The February number of The American Garden contains valuable suggestions in regard to the improvement of the wild crab of the northwest (Pyrus coronaria) by A. W. Sias. In the spring of 1886, at Ames, Iowa, blossoms of Pyrus coronaria were suc-cesfully pollinated with pollen of the Roman Stem apple. Fruit set, but the seeds were mostly abortive. The following year the same work was repeated with practically the same result. In 1888, at the Iowa agricultural college, using the Soulard as female parent, I pollenized about eighty blossoms with eight varieties of the common apple, ten blossoms to each variety. Fully sixty per cent. set fruit and yielded fertile seed. At the same time parallel but less extensive experiments were in progress with the typical Pyrus coronaria, with results as in former years. Of course this does not convince me that the wild species cannot be hybridized, as in one case two or three seeds were obtained, but it points to a wider divergence from the apple than in the case of the Soulard. The difference in the blossoming period between the crab and the apple may be overcome by obtaining pollen from other latitudes. There is certainly a promising field, and one which has been too much neglected by plant breeders thus far.

As Mr. Sias suggests, selecting the largest and best specimens of the natives is the first step, this to be followed by hybridizing with Russians or other hardy varieties. Mr. Patten's efforts have been so successful as to commend this line of work to the careful attention of all who are interested in raising fruits to meet the requirements of the cold north.

John Craig.

Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Canada.

Hybridizing The Wild Crab #1

I have read carefully the statements of A. W. Sias and Profes-sor John Craig, in regard to the possible improvement of Pyrus coronaria. During the past five years I have given the subject some study, and it may be well to give briefly my present conclusions upon this important matter.

(1) It will be difficult, if not impossible, to secure fertile seeds. We have made a number of successful crosses, as was indicated by the fact that we varied the shape and markings of the fruit of the crab, but as yet we have not been able to germinate a single seed. The cross is a violent one. and so far the fruits have been seedless or, when apparently perfect, the seeds have failed to germinate with the best possible care, both in plant-house and the open air.

(2) We have no evidence that the Soulard crab named by Mr. Craig is a hybrid, or even a marked variation of the species. The P. coronaria in the west runs into many varieties, differing in size of tree, leaf, habit of growth, and in size, season and quality of fruit. During the past ten years I have seen many specimens from native groves, as large and good as the Soulard, or the supposed crosses of Mr. Patten and Mr. Fluke. So long as the peculiar core surrondings of the wild crab are retained, and the typical leaf and flower, I shall have no faith in supposed hybrids.

(3) If hybrids are produced - as is yet possible and probable - they will not be as rich in promise as is usually supposed. In the prairie states the native crab is not a truly hardy tree outside of its native haunts in the thickets. Exposed to wind, storm, and sun, in isolated positions in orchards, it is subject to blight, sunscald, and other troubles, which the Oldenburg, Anis, Hibernal, Silken Leaf and dozens of our cultivated apples wholly escape. At the far north, where the hardiness of a tree is fully tested, the crab apple is not found native, and when planted beside the true iron-clads it fails on account of winter injury.

(4) We already have Russian varieties of the apple that are hardier in every respect under culture than the wild crab, and have proved good bearers of large, handsome and good fruit that keeps through winter.

These conclusions are not given to discourage attempts to improve our native fruits, but to direct attention to the fact that our most promising field of work at present is the crossing of the hardiest and best of our late fall and winter Russian apples, with the pollen of such excellent sorts as Grimes' Golden, Jonathan, Fulton, Northern Spy, Osceola, etc. We already have young trees from such crosses that promise to be fully as hardy in tree as our native crab.

Fig. 4. Root-production on Piece-rooted Stocks.