Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-12-24
1918 Apple Studies at iilshmoor Farm
REPORT PREsENTED AT MEETING OF
STATE PoMeLoaIcAL SOCIETY.

The Council of the Maine Agricultural
Experiment Station that plans the work
Of the Station ls composed of three mem
bers Of the Trustees Of the University Of
Maine, representative from each Of the
State wide agricultural institutions and
members from the Station Staff. At the
meeting Of the State Pomological Society,
Mr.. Wilson q. Cunsnt, member from
that society, reported on the apple work
at .Highmoor Farm In 1918. His report
upon the apple breeding and orchard
management studies follows:
BREEDING WORK WITH APPLES.
The work on cross breeding apples for
the purpose Of studying the laws of
Inheritance in apples and of producing
new types OF fruit was continued in 1918.
A number Of hand pollinations were
made In the spring and the seed from
the apples thus obtained were planted in
the cold frame in the fall.
Last spring the seedlings planted in
the cold frame In 1915 that were large
enough were transplanted to the Seeding
orchard where they were set Z 10 feet
apart. This will allow sufficient room to
bring each tree into bearing after which
the worthless ones will be removed.
This orchard now contains nearly 1000
trees and more are being added to 1t
each year.
As fast as opportunity for handling
the seedlings will permit new pollina-
tiops are being made. In the present
state of kno owledge on apple breeding 1t
Is only by growing large numbers OF
seedlings and discarding the worthless
that any progress can be made. Careful
records are Kept at all steps in these
breeding operations, and it isshoped that
10 time these will throw some light on
the method of inheritance of certain
characters.
In connection with the work Of hand
pollination some very important evidence
has been secured relative to the self
sterllity of some varieties, particularly
the Ben Davis. Out of 276 self-pol-
linated clusters Of. Ben Davis blossoms
worked 10 the last three years only two
apples have ever set and these fell If
early in the season. Out Of 220 clusters
Of Ben Davis blossoms crossed With
other varieties during the same time 1872
apples were obtained. It thus appears
that the Ben Davis variety at least 10
practically self-sterile.
In order to overcome this difficulty
plan was approved by the Council to top.
work part of the trees In Ben Davis
No. 2 to other varieties. In the spring
OF 1917 over 100 trees In this orchard
we're grated to Mcintosh and Spy. Last
spring this work was continued, using
MoIntosh and st. Lawrence.
An extensive experiment on the
mutual influence Of stock and cion, as
outlined In previous reports, was con-
tinued during 1918 In 1915 . new
orchard of nearly 500 trees was set from
the stock and cion nursery. Nine differ
eut varieties were used, viz: Laure,
Rolfe, Milding, Gravenstein, Wealthy,
Mcintosh, Stark, Spy and Baldwin.
Half of the trees set from each variety
had been budded on French crab stock,
the other half bad been budded on Tol.
man Sweet stock. In addition to the
results from the stock and cion expert
ment, this orchard will be valuable
addition to the apple work at High.
moor.
Besides the experimental breeding
work outlined above, careful records are
kept of every individual tree In the
orchards. These data include notes on
the general vigor and appearance OF the
tree, the time and amount of bloom, the
set of fruit, the June drop, amount and
kind OF injury, etc. In addition the
actual weight of apples picked from each
tree and the measured amount OF wood
growth are recorded. In the course of
time these data should give very valua-
hla informa ation