Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-04-29

of fruit. This opened up 10 the Maine
Agricultural Experiment Station the
whole question of procedure 70 OBJ
tain sufficient pollen from other va
rieties TO fertilize the blossoms on
this block of 1909 trees OF the one
variety at Highmoor Farm. To top
work some Of the trees vas Of course
The most practicable method. But
that led 70 he questions OF how fire.
quent must pollen furnishing trees
be placed, must they he scattered Or
can they be introduced IN rows. and
finally IS there any choice n varieties.
The last question was he first and
important one TO he settled Forty
three different kinds Of crosses were
tired in testing 10 see 4 there is such
a thing as cross steriiity. About half
oFtfe crosses tried proved 10 be com
patIble and fruit forming. Only TWO
crosses tDuCtes= rs female ana Bald
win pollen ana Ben Davis female and
Hurlbert Sweet POLLEN absolutely
failed 20 produce fruit. But there
were great differences IN the compa-
tibility of the others. The results Of
the trials with the varieties at High
moor Farm led 10 the study OF the
literature and the tobulation Of the
crossing records that have been made
and published in the United States.
Out of several Thousand attempts at
crosses with 243 varieties, - crosses
failed 10 produce fruit. That is. II
was found that three quarters of the
varieties We're cross fertile as against
only one third Of varieties that were
under any condition tried found 20 be
self fertile. These facts argue
strongly for the necessity Of arrang-
ing 70 have cross pollination in or
chards And also for the necessity
Of wise choosing Of the pollinating
varieties.
a study made by Alderman makes
il clear that the differences IN the
yield Of fruit in pollinated and in
cross poilinated orchards occupies
about the same relations as has been
found TO be the case in self poilina-
made by hand. In this expert
ment Rome Beauty orchard
that had been bearing only mod
crate crops was cross poilinated
by bringing in bhanches OF other
varieties while in full bloom and al
lowing the bees 10 work over these
other varieties at the same time
they worked over the Rome Beauty
trees. A suitable control was made
by another block of Rome Beauty
trees at a suitable distance. The
cross-fertiIized Rome Beauty trees
yielded double the amount Of fruit of
the others. The trial was repeated
the following year with the same diff
ferences found between the cross
poIlinated and the other portion of
the orchard.
The varieties which are particular
IL fertile when crossed are of espe-
ciai interest 10 the man who desires
10 plant A commercial orchard or TO
increase the bearing ability Of one
aleady planted by top working Ger
tain of the trees. These will be given
In detail in a bulletin that has been
prepared by the Maine Station but
which will not be received from the
printer in time for this years top
working. To any one desiring 10
top work an orchard this spring the
Station will gladly make suggestions
of the pollen parent on receipt Of
information of the variety to be
crossed.
Among the leading varieties in
Maine which should form desirable
combinations are the following. The
female parent IL first named and the
pollen bearing parent second in each
group. Baldwin crossed with Golden
Russell; Ben Davis with Mcintosh