possible new varieties which it was hoped would prove superior to those already available and which could be successfully grown in parts of Canada where the winter was as severe or more severe than it is at Ottawa. It was thought that in an orchard containing a large number of varieties of apples the chances of obtaining desirable combinations of characters were very good. These seedlings, where one parent only is known, would also be interesting to compare with those grown from seed produced by hand pollination where both parents were known, should such crossing be done, as it was subsequently.

The Northern Spy had not fruited at Ottawa as a standard tree, it not being sufficiently hardy to withstand the winters there, but in 1898 we were successful in obtaining fruit from this variety top-grafted on Oldenburgh; subsequently the graft was killed by a very severe winter. No special selection was made of the fruit from which the seeds were taken. The seeds were sown in the spring of 1899, but with few exceptions did not germinate until the spring of 1900, and after being transplanted and grown in nursery rows were planted in the orchard in the spring of 1901 and 1902, a few only being planted in 1901. The trees with but few exceptions are strong growers and only a small proportion have been injured by winter. The detailed descriptions of the one hundred seedlings referred to in this paper were practically all taken by myself. In such work as describing varieties of apples it is desirable that the descriptions be taken by one person especially where comparisons are to be made as in most of the characteristics described it is a matter of individual judgment rather than exactness. We believe that it is important to bring together the notes thus made as in my judgment they furnish strong evidence of the value of the Northern Spy apple in breeding new varieties. It may be stated here that descriptions of the characteristics of Swayzie seedlings were given at the biennial meeting of this Society in 1907, of Wealthy seedlings, at the annual meeting of the American Breeders' Association in 1910, and of McIntosh seedlings at the annual meeting of this Society in 1911. In the report of the Central Experimental Farm for 1911, descriptions of the characteristics of other varieties were published. A much larger proportion of the seedlings of some mother parents resemble the parent in certain ways than of others.

CHARACTERISTICS OF 100 NORTHERN SPY SEEDLINGS ORIGINATED AND FRUITED AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM, OTTAWA,

The size of Northern Spy is above medium to large.

The form of Northern Spy is roundish conical.
Color.

Per Cent.

The color of Northern Spy is red varying in shade from pinkish red to bright red.

Cavity.

Small

Medium
Large

The cavity of Northern Spy is large.

Stem.*

Short
Medium
Long

The stem of Northern Spy is short to medium.

Basin.

Small

Medium

Large

The basin of Northern Spy is medium.

Calyx.*

Open
Closed

*NOTE-Apples under 11⁄2 inches in diameter are very small; 214 inches, small; 24 to 2% inches below medium; 2% to 24 24 to 3 inches, above medium; 3 to 31⁄2 inches, large; above 31⁄2

99

between 11⁄2 and inches, medium; inches, very large.

The calyx of Northern Spy is usually closed but often open. *This character was not recorded for quite all the seedlings.

Seeds.*

Small
Medium
Large

The seeds of Northern Spy are medium in size.

Per Cent.

Dots.

Distinct

Indistinct

The dots of Northern Spy are distinct though not conspicuous.

Skin.

Thin

Medium
Thick

The skin of Northern Spy is medium in thickness.

Skin.*

Tender

Medium

Tough

0

90

4

94

Per Cent.

50

50

100

Per Cent.

3

87

10

100

Per Cent.

33

32

33

98

Per Cent.

45

51

96

The skin of Northern Spy is moderately tender to tender.

Flesh.*

Juicy

Moderate juicy.

The flesh is noted as tender in 72 per cent, crisp in 47 per cent, and coarse in 17 per cent of the seedlings. The flesh of Northern Spy is crisp, tender and juicy.

The season of Northern Spy is December to April.

RESEMBLANCE.

43

22

18

100

Notes were taken when there was a marked resemblance to Northern Spy in other characteristics and the following gives some indication of the proportion of these points of resemblance.

Size-Only two per cent of the seedling were small. Of these, one variety had the firm breaking flesh of a crab apple, the other was like a small apple. Only twelve per cent were below medium, leaving 86 per cent of good marketable size. Over 1.300 seedlings of eleven different parents have now fruited and the per cent of apples of marketable size is about 80.

Form Sixty-nine per cent of the apples were roundish or roundish conical, but it is interesting to note that 28 per cent were oblate which is a fairly large proportion.

Color-Only 7 per cent had green or yellow color predominating, but the per cent of orange and orange red, twenty-two, is

striking. There are indications that the Northern Spy when in bloom received pollen from Sops of Wine, an orange red colored variety growing in the orchard, because the flavor of some of the seedlings resembles Sops of Wine.

Flavor-Eighty-eight per cent of the seedlings were subacid or briskly subacid, and seven per cent were sweet. Four per cent were mildly subacid and one per cent acid. This does not, however, ever, represent the true flavor. Thirty-six per cent had a distinctly Northern Spy flavor and it would be very difficult to dis-. tinguish some of the apples from Northern Spy in this respect. We have now seedlings with the flavor of Northern Spy and in season from September until spring. Eight per cent had a peculiar flavor somewhat resembling Arkansas Black, or Pawpaw, and as I have detected this flavor in a seedling of Northern Spy sent from another part of Canada, it would indicate that the ancestry of the Northern Spy there was a variety with that flavor. A few, two per cent, had a flavor resembling Sops of Wine, this flavor was also detected in Wealthy Seedlings.

Quality-It was hoped that an apple as good in quality as the Northern Spy would give a fair proportion of seedlings of good flavor and quality and we have not been disappointed. Seventyfive per cent are distinctly above medium in quality of which twenty-nine per cent are good to very good.

Season-It is quite encouraging to find that forty per cent of the seedlings are winter apples, only one seedling out of the one hundred being a summer variety, and only sixteen per cent early autumn, whereas, in the case of the Wealthy Seedlings twenty-one per cent were summer apples, and twenty-nine per cent early autumn, and twenty-one per cent winter.

Number propagated and named-Of the one hundred seedlings described no less than forty-five were considered sufficiently promising to propagate for further test and seventeen of the best have been named as follows: Ascot, Bingo, Donald, Elmer, Epsom, Glenton, Homer, Nestor, Marcus, Niobe, Orlando, Rocket, Rosalie, Sandow, Sparta, Tasty and Thurso. Of these ten are autumn and seven are winter varieties. As rapidly as possible these are being propagated and sent to the experimental stations and private individuals in Canada and the United States, for further testing and it is expected that some time in the future at least a few of these will take their place among commercial varieties and extend the season of apples of the Northern Spy type and since they are hardier than the parent they will increase the area over which this type can be successfully grown.

Time of Bearing-Northern Spy which is late in coming into bearing has given this characteristic to most of the seedlings. It is interesting to compare ninety-eight seedlings of Wealthy, which, however, are one year older, with the one hundred seedlings of Northern Spy. The Wealthy as is well known is a very early bearer. It will be seen that all of the Wealthy seedlings had fruited when the Northern Spy began to fruit.