Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-04-15
THE SELF STER|L|TY
OF APPLE TREES
Why the Apple Crop Has Not
Been Larger at Highmo0r
Farm - Careful Investiga-
ton Made-Result of the
Tests Through Several
Years.

Orono. Me, April 1.-THE follow
ing was issued today from the Office
Of Charles D. Woods. director of tbs
Maine Agricultural experiment sta
ton at the University Of Maine:
There are in round numbers $50.
Ben Davis apple trees in a solid
block at Highmoor Farm. Since the
orchards were brought into shape by
proper management there has been
heavy bloom practically every year
This bloom has. however. been fol-
lowed by a Disappointing crop a
5000 barrel bloom" has given from
1000 TO 1900 barrels az harvest. And
naturally the Biologists OF the Maine
Agricultural Experiment Station
have very closely sougfS the reasons
therefor. The heavy June drop"
clearly indicated that il was q Ques-
ton of proper polarization. While
the cause was being sought many
expedients were tried to insure pol
leniZation of the blossoms such as
the Introduction OF bees into the or
chaSd. frost protection, etc.
Soon after acquiring the farm the
Station began study OF the laws of
inheritance of apples. This neces-
Stated cross polarization. Zen Da-
Wis pollen was found TO be virile so
far as most other varieties Of apples
was concerned. And when other
pollen was crossed or the Ben Davis
as the female there was rarely any
difficulty n obtaining good fruits
with strong seeds. One year the
biologists tried hand pol!inaling Ben
Davis females with Ben Davis pollen.
No fruit was obtained. This led 10
self polarization study Of Ben Da-
&is and the other varieties at High
moor Farm. Self polarization was
tried in two different ways. Pollen
from different blossoms on the same
tree was used in part Of the trials
and pollen from other trees OF the
same variety was used in other trials.
The pollination was made at the
proper time and by experts in this
kind of work In l26 cases where
fruit bud clusters o. 10 S blossoms
each of Baldwin. Ben Davis. Ouch
ess. Early Harvest. Golden Russell.
Hurlbert Sweet. Mcintosh Red.
Northern Spy. Ped As;rachan and
Rhode Island Greening were bagged
so as 10 protect them from other pol
len only two fruits were obtained.
These were Baldwin. In $50 trials
with the same varieties when the
bloom was hand pollinated with poi
H.
that matured and formed seeds were
obtained. These were also of the
Baldwin variety. In 20 trials with
about half the above varieties where
the pollen was obtained from other
trees of the same variety not a single
fruit was obtained. That the pollen
from different trees of the same va
riety had no greater potency in fruit
production than the pollen from the
same tree is not at all surprising.
This would naturally be expected for
il is 10 be remembered that all of
the trees of a given variety are Of
common origin all having been prop
agated from one original seeding.
These results are striking testimony
TO the relative stability of buds and
the trees which grow from them.
The results obtained in the work
by the Maine Station led to the ex-
animation of the. literature to see
what records had been obtained in
other states and under other climatic
conditions. 1t was found that in
many hundreds of trials with 119
varieties only about one-third are
known to have ever self-fertilized
and set fruit. Only IS varieties set
fruit in any number. OF the COM
rnercial varieties the Baldwin showed
itself to be self fertile ia ACUTE an ex-
tent in Maine and elsewhere. The
Jonathan, Early Harvest, and Yell