A Lesson to Fruitgrowers.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 4

A Lesson to Fruit growers.

An American agriculturist raised the question a short time ago as lo the necessity of insect visits to the flowers of pears and other fruits affected by blight. It was shown that the organism causing blight was disseminated by insects during their visits to the blossoms, and it was thought that if by some practical means insects could be excluded from the flowers without interfering with the fruitfulness of the trees, one foim of blight at least might be prevented. A series of experiments were made at Broskport, New York, to obtain some information in regard to the effect on fruitfalness of excluding insects. These experiments were made under the direction of the United States Department of Agriculture, and the results, which are certainly startlirjg, have been published. The results seem to indicate a fact hitherto overlooked by scientific and practical men — viz , that many well-known varieties of pears will not set fruit unless their flowers receive pollen from other varieties — that is to say, the visits of insects, by means of which cross-fertilisation is effected, is necessary to ensure proper setting of the fruit. Further information on the subject being required, some extended experiments were made, the work being carried on iv Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. The results in every case confirmed those previously obtained. Thus it would seem that most of the common varieties of pears and apples are unable to fertilise themselves. Of course this has been touched upon by Darwin, Knight, and others ; but it would appear that no one has advanced any theories as to the common fruits. The lesson for the fruitgrower is to select his varieties and plant them in such a way as to ensure cross-fertilisation. — Pall Mail Gazette.