NEW ZEALAND PLANT BREEDERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 195, 12 May 1908, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND PLANT BREEDERS.

SOME WORK THAT! IS ALREADY DONE. OCR, PIONEERS. The gardening contributor of the Christchurch "Press," In,an article on the plantbreeding 'that fins been done by. enthusiastic Now Zealand horticulturists, remarks that among r those who aro deeply'interested in the. production of uew varieties are' Lieut.Colonel Rhodes, Mrs. R. Heaton Rhodes, Mossrs.' A. E.'Lowe, J. G. Davis, and F. Biggs (all, of Christchurch), who have given to the horticultural world new and distinct kinds 7 of narcissus. In Dunedin, Mr. H. Clarke (gardener, for Mr. R. Glendming) has for' years' been crossing and raising new kinds of pelargoniums,' and. has produced a number "of varieties which standard in character : and rare considered to be -• distinct advance in the show and decorative section.' Mr. J. Dutton, of Christcliurch, has done excellent work, arid at the recent show made a display of seedling chrysanthemums. ; 'Mr. Jas. Gray (gardoner to Mrs. Townerid, of' Christchiirch) has . been 1 giving some : attention to 'raising ' new roses, and lias been most successful. His' efforts have beori confined, mostly' to the hybrid tea section. .Among fruits,! good work has been donein the, breeding jof now ' kinds. This work,'.however, has been confined'.to two or three' enthusiasts : in the Auckland province. Mr. H. E. Sharp, of .Waikumete, has "for a great number, or years set himself to breed applesuof a blight-resisting character,' with all the, qualities'of fine flavour, size, and appearance associated. : In 'the northern province, owing'to the ravages of the American blight, niany of tho best apples cannot be grown. Mr. Sharp, as a result of many, years' patient labour,, produced quite p. number of kinds, 'which not. only-have..a great local name, but are now very largely'grown in Australia.: : Mr. W. E. Lippiatt, of Otaliuhu. is another enthusiastic plant breeder, and his'.work , has resulted in a number' of good things,' roses,; nectarines, peaches, and apples. He>has been busy during'the- last' year withVgrape vines,, and has now a very fine lot of seedjirig plants, which he hopes to fruit next. year. ■ \ •'

. The work of plant-breeding is not rcstrictsd to'seedlings.'* Sports"'occupy a promiaent place in? the. work. 1 . There are wellknown' apples'which originated, as."sports'' from quite different varieties. • Mr. Lippiatt ' himself a' few. years, ago reported a-sport : in one of his It sprang from ■ the main 1 rod of a Gros Cohnan vino, and bore grapes, distinctly larger than those of .tho. parentc'itself, which hitherto'had been the', largest' of jail the ' grapes, commonly grown.'' We'have not since heard' what hecame of the sport.John Shal-p," " H. E. Sharp,' Wand other 1 ' Sharps 1 ' • are included among' .tho : new - blight-proof red apples of excellent commercial : qualities . that Mr. Sharpj.has raised. Those,, however, : are not, we believe, the result of any cross-fertilisa-tion'.'. They, are obtained simply,'by selection" from beds of • seedling 3 fertilised naturally.' It is claimed by. some commercial seed-raisers that if they are given a reasonable specification of the sort of new variety wanted, they can produce it to o'rder in • a fevr" generations. Apparently Dr. Cockayne also has in his .mind's .eye : a specification I of tho sort of flax plant lie wants, and he ■ has already , taken some , steps on the road ■ to producing • it. . -.■ .