlington.

Burlington, Aug. 5.--ls there such a
thing as a bredded apple tree, the
same as a bredded COW or horse?
That is one of the big questions which
NJ. b. Cummings, professor of horti-
culture in the College of Agriculture
is tackling; and its answer will mean
not only step along toward the SO
luton of the moot problem whether
individual variations exist in any one
species of fruit, but it will help Yer
mont fruit men to improve their or
chardc.
Already some results have been OBJ
tanned at the experiment farm which
the department conducts. But some
more of that later. Hubbard squash
Is the thing CT immediate practical in
terest. The idea is to discover how
far we can modify and control the
quality and quantity said Professor
Cummings. The squashes are bios
soming well and give hope of being
free from that "sloshy," wet quality
which is so common in many kinds OF
squash raised in Vermont and else
where. 'By seed selection we can In
crease or decrease the yield" he ex-
planned.
Strawberries is fruit which the sta
tion is experimenting with. Mr.. Cum
mings and his aids are breeding with
reference to developing a strain per
feet in regard to productivity" Al.
ready some results are being arrived
at. Vermont soil is pretty well adapt.
ed for their culsoil is pretty we'll
adapted for their culture, as Burling-
tcnians at least know, and a measure
OF success seems in sight.
But apples. What's the matter with
Vermont apples. you ask? Well.
there's something the matter with al.
most everything, and the College of
Agriculture is trying to find out what
that something is in each case. Scion
| selection experiments" Is the phrase
the professor uses, expressing as it
were the first family" attribute which
a species of apples may have. In his
own words I'VE are trying to find
out whether absolutely It pays to Sc.
lect grating wood from the highest
yielding and best colored parent trees
or whether one may select promiscu-
ously from trees regardless of their
qualityan d yielding propensities.'
| With cattle there is known to be
such thing as pedigree, and Yer
monts horses and cattle, too. have
made anmes for themselves all over
the Union. But trees, have they that
sort OF good blood in their veins?
ut is assumed by many nurseymen,
says the professor, that there Is "A
value In pedigree culture. This has
not been established with fruit trees.
1t has been established with regard
to some farm crops, but not with or.
chard crops"
Year after year, summer in and
summer out, and fall after fall. for six
years the workers at the station have
been scrutinlZing those trees. Now
they are getting some results from
their long watching and waiting. For.
ty trees are on trial and a few In each
series of seven different varieties are
now beginning to do something ON
their own account. All are of com.
mercial grade, and when the finest
quality of fruit is obtained there will
be no lack Ct markets and colored
paper Is as cheap her as anywhere.
No new.fangled species are being
tried. They are all old stand.bys-
groenings and northern spies. wealth
les and iameusos. These trees oI
course produce some of the best an
pies raised anywhere. They are biz
hardy, juicy of distinctive and pleas
ant flavor and meaty. "Sloshy" ap
pies exist the same as "sloshy'
squashes, and Mr.. Cummings has
picked out four species of apple,
which. in his opinion. are fitted fol
Vermont soil, likely to be worth IN,
attention bestowed upon them and
generally speaking, permanent,
worth while.
. The department of horticulture Il
casting IT'S big eye over the State
| apple crop. and has been doing so fo
, years, and its work Is of cours,
shaped by the results which II hope
to obtain In the State.
1t doesn't claim to have obtained
sensational results yet from the exper
ment station, but some results are il